Helena, Montana · EIN 816009847. 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 $372K across 22 grants in 2025, a median of $12K each.
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Straight off Part XV of the return. Where the foundation left a line blank, this says so rather than guessing.
As filed on the Form 990-PF for tax year 2025, IRS filing object id 202611839349100111. Printed word for word, including the entries that only say to see a website or an attachment.
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.
The 15 largest of the 22 grants paid in 2025, with the purpose the foundation wrote for each.
| # | Recipient | State | Amount | Purpose as filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana Broadcasters Association | MT | $45,000 | EB AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN COMMERCIAL BROADCASTING. |
| 2 | Montana Pbs | MT | $35,000 | FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE FRIENDS OF MONTANA PBS PROGRAM FUND. |
| 3 | From the Heart Productions | CA | $33,000 | SUPPORT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM "HEALING UNDER THE BIG SKY" ABOUT EQUINE THERAPY IN MONTANA AND CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF "THE MONTANA SESSIONS" NEXT SEASON OF EPISODES. |
| 4 | Maps Fort Belknap | MT | $25,000 | CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR OPERATING THE MAPS MEDIA INSTITUTE-FORT BELKNAP PROGRAM. |
| 5 | Maps Media Institute | MT | $25,000 | CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR MAPS MEDIA INSTITUTE. |
| 6 | National Geographic Society | DC | $25,000 | SUPPORT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM "THE GRIZZLY AMONG US" FOCUSED ON GRIZZLY BEARS IN MONTANA AND THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THEM. |
| 7 | University of Montana Foundation | MT | $25,000 | CONTINUED PROGRAM SUPPORT IN VARIOUS RADIO, ONLINE, AND STREAMING PROGRAMMING. |
| 8 | University of Montana School of Journalism | MT | $23,250 | IN CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR VARIOUS STUDENT PRODUCTIONS AND INTERNSHIPS. |
| 9 | Benchmark Wrestling | MT | $20,000 | SUPPORT FOR PRODUCTION OF THE FILM "BENMARCK" ABOUT A WRESTLING JOURNEY. |
| 10 | Montana Free Press | MT | $20,000 | FOR BROADCAST EXPANSION PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR MONTANA FREE PRESS JOURNALISM. |
| 11 | Western Native Voice | MT | $15,000 | SUPPORT FOR WESTERN NATIVE VOICE: EXPANDING HORIZONS PROGRAMMING AND FILM. |
| 12 | Extreme History Project | MT | $10,000 | SUPPORT FOR EPISODE 3 OF "THE STORY OF US: THE WOMEN WHO SHAPED MONTANA". |
| 13 | Friends of Yellowstone Public Radio | MT | $10,000 | SUPPORT FOR MARKETING AND JOURNALISM EXPANSION AT YPR. |
| 14 | Mineral County Museum and Historical Society | MT | $10,000 | SUPPORT FOR PRODUCTION OF "TAFT, THE WICKEDIST CITY" FILM BASED ON THE BOOK. |
| 15 | Simulation in Motion | MT | $10,000 | SUPPORT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM "NO ONE LEFT TO COME: MONTANA'S RURAL EMS CRISIS" FOCUSED ON THE LACK OF AMBULANCES IN RURAL MONTANA. |
| Tax year | Grants | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 17 | $277K |
| 2021 | 17 | $303K |
| 2022 | 20 | $348K |
| 2023 | 22 | $344K |
| 2024 | 20 | $360K |
| 2025 (partial year) | 22 | $372K |
Officers, directors and trustees as filed, with the year of the return they appeared on.
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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