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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Montana
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 2,909 grantmakers listed 22,614 grants totaling $813.8 million to 7,092 organizations in Montana. 2,635 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 274 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 289 are based in Montana; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Montana organization was $6,972. Gallatin County received the most grants (2,696, from 818 funders), followed by Missoula County (2,687) and Yellowstone County (1,828). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (3,378 grants), children & youth (2,213 grants) and environment & conservation (2,177 grants).
Town Pump Charitable Foundation (Butte, MT) funded the most different Montana organizations: 863, through 1,315 grants with a typical size of $2,000.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Montana organizations
Ranked by the number of different Montana organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to MT organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Town Pump Charitable Foundation Butte, MT · EIN 81-0523786 | 1,315 | 863 | $2,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 2 | First Interstate BancSystem Foundation Inc Billings, MT · EIN 81-0465899 | 766 | 545 | $2,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 3 | Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation Missoula, MT · EIN 36-3606913 | 898 | 440 | $10,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | Montana Community Foundation Inc Helena, MT · EIN 81-0450150 | 562 | 374 | $13,164 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 5 | Gianforte Family Charitable Trust Bozeman, MT · EIN 30-6089834 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 414 | 295 | $10,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | Treacy Foundation Helena, MT · EIN 81-0270257 | 248 | 202 | $25,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 7 | Whitefish Community Foundation Inc Whitefish, MT · EIN 81-0533002 | 291 | 183 | $50,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 8 | Headwaters Health Foundation of Western Montana Missoula, MT · EIN 81-1099715 | 228 | 170 | $7,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | Montana Healthcare Foundation Bozeman, MT · EIN 46-6854005 | 452 | 164 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | The Arthur M Blank Family Foundation Atlanta, GA · EIN 38-3983213 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 189 | 130 | $25,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Otto Bremer Trust St Paul, MN · EIN 41-6019050 | 142 | 127 | $50,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Sample Foundation Inc Billings, MT · EIN 59-6138602 | 139 | 116 | $5,950 | 2023 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | The High Stakes Foundation Missoula, MT · EIN 20-5815274 | 170 | 104 | $20,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 14 | M J Murdock Charitable Trust Vancouver, WA · EIN 23-7456468 | 139 | 104 | $75,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Bnsf Railway Foundation Fort Worth, TX · EIN 26-1635887 | 124 | 84 | $3,500 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallatin County | 2,696 | 818 | $123.2 million | Top 5 funders |
| Missoula County | 2,687 | 671 | $94.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Yellowstone County | 1,828 | 346 | $78.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Flathead County | 1,336 | 286 | $41.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Lewis and Clark County | 1,258 | 313 | $61.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Cascade County | 878 | 141 | $16.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Park County | 656 | 143 | $21.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Madison County | 589 | 165 | $8.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Lake County | 546 | 154 | $15.6 million | Top 5 funders |
| Ravalli County | 451 | 110 | $6.7 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 3,378 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 2,213 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 2,177 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 1,429 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 1,337 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 1,036 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 515 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 464 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 244 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 213 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 134 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 62 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 8 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Montana ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.