Open Foundations · Montana

First Interstate Bancsystem Foundation Inc

Billings, Montana · EIN 810465899. Its Form 990-PF says giving is not restricted to organizations picked in advance, which is how a private foundation files that it accepts unsolicited requests. It paid $5.0M across 754 grants in 2025, a median of $2K each.

All Montana foundations · All states

$5.0M
paid in 2025
754
grants paid
$2K
median grant
28%
to first-time recipients
$19.2M
assets on file

How to apply, as filed

Straight off Part XV of the return. Where the foundation left a line blank, this says so rather than guessing.

Send requests to
Amberly Pahut Exec Director
Address
401 N 31st St Suite 400, Billings, MT, 59101
Phone
4062555393
Form the request should take
Refer to Foundation website for online application.
Submission deadline
Refer to Foundation website for online application.
Restrictions on awards
The grants are intended to serve the communities of interest to First Interstate Bank.

As filed on the Form 990-PF for tax year 2025, IRS filing object id 202621259349100247. Printed word for word, including the entries that only say to see a website or an attachment.

What it funds, in its own words

The words that come up most often across the purposes it wrote on its 2025 grants. These are the foundation's own words, not a category we assigned.

volunteer dayfeeding neighborsneighbors feeding

Biggest grants in 2025

The 15 largest of the 754 grants paid in 2025, with the purpose the foundation wrote for each.

#RecipientStateAmountPurpose as filed
1The Blackbaud Giving FundSC$663,178Employee Giving Program Distributions
2Yellowstone Ice FoundationMT$125,000New Ice Rink
3Special Olympics Montana IncMT$103,000General Operating Support
4Whitefish Community Foundation IncMT$59,490Great Fish Challenge
5Billings School DistrictMT$50,000Daylis Stadium Project
6Junior Achievement of South DakotaSD$50,000Financial Education
7Riverpeak HealthWY$50,000General Operating Support
8Wise Wonders Childrens Museum IncMT$40,245Financial Education
9E4e Relief LlcGA$38,713Emergency Relief
10Four Bands Community Fund IncSD$37,500Workforce Development
11Idaho Community Foundation IncID$36,000Nonprofit Education
12Feeding South DakotaSD$35,500Neighbors Feeding Neighbors
13Community Entry Services IncWY$32,500General Operating Support
14Mountainstar Family Relief NurseryOR$32,500General Operating Support
15Alliance for Youth IncMT$30,000General Operating Support

Giving by year, and who received it

Grants paid by year

Every year of this foundation's grants that Civly holds
Tax yearGrantsPaid
2020870$3.1M
2021923$3.0M
20221,374$6.1M
20231,534$6.0M
2024758$4.8M
2025 (partial year)754$5.0M

Where the money went

Share of 2025 grant dollars by recipient state
Montana25%
South Dakota13%
Oregon12%
Nebraska10%
Wyoming9%

Who decides

Officers, directors and trustees as filed, with the year of the return they appeared on.

Amberly PahutExecutive Director · 2025
David Della CameraDirector (From May '25) · 2025
Geoffrey ScottDirector · 2025
James ReuterDirector · 2025
Jeremy ScottDirector · 2025
Joyce PhillipsDirector · 2025
Kirk JensenDirector · 2025
Kristina RobbinsDirector · 2025
Marcy MutchDirector (Through May '25) · 2025
Patricia MossDirector (From June '25) · 2025
Thomas HenningDirector (Through June '25) · 2025

Every figure on this page is that foundation's own latest filed year, which is 2022 or later. This foundation is listed because its Form 990-PF says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and it paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Latest-year grants and terms per foundation from IRS 990-PF e-file returns; the newest tax year is partial until the IRS finishes releasing it. Grants are de-duplicated on funder, year, recipient and amount, so identical repeat grants collapse into one and totals can run low. Full method.

Source: IRS Form 990-PF e-file releases (public domain). Analysis: Civly.

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