To help individual donors and charitable organizations meet the needs of the Greater Yellowstone Region.
Billings Community Foundation’s local grantmaking shows a clear emphasis on building permanent resources for nonprofits, alongside project support for organizations serving the Greater Yellowstone region. In the recent grants list, its largest award was $104,000 to Muryl and Lu Myhre Foundation Inc for philanthropic purpose, and it also made a $49,285 grant to Matthews-dousman Memorial Fund in Billings. Those larger awards sit alongside repeated support for community institutions and donor-advised or endowment-related funds, indicating a mix of philanthropic vehicle support and direct local grantmaking. The foundation’s active programs point to how it works in practice. Its annual grants include community and regional impact grants and endowment challenge grants, while Yellowstone Valley Gives provides a public fundraising platform for local nonprofits. Community response funds add a rapid-response layer for emergency needs. Across the recent grants, recipients include organizations in Billings, Yellowstone County, and nearby Montana communities, with awards that reach education, health and human services, arts and culture, environment and conservation, and nonprofit capacity building. The pattern is regional, practical, and strongly tied to local organizations that can use both operating support and long-term sustainability funding.
Endowment building is one of the foundation’s most distinctive grantmaking themes. In 2025, it awarded $27,603 to Natalie a Dietrich Scholarship Endowment in Billings and $16,500 to Frank and Margo Kelley Daf for philanthropic purpose, showing attention to named funds and long-term charitable resources. Community-serving nonprofits also appear frequently. The foundation gave $20,000 to Substance Abuse Connect in Billings, $9,929 to Casa of Yellowstone County, and $7,500 to YWCA Billings. Those grants align with its health and human services focus and its support for local organizations working on immediate community needs. Environmental and conservation work is present as well. Montana Audubon in Helena received $23,686, and Yellowstone River Parks Association Inc in Billings received multiple awards, including $17,169, $14,761, and $14,759. Education-related giving appears through Billings Catholic Schools Foundation and James Wrightson Educational Endowment, reflecting a grant portfolio that mixes mission-based programs with local capacity building.
$320K
$10.4M
$1.3M
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $7K and $20K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$20K
CAROLYN SEVIER
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Typical grants cluster around a middle band: the 25th percentile is $7,035, the median is $13,218, and the 75th percentile is $19,723. That places most awards in a modest local-grant range, even as the list includes some much larger philanthropic-purpose grants. The data shows repeated support to several recipients across multiple years, including Wyola Development Fund, Yellowstone River Parks Association Inc, Central Montana Community Foundation, Joliet Community Center, Stillwater Historical Society, and Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley. The foundation is a mixed community foundation, not a private operating funder or DAF-only sponsor, and it does not fund individuals. Yellowstone Valley Gives accepts unsolicited nonprofit registrations; the annual grants and community response funds do not.
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local and concentrated in Montana. Ninety-seven percent of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and the top giving state is also MT. Billings appears often, including grants to Matthews-dousman Memorial Fund, Substance Abuse Connect, Casa of Yellowstone County, YWCA Billings, and Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley. Other Montana recipients include Wyola, Lewistown, Helena, Columbus, Joliet, and Missoula. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 38 grants in the United States.
Its recent grants show support for community development, education, health and human services, arts and culture, environment and conservation, animal welfare, and nonprofit capacity building. Named recipients in the recent list include Substance Abuse Connect, Montana Audubon, Yellowstone River Parks Association Inc, and Billings Catholic Schools Foundation.
The middle of its distribution sits in the low five figures: the 25th percentile is $7,035, the median is $13,218, and the 75th percentile is $19,723. That suggests many awards are in a relatively modest local-grant range, with some larger philanthropic-purpose grants above that band.
Yes. Although most grants stay in Montana and many go to Billings, recent recipients also include Wyola Development Fund in Wyola, Central Montana Community Foundation in Lewistown, Stillwater Historical Society in Columbus, Joliet Community Center in Joliet, Montana Audubon in Helena, and Montana State Parks Foundation in Missoula.
Yes. Several organizations appear more than once across recent years, including Wyola Development Fund, Yellowstone River Parks Association Inc, Central Montana Community Foundation, Joliet Community Center, Stillwater Historical Society, and Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley. That points to repeated support rather than one-time-only giving.
Some programs accept unsolicited participation, including Yellowstone Valley Gives, where local nonprofits register to take part in the annual giving event. The annual grants and community response funds are structured differently and are not described as open unsolicited application channels in the program list.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Billings Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Nonprofit organizations that meet Yellowstone Gives registration requirements (see event site for specifics).
Deadline: Event is recurring (annual); nonprofits must register by the event's registration deadline (see event website for current dates).
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MURYL AND LU MYHRE FOUNDATION INC | GREAT FALLS, MT | $104,000 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| MATTHEWS-DOUSMAN MEMORIAL FUND | BILLINGS, MT | $49,285 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| NATALIE A DIETRICH SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT | BILLINGS, MT | $27,603 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| WYOLA DEVELOPMENT FUND | WYOLA, MT | $21,220 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| SUBSTANCE ABUSE CONNECT | BILLINGS, MT | $20,000 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| FRANK AND MARGO KELLEY DAF | BILLINGS, MT | $16,500 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| JAMES WRIGHTSON EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENT | BILLINGS, MT | $15,000 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| YELLOWSTONE RIVER PARKS ASSOCIATION INC | BILLINGS, MT | $14,759 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| VARELA FAMILY FUND DAF | BILLINGS, MT | $9,500 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| STILLWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY | COLUMBUS, MT | $8,574 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| TOLLEFSON AND LICHT DAF | NORMANDY PARK, WA | $8,500 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| JOLIET COMMUNITY CENTER | JOLIET, MT | $7,020 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| MONTANA AUDUBON | HELENA, MT | $6,934 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITY VITALITY | BILLINGS, MT | $5,800 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| EASTERN MONTANA NATUROPATHIC ONCOLOGY FUND | BILLINGS, MT | $5,400 | 2025 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| WYOLA DEVELOPMENT FUND | WYOLA, MT | $25,560 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| MONTANA AUDUBON | HELENA, MT | $23,686 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| STILLWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY | COLUMBUS, MT | $18,891 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| BILLINGS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION | BILLINGS, MT | $15,963 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| YELLOWSTONE RIVER PARKS ASSOCIATION INC | BILLINGS, MT | $14,761 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| CENTRAL MONTANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LEWISTOWN, MT | $13,481 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| CASA OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY | BILLINGS, MT | $9,929 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| YWCA BILLINGS | BILLINGS, MT | $7,500 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| JOLIET COMMUNITY CENTER | JOLIET, MT | $7,153 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| FAMILY PROMISE OF YELLOWSTONE VALLEY | BILLINGS, MT | $7,079 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| FAMILY SERVICE | BILLINGS, MT | $7,000 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY | BILLINGS, MT | $6,000 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| BILLINGS ROTARY FOUNDATION | BILLINGS, MT | $5,500 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| MONTANA FFA FOUNDATION INC | BOZEMAN, MT | $5,307 | 2024 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| WYOLA DEVELOPMENT FUND | WYOLA, MT | $64,860 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| CENTRAL MONTANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LEWISTOWN, MT | $41,569 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| WYOLA YOUTH GROUP MIGHTY FEW | WYOLA, MT | $33,000 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| WOMEN STEPPING FORWARD FOR AG | BILLINGS, MT | $17,395 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| YELLOWSTONE RIVER PARKS ASSOCIATION INC | BILLINGS, MT | $17,169 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| JOLIET COMMUNITY CENTER | JOLIET, MT | $12,955 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| MONTANA STATE PARKS FOUNDATION | MISSOULA, MT | $11,310 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| UNITED WAY OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY | BILLINGS, MT | $7,000 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
| FAMILY SERVICE | BILLINGS, MT | $5,500 | 2023 | PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE |
MURYL AND LU MYHRE FOUNDATION INC
$104,000PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
MATTHEWS-DOUSMAN MEMORIAL FUND
$49,285PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
NATALIE A DIETRICH SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT
$27,603PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
WYOLA DEVELOPMENT FUND
$21,220PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
SUBSTANCE ABUSE CONNECT
$20,000PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
FRANK AND MARGO KELLEY DAF
$16,500PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
JAMES WRIGHTSON EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENT
$15,000PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
VARELA FAMILY FUND DAF
$9,500PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
STILLWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$8,574PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
TOLLEFSON AND LICHT DAF
$8,500PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
JOLIET COMMUNITY CENTER
$7,020PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITY VITALITY
$5,800PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
EASTERN MONTANA NATUROPATHIC ONCOLOGY FUND
$5,400PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
WYOLA DEVELOPMENT FUND
$25,560PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
STILLWATER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
$18,891PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
BILLINGS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
$15,963PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
CENTRAL MONTANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$13,481PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
CASA OF YELLOWSTONE COUNTY
$9,929PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
JOLIET COMMUNITY CENTER
$7,153PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
BILLINGS ROTARY FOUNDATION
$5,500PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
MONTANA FFA FOUNDATION INC
$5,307PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
WYOLA DEVELOPMENT FUND
$64,860PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
CENTRAL MONTANA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$41,569PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
WYOLA YOUTH GROUP MIGHTY FEW
$33,000PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
WOMEN STEPPING FORWARD FOR AG
$17,395PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
JOLIET COMMUNITY CENTER
$12,955PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
MONTANA STATE PARKS FOUNDATION
$11,310PHILANTHROPIC PURPOSE
