Zeller-Knowles Foundation Inc
Wilmington, DE · EIN 27-3980711. Reported 189 grants totalling $958,205 to 77 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. Zeller-Knowles Foundation Inc did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $1,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $9,000; the smallest was $50 and the largest $40,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade County Historical Society | Great Falls, MT | $100,000 | 9 | 5 | 2025 |
| Great Falls Municipal Band | Great Falls, MT | $69,000 | 6 | 4 | 2025 |
| Central Christian Church | Great Falls, MT | $68,300 | 15 | 5 | 2025 |
| Family Promise of Great Falls | Great Falls, MT | $61,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Simms High School | Simms, MT | $58,300 | 5 | 4 | 2025 |
| St Ann Church | Fort Shaw, MT | $52,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Recycle Montana Inc | Winifred, MT | $51,500 | 6 | 4 | 2025 |
| Uptown Optimist Foundation Inc | Power, MT | $43,250 | 10 | 5 | 2025 |
| Great Falls Clinic Legacy Foundation | Great Falls, MT | $41,500 | 6 | 3 | 2025 |
| Montana School for the Deaf and Blind Foundation | Great Falls, MT | $40,000 | 3 | 2 | 2025 |
| Sun River Valley Lions Community Foundation | Simms, MT | $40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Housed Great Falls | Great Falls, MT | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Childrens Museum of Montana Inc | Great Falls, MT | $22,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Great Falls Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disor | Great Falls, MT | $20,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Hi-Ine Future Foundation Inc | Malta, MT | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Laurel Montana Community Foundation Incorporated | Laurel, MT | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Big Sky Country National Heritage Area Inc | Great Falls, MT | $17,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Snowy Mountain Development Corporation | Lewistown, MT | $17,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Sun River Valley Historical Society | Great Falls, MT | $16,605 | 10 | 4 | 2025 |
| Great Falls-Cascade County Senior Citizens Center | Great Falls, MT | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Alliance for Youth Inc | Great Falls, MT | $13,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Little Belts | Great Falls, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Sawtooth Stables Youth Equestrian Center | Augusta, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Johns Lutheran Church | Great Falls, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Pet Paw-See Inc | Great Falls, MT | $7,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| J C Adams Stone Barn Co | Fort Benton, MT | $7,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Great Falls Community Concert Association | Great Falls, MT | $6,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Montanta Historical Society | Helena, MT | $6,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Madison Middle School | Eugene, OR | $5,100 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Extreme History Project | Bozeman, MT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Fil Am Great Falls | Great Falls, MT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Great Falls Genealogy Society | Great Falls, MT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| North Eugene High School | Eugene, OR | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Salvation Army | Spokane, WA | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Missouri River Open Lands Preservation | Great Falls, MT | $4,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Montana Congress of Parents Teachers Students | Great Falls, MT | $4,000 | 2 | 1 | 2025 |
| City of Great Falls | Great Falls, MT | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Friends of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks | Bozeman, MT | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Great Falls Public Schools Foundation | Great Falls, MT | $3,000 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mclaughlin Research Institute for Biomedical Scien | Great Falls, MT | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Montana Museum of Railroad History | Great Falls, MT | $3,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Sams Hope Foundation | Lincoln, MT | $3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Friends of Montana PBS Inc | Bozeman, MT | $2,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Preservation Cascade Inc | Great Falls, MT | $2,500 | 5 | 4 | 2025 |
| Augusta Youth Center | Augusta, MT | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mineral County Historical Society Inc | Superior, MT | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ursuline Historical Foundation Inc | Great Falls, MT | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| CASA-Can Childrens Advocate Network | Great Falls, MT | $1,700 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| United Way of Cascade County | Great Falls, MT | $1,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Alluvion Health Foundation | Great Falls, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Prairie Foundation | Bozeman, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Augusta High School | Augusta, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cda Comm Theater & Academy Inc | Coeur D Alene, ID | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Ennis Lions Charities Inc | Ennis, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - St Johns | Great Falls, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley | Billings, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Great Falls Fish Inc | Great Falls, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Great Falls Lgbtq Center | Great Falls, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Great Falls Theatre Company | Great Falls, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Inc | Great Falls, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lewistown Art Center | Lewistown, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Montana History Foundation | Helena, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Public Land Water Access Association Inc | Bozeman, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Young Womens Christian Assn of Great Falls | Great Falls, MT | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Energy Share of Montana Inc | Helena, MT | $700 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Great Falls Public Library Foundation | Great Falls, MT | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| National Ski Patrol System Inc | Bismarck, ND | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Pheasants Forever Inc | Saint Paul, MN | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Cascade 4-H Foundation | Great Falls, MT | $450 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Montana 4-H Foundation Inc | Bozeman, MT | $450 | 2 | 1 | 2025 |
| Frontier Gateway Museum Assoc | Glendive, MT | $300 | 3 | 2 | 2023 |
| Alzheimers Disease and Related Disorders Associati | Chicago, IL | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Benefis Health System Foundation Inc | Great Falls, MT | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Montana Wildlife Federation | Helena, MT | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| United States Olympic and Paralympic Foundation | Colorado Springs, CO | $200 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Intermountain Planned Parenthood Inc | Billings, MT | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Montana Free Press | Helena, MT | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
33 of 77 (43%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 66%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Cascade County Historical Society
Sun River Cemetery Assn landscaping and other maintenance projects of the cemetery fund - Simms High School
Merja robotics team travel expenses to attend the robotics competition in Houston, TX, and general purpose - Family Promise of Great Falls
Support Community Relations position fund - Montana School for the Deaf and Blind Foundation
updates to the bowling alley - Sun River Valley Lions Community Foundation
building remodeling project of the historic lumber yard - Hi-Ine Future Foundation Inc
For the advancement of the Malta Swimming Pool
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 100 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14 | $82,700 | $1,500 |
| 2022 | 47 | $133,005 | $1,000 |
| 2023 | 34 | $203,300 | $2,500 |
| 2024 | 30 | $242,100 | $5,000 |
| 2025 | 64 | $297,100 | $1,250 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Where its money goes
98% of its giving went to organizations in Montana. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $1,500. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Montana.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Zeller-Knowles Foundation Inc's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: Foundation Source 501 Silverside Rd, Wilmington, DE, 19809. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 27-3980711 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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