The Charlie Russell Riders Foundation focuses on preserving and promoting Western and cowboy heritage through capital support for museums, exhibitions, and related public programming, primarily in Montana and the broader American West. It also backs community cultural infrastructure—rodeo facilities, local music school construction—and occasionally funds veteran arts therapy and other community-oriented capital projects. Grants tend to target tangible capital needs (sculptures, exhibits, elevators, facilities) and high‑profile cultural institutions that interpret Western history and art.
Charlie Russell Riders Foundation Inc. centers its giving on Western and cowboy heritage, with a clear preference for capital support tied to museums, exhibitions, and related public programming. Its largest recent grant went to the Cm Russell Museum in Great Falls for the Dan Ostermiller Mustang Project, which will be included in the Charlie Russell Rider Sculpture Garden. That same pattern shows up in other grants that help build or improve cultural infrastructure rather than fund general operations. The foundation also supports rodeo and equestrian facilities, including a permanent rodeo grounds project for the Montana State University rodeo team through Msu Alumni Foundation. In 2025, it backed a new music school capital campaign at North Valley Music School in Whitefish, showing that its interests extend to cultural facilities beyond Western art institutions. Other recent awards have supported museum exhibits, accessibility upgrades, and therapeutic arts work connected to military communities. The recent grants list shows a foundation that favors tangible projects with a physical place, display, or facility outcome, usually for organizations interpreting Western history, art, and community identity across the American West.
Western art museums and exhibitions are a central theme. In 2025, Charlie Russell Riders Foundation Inc. gave $118,400 to Cm Russell Museum in Great Falls for the Dan Ostermiller Mustang Project, which will be included in the Charlie Russell Rider Sculpture Garden. The foundation also backs exhibit-specific work at other museums. It awarded $25,000 to Western Spirit Scottsdale's Museum of the West in Scottsdale to support the Eddie Basha Collection exhibit, and $15,000 to The Brinton Museum in Big Horn for the 2023 Edward Borein exhibition. Beyond museums, it funds built-environment projects tied to Western culture and community use. It gave $50,000 in 2024 and another $50,000 in 2025 to Msu Alumni Foundation for a permanent rodeo grounds for the Montana State University rodeo team. It also gave $40,000 to Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum in Elko to replace the 1941 Otis freight elevator so visitors can reach the second floor.
Typical grants cluster tightly around the $25,000 level: the median grant is $25,000, with a p25 of $23,750 and a p75 of $42,500. The largest recent award, $118,400, sits well above that range, while several gifts land at exactly $25,000. The recent record shows repeat funding to some recipients across multiple years. Msu Alumni Foundation received grants in 2024 and 2025, and C4 Foundation also appears in both years. The foundation’s profile suggests a family-style or individual-led grantmaker rather than an operating charity, with Thomas C Smith listed in leadership. It does not make grants to individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$192K
$548K
$198K
$211K
Most grants fall between $24K and $43K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$24K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$43K
THOMAS C SMITH
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Concentrated, mid‑to‑large capital gifts focused on infrastructure and exhibitions; mix of one‑time large grants and repeat support to a few core beneficiaries. Giving skews toward arts/culture organizations in the Western region, with several multi‑grant relationships and targeted capital/project funding rather than broad operating support.
Notable grantees: CM Russell Museum, MSU Alumni Foundation (Montana State University Rodeo), Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, North Valley Music School
Grants are regionally focused and stay within the United States. Montana receives 42% of grants, and the recipient list includes Great Falls, Bozeman, Whitefish, Helena, and Big Horn. Outside Montana, the foundation has supported recipients in Elko, Oklahoma City, Scottsdale, Coronado, and Greenville. Nevada is the top state by grant count, reflecting the frequency of grants there even though the foundation is headquartered in Bigfork, Montana. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 12 grants in the United States.
Its grants favor museums, exhibitions, rodeo facilities, music school construction, and related cultural infrastructure. Recent recipients include institutions in Great Falls, Bozeman, Whitefish, Elko, Scottsdale, and Big Horn, with projects tied to Western art, cowboy heritage, and community cultural spaces.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat support for some recipients across multiple years. Msu Alumni Foundation received grants in both 2024 and 2025 for the Montana State University rodeo grounds, and C4 Foundation appears in both years as well.
The foundation’s typical awards are centered at $25,000. The median grant is $25,000, with a p25 of $23,750 and a p75 of $42,500. Recent grants also include a much larger $118,400 award for a museum sculpture project.
By recipient count, Nevada is the top state for grants. Montana is also important, receiving 42% of grants, and the recipient list includes multiple Montana cities such as Great Falls, Bozeman, Whitefish, and Helena.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM RUSSELL MUSEUM | GREAT FALLS, MT | $122,250 | 2026 | SCUPTURES BY DAN OSTERMILLER WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE CHARLIE RUSSELL RIDER SCULPTURE GARDEN AT THE MUSEUM. |
| C4 FOUNDATION | CORONADO, CA | $50,000 | 2026 | TO SUPPORT THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE RANCH ENVIRONMENT AND THE EXPANSION PROJECT. |
| WESTERN SPIRIT SCOTTSDALE'S MUSEUM OF THE WEST | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $20,000 | 2026 | CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE EDDIE BASHA COLLECTION EXHIBIT. |
| CM RUSSELL MUSEUM | GREAT FALLS, MT | $118,400 | 2025 | CASH ASSISTANCE TOWARDS THE DAN OSTERMILLER MUSTANG PROJECT, WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE CHARLIE RUSSELL RIDER SCULPTURE GARDEN AT THE MUSEUM. |
| MSU ALUMNI FOUNDATION | BOZEMAN, MT | $50,000 | 2025 | TO GO TOWARDS THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF A PERMANENT RODEO GROUNDS FOR THE MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY RODEO TEAM. |
| NORTH VALLEY MUSIC SCHOOL | WHITEFISH, MT | $25,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL'S "BE INSTRUMENTAL CAPITAL CAMPAIGN" TO BUILD A NEW MUSIC SCHOOL. |
| C4 FOUNDATION | CORONADO, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | TO GO TOWARDS CAPITAL EXPENSES. |
| WESTERN SPIRIT SCOTTSDALE'S MUSEUM OF THE WEST | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $25,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE EDDIE BASHA COLLECTION EXHIBIT. |
| THE FOUNDATION FOR MONTANA HISTORY | HELENA, MT | $20,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION'S PROJECT OF CONNECTING RURAL COMMUNITIES TO THEIR HISTORY THROUGH LOCAL MUSEUMS. |
| MSU ALUMNI FOUNDATION | BOZEMAN, MT | $50,000 | 2024 | TO GO TOWARDS THE PURCHASE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PERMANENT RODEO GROUNDS FOR THE MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY RODEO TEAM. |
| COWBOY ARTS AND GEAR MUSEUM | ELKO, NV | $40,000 | 2024 | TO ASSIST IN REPLACING THE 1941 OTIS FREIGHT ELEVATOR, SO IT IS SUITABLE TO TRANSPORT VISITORS TO THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE BUILDING. |
| C4 FOUNDATION | CORONADO, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | TO DEVELOP AN ART PSYCHOTHERAPY PROGRAM TO BENEFIT ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY SEALS ADN THEIR FAMILIES. |
| NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | $25,000 | 2023 | THE GRANT WILL BE USED TO ASSIST IN SUPPORT OF THE INSTITUTION, THROUGH DYNAMIC INTERPRETATIONS OF ART AND ARTIFACTS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, AND SCHOLARLY RESEARCH TO CONTINUE TELLING STORIES OF THE PAST AND STIMULATING DIALOGUES ABOUT OUR FUTURE. |
| UPSTATE WARRIOR SOLUTION | GREENVILLE, SC | $15,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE UWS VETERANS THERAPEUTIC ARTS PROGRAM. |
| THE BRINTON MUSEUM | BIG HORN, WY | $15,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE 2023 EDWARD BOREIN EXHIBITION. |
CM RUSSELL MUSEUM
$122,250SCUPTURES BY DAN OSTERMILLER WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE CHARLIE RUSSELL RIDER SCULPTURE GARDEN AT THE MUSEUM.
TO SUPPORT THE ENHANCEMENT OF THE RANCH ENVIRONMENT AND THE EXPANSION PROJECT.
CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THE EDDIE BASHA COLLECTION EXHIBIT.
CM RUSSELL MUSEUM
$118,400CASH ASSISTANCE TOWARDS THE DAN OSTERMILLER MUSTANG PROJECT, WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE CHARLIE RUSSELL RIDER SCULPTURE GARDEN AT THE MUSEUM.
TO GO TOWARDS THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF A PERMANENT RODEO GROUNDS FOR THE MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY RODEO TEAM.
TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL'S "BE INSTRUMENTAL CAPITAL CAMPAIGN" TO BUILD A NEW MUSIC SCHOOL.
TO SUPPORT THE EDDIE BASHA COLLECTION EXHIBIT.
TO SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION'S PROJECT OF CONNECTING RURAL COMMUNITIES TO THEIR HISTORY THROUGH LOCAL MUSEUMS.
TO GO TOWARDS THE PURCHASE AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PERMANENT RODEO GROUNDS FOR THE MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY RODEO TEAM.
COWBOY ARTS AND GEAR MUSEUM
$40,000TO ASSIST IN REPLACING THE 1941 OTIS FREIGHT ELEVATOR, SO IT IS SUITABLE TO TRANSPORT VISITORS TO THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE BUILDING.
TO DEVELOP AN ART PSYCHOTHERAPY PROGRAM TO BENEFIT ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY SEALS ADN THEIR FAMILIES.
NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM
$25,000THE GRANT WILL BE USED TO ASSIST IN SUPPORT OF THE INSTITUTION, THROUGH DYNAMIC INTERPRETATIONS OF ART AND ARTIFACTS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, AND SCHOLARLY RESEARCH TO CONTINUE TELLING STORIES OF THE PAST AND STIMULATING DIALOGUES ABOUT OUR FUTURE.
TO SUPPORT THE UWS VETERANS THERAPEUTIC ARTS PROGRAM.
THE BRINTON MUSEUM
$15,000TO SUPPORT THE 2023 EDWARD BOREIN EXHIBITION.