Montana History Foundation
Helena, MT · EIN 81-0435459. Reported 90 grants totalling $793,076 to 75 organizations across tax years 2020-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Montana History Foundation, the IRS classifies it under arts & culture rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE A82Z) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 75 distinct organizations, with 5% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 5% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $9,500. Half of what it reported fell between $7,500 and $10,000; the smallest was $5,000 and the largest $20,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County Geological Society | Ekalaka, MT | $36,750 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana | Charlo, MT | $31,500 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Buses of Yellowstone Preservation Trust Incorporated | Red Lodge, MT | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Fort Benton Community Improvement Association | Fort Benton, MT | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Missoula Art Museum | Missoula, MT | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Montana Heritage Commission | Virgina City, MT | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Treasure County 89 Ers Inc | Hysham, MT | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Extreme History Project | Bozeman, MT | $18,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Montana Foundation | Missoula, MT | $16,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| City County of Butte-Silverbow | Butte, MT | $15,900 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Yellowstone Western Heritage Center Foundation | Billings, MT | $14,070 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Yellowstone County Museum Foundation | Billings, MT | $13,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Montana State Parks Foundation Inc | Missoula, MT | $12,300 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Archie Bray Foundation | Helena, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bigfork Art and Cultural Center | Bigfork, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalization Inc | Butte, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| City County Preservation Committee | Harlowton, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Shelby | Shelby, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Columbia Falls Historical Society | Columbia Fls, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Conrad Public Library | Conrad, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Crow Language Consortium | Bloomington, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dillon Friends of the Library | Dillon, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fort Assinniboine Preservation Assoc Inc | Havre, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Fort Benton Community Improvement Assoc | Fort Benton, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Fort Connah Restoration Society | Polson, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Historic Hotel Libby Inc | Libby, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum of Park County | Livingston, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Greater Gardiner Community Council | Gardiner, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Helena Television Coalition Inc | Helena, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Heritage and Cultural Foundation of Garfield County | Jordan, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Mai Wah Society Inc | Butte, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Miles City Convent Keepers | Miles City, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mission Valley Friends of the Arts | Polson, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Montana Association of State Grazing Districts | Helena, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Red Lodge Area Community Foundation | Red Lodge, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Reese Creek Community Center | Belgrade, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Paradise Center | Paradise, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Winnett Aces Inc | Winnett, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wolf Point Area Museum Inc | Wolf Point, MT | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Yellowstone River Parks Association Inc | Billings, MT | $9,600 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Friends of Fort Owen | Stevensville, MT | $9,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Lincoln County Library | Libby, MT | $9,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Yellowstone Bighorn Research Assoc Inc | Red Lodge, MT | $9,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The Montana Dinosaur Center | Bynum, MT | $9,400 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| George Mccone County Library | Circle, MT | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Powell County Museum & Arts Foundation Inc | Deer Lodge, MT | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Myrna Loy | Helena, MT | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Blaine County | Chinook, MT | $8,680 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mineral County Historical Society Inc | Superior, MT | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Montana Technological University | Butte, MT | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Bear Paw Development Corp of North Montana Hill County Courthouse | Havre, MT | $8,400 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Southeast Montana Area Revitalization Team Inc | Baker, MT | $8,400 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Montana Wilderness Association Inc | Helena, MT | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| North-Missoula Community Development Corporation | Missoula, MT | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Philipsburg Playhouse Productions | Philipsburg, MT | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Usda Forest Service | Washington, DC | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Virginia City Preservation Alliance | Virginia City, MT | $7,650 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Helena | Helena, MT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Powder River Historical Society | Broadus, MT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Prairie County Museum | Terry, MT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Thompson-Hickman Madison County Public Library and Archives | Virginia City, MT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| World Museum of Mining Inc | Butte, MT | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Cascade County Historical Society | Great Falls, MT | $7,440 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes | Pablo, MT | $7,400 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Lewistown Public Library | Lewistown, MT | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Northwest Montana Historical Society Inc | Kalispell, MT | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Tree of Treasures | Carter, MT | $6,726 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Little Red School House Inc | Helena, MT | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Bozeman | Bozeman, MT | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Yellowstone Historic Center Inc | W Yellowstone, MT | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Montecahto Club | Polson, MT | $5,760 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Petroleum County Community Center | Winnett, MT | $5,600 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Big Sky Film Institute | Missoula, MT | $5,500 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Missoula Public Library Foundation Inc | Missoula, MT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Salish Kootenai College Inc | Pablo, MT | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
10 of 75 (13%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Montana Heritage Commission
PROMOTE AND PRESERVE MONTANA HISTORY
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 46 of 75 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 16 | $116,250 | $7,250 |
| 2021 | 20 | $179,540 | $8,700 |
| 2022 | 21 | $190,210 | $9,400 |
| 2023 | 24 | $220,576 | $10,000 |
| 2024 | 9 | $86,500 | $10,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
98% of its giving went to organizations in Montana. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $9,500 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Montana.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Montana History Foundation's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 9 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 1 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 1750 N Washington St, Helena, MT, 59601.
EIN 81-0435459 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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