A Better Big Sky is a Montana-focused funder that concentrates on civic engagement, progressive electoral politics, and public lands/conservation advocacy. The foundation gives heavily to voter mobilization groups, state policy advocacy and political action committees that operate in Montana, and also supports senior advocacy and reproductive rights organizations. Its grants tend to be sizable and targeted to a small set of repeat grantees that run campaigns, research, and get-out-the-vote infrastructure across the state.
A Better Big Sky’s largest recent grant went to Montana Values Action Fund, a $1,905,000 award in 2025. That single grant is a good entry point to the foundation’s style: large, targeted support for Montana political and advocacy infrastructure. The funder backs organizations working on civic engagement, public-lands campaigns, labor and retirement issues, reproductive rights, and civil-liberties advocacy, with a strong emphasis on statewide work that can influence Montana policy and elections. The foundation also made a $1,340,000 general-support grant to Big Sky 55 and a $690,000 grant to Montana Rural Voters. Those awards show a preference for organizations that combine field organizing, campaign work, and state-level policy activity. Across the recent grants list, the same broad mission appears in different forms: mobilizing voters, supporting advocacy coalitions, and sustaining groups that work on ballot, legislative, and public-lands issues. The grantmaking pattern points to a funder that is concentrated on a small set of recipients rather than a broad, dispersed portfolio.
A Better Big Sky funds several distinct but connected policy and advocacy lanes. In voter mobilization, it gave $690,000 to Work EP dba Montana Rural Voters for general support and $20,000 to Mt Human Rights Network dba Mt Vote for general support. In conservation and public-lands advocacy, the foundation awarded $465,000 to Wild Montana Action Fund and $75,000 to Montanans for Public Lands. Labor and retirement policy also appear in the portfolio. The foundation gave $215,000 to Montana AFL-CIO and $500,000 to Alliance for Retired Americans, while a separate $51,000 award to Montana AFL-CIO shows continued support over multiple years. Reproductive rights and civil-liberties work are represented by the $600,000 grant to Montanans for Liberty and Justice and the $62,000 grant to Planned Parenthood Advocates of MT. These grants point to a state-level strategy built around advocacy organizations rather than direct service providers.
Typical grants are sizable: the p25 is $20,000, the median is $51,000, and the p75 is $88,000. The recent list also includes several much larger awards, indicating that the foundation reserves major support for a small set of core organizations. Repeated recipients appear across multiple years, including Middle Fork Strategies, Montana Conservation Voters, Big Sky 55, Forward Montana, and Montana AFL-CIO. The funder is classified as a regular funder, and the grants shown are largely general support or core support, with no indication of individual giving or program-related investments.
$7M
$1.9M
$7.7M
$7.5M
Most grants fall between $20K and $88K, with a median of $51K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$51K
75th Percentile
$88K
STACIE ANDERSON
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a relatively small portfolio of repeat grantees and state-focused PACs and advocacy shops; funding is tactical and campaign-oriented (GOTV, research, communications) rather than broad Core/operating support across many sectors.
Notable grantees: Montana Values Action Fund, Big Sky 55, Work EP / Montana Rural Voters, Wild Montana Action Fund, Montana Conservation Voters
Grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Montana: 92% of grants go to recipients in the state. The highest-volume non-HQ giving appears in Washington, DC, with recipients such as Alliance for Retired Americans and Searchlight Research LLC. Within Montana, grants cluster in Missoula, Helena, and Billings, with additional awards in smaller-statewide advocacy hubs. All recent grants in the dataset go to U.S. recipients.
The portfolio centers on Montana civic engagement, progressive electoral politics, and public-lands advocacy. It also includes labor and retirement policy groups, reproductive rights organizations, and civil-liberties advocacy. Most awards are directed to statewide organizations that work on campaigns, organizing, research, or policy advocacy.
The middle of the distribution is relatively high: p25 is $20,000, median grant size is $51,000, and p75 is $88,000. The recent grants list also includes several much larger grants above $1 million, showing that the foundation makes both mid-sized support grants and large strategic awards.
Yes. Several recipients appear in more than one year, including Middle Fork Strategies, Montana Conservation Voters, Big Sky 55, Forward Montana, and Montana AFL-CIO. The pattern suggests ongoing support for a core set of Montana advocacy organizations rather than one-time awards only.
The foundation’s geographic scope is local, and 92% of grants go to recipients in Montana. A smaller share goes to organizations outside the state, including recipients in Washington, DC and Portland, OR, but the center of gravity remains Montana.
The clearest pattern is support for statewide advocacy and electoral infrastructure in Montana. Recent grants include voter mobilization, conservation campaigning, labor and retirement advocacy, and reproductive rights or civil-liberties work, with large general-support awards to organizations operating in those lanes.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MONTANA VALUES ACTION FUND | MISSOULA, MT | $1,905,000 | 2025 | — |
| BIG SKY 55 | HELENA, MT | $1,340,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WORK EP DBA MONTANA RURAL VOTERS | BILLINGS, MT | $690,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WESTERN NATIVE VOTE | BILLINGS, MT | $650,000 | 2025 | — |
| ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS | WASHINGTON, DC | $500,000 | 2025 | — |
| WILD MONTANA ACTION FUND | HELENA, MT | $465,000 | 2025 | — |
| MONTPIRG | MISSOULA, MT | $300,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS | HELENA, MT | $280,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTANA AFL-CIO | HELENA, MT | $215,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FORWARD MONTANA | MISSOULA, MT | $175,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MIDDLE FORK STRATEGIES | HELENA, MT | $150,000 | 2025 | — |
| VOTE VET | PORTLAND, OR | $100,000 | 2025 | — |
| WORKING MONTANA PAC | HELENA, MT | $95,000 | 2025 | — |
| MONTANANS FOR PUBLIC LANDS | HELENA, MT | $75,000 | 2025 | — |
| WESTERN ORGANIZATION OF RESOURCE CO MONTANA RURAL VOTERS | BILLINGS, MT | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MIDDLE FORK STRATEGIES | HELENA, MT | $125,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SEARCHLIGHT RESEARCH LLC | WASHINGTON, DC | $42,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MT HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK DBA MT VOTE | MISSOULA, MT | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BIG SKY 55 | BILLINGS, MT | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| FORWARD MONTANA | MISSOULA, MT | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS | BILLINGS, MT | $15,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS NS | — | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTANANS FOR LIBERTY AND JUSTICE | HELENA, MT | $600,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BIG SKY VOTES PAC | MISSOULA, MT | $400,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| WESTERN ORGANIZATION OF RESOURCE CO | BILLINGS, MT | $88,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS | BILLINGS, MT | $83,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD ADVOCATES OF MT | BILLINGS, MT | $62,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MONTANA AFL-CIO | HELENA, MT | $51,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
MONTANA VALUES ACTION FUND
$1,905,000BIG SKY 55
$1,340,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WORK EP DBA MONTANA RURAL VOTERS
$690,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WESTERN NATIVE VOTE
$650,000ALLIANCE FOR RETIRED AMERICANS
$500,000WILD MONTANA ACTION FUND
$465,000MONTPIRG
$300,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS
$280,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MONTANA AFL-CIO
$215,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FORWARD MONTANA
$175,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MIDDLE FORK STRATEGIES
$150,000VOTE VET
$100,000WORKING MONTANA PAC
$95,000MONTANANS FOR PUBLIC LANDS
$75,000WESTERN ORGANIZATION OF RESOURCE CO MONTANA RURAL VOTERS
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MIDDLE FORK STRATEGIES
$125,000GENERAL SUPPORT
SEARCHLIGHT RESEARCH LLC
$42,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MT HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK DBA MT VOTE
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BIG SKY 55
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
FORWARD MONTANA
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS NS
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MONTANANS FOR LIBERTY AND JUSTICE
$600,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BIG SKY VOTES PAC
$400,000GENERAL SUPPORT
WESTERN ORGANIZATION OF RESOURCE CO
$88,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MONTANA CONSERVATION VOTERS
$83,000GENERAL SUPPORT
PLANNED PARENTHOOD ADVOCATES OF MT
$62,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MONTANA AFL-CIO
$51,000GENERAL SUPPORT