What is the foundation’s main funding focus?

Heart of the Rockies Initiative focuses on connected habitat and working lands for people and wildlife, with a strong emphasis on private land conservation, working lands protection, wildlife connectivity, carnivore conflict prevention, rural community development, and land trust capacity.

How large are its typical grants?

Typical grants are in the five-figure range. The distribution provided shows a p25 of $8,034, a median of $9,771, and a p75 of $18,102.

What geography does it prioritize?

The grant list is centered on Montana, which accounts for 73% of grants and is the top state by grant count. The recent grants also include recipients in New Mexico, Utah, and Oregon, but the portfolio is predominantly Montana-based.

Does it accept unsolicited applications?

Some active programs do accept unsolicited applications. The Montana Community–Bear Conflict Prevention Efforts Fund and the NFWF carnivore conflict prevention grant stream are both marked as accepting unsolicited submissions, while other partnership programs in the list are not.

Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Name: Heart of the Rockies Initiative — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActiveEnvironment

MISSOULA, MTWebsite4066402816

About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

To ensure connected habitat and working lands for people and wildlife by increasing the pace of durable conservation in the Transboundary Rocky Mountains of North America.

Focus Areas

Private land conservationWorking lands protectionWildlife connectivityCarnivore conflict prevention (bear-resistant infrastructure, electric fencing, carcass removal, range riders)Rural community development and capacity buildingLand trust capacity and project capital

Funding Style

direct program supportadvocacy and systems changecapacity building

Topics

conflict prevention

About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Heart of the Rockies Initiative centers its grantmaking on keeping habitat connected and working lands intact for people and wildlife across the Transboundary Rocky Mountains of North America. A defining part of that work is carnivore conflict prevention in Montana, where it supports non-lethal tools such as bear-resistant infrastructure, electric fencing, carcass removal, and range riders. The recent grants show a clear pattern of backing both regional intermediaries and local implementers. Western Landowners Alliance received the two largest recent awards, $69,146 in 2023 and $68,701 in 2024, for conflict prevention work. Utah State University also appears twice at $35,000 in both 2023 and 2024 for the same purpose. Alongside those larger awards, the foundation supports land, wildlife, and community partners working on private land conservation, wildlife connectivity, rural capacity, and project capital for land trusts. That mix suggests a funder using grants to move conservation projects forward while also supporting the organizations and on-the-ground practices needed to carry them out.

What Heart of the Rockies Initiative Funds

Conflict prevention is the clearest throughline in the portfolio. Heart of the Rockies Initiative gave $23,450 in 2024 to Madison Valley Ranchlands and $19,181 in 2024 to Willow Creek Ranch, both tied to conflict prevention work. It also supported Big Hole Watershed Committee with $13,625 in 2023 for the same purpose. The foundation’s conservation agenda extends beyond wildlife conflict. It gave $8,136 in 2023 to Centennial Valley Association and $6,000 in 2024 to Swan Valley Connections, both from Montana-based community conservation work. Land trust and habitat work also appear in the grant list: Rocky Mountain Front Ranchlands received $10,275 in 2023 for conflict prevention-related work tied to ranchland conservation, and Conservation Science Collabor received $10,043 in 2024 for conflict prevention. Taken together, the awards point to support for practical conservation that links working lands, habitat protection, and human-wildlife coexistence.

How Heart of the Rockies Initiative Gives

Typical awards cluster in the five-figure range, with a p25 of $8,034, a median of $9,771, and a p75 of $18,102. The recent grants list also shows repeat support across years for several recipients, including Western Landowners Alliance, Utah State University, Madison Valley Ranchlands, Ruby Valley Conservation District, and Swan Valley Connections. Heart of the Rockies Initiative operates as a regional funder and does not fund individuals. The active program list shows both unsolicited and administered grant streams, including reimbursement-based support in Montana for carnivore conflict prevention. Its portfolio also includes partnership funding and project capital mechanisms rather than only direct operating grants.

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$117K

Total Assets

$889K

Total Revenue

$1.8M

Total Expenses

$1.4M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $8K and $18K, with a median of $10K.

25th Percentile

$8K

Median

$10K

75th Percentile

$18K

Geographic Reach

Regional4 states funded

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

Leadership

KALI HANNON

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
IDAHO COALITION OF LAND TRUST	BOISE, ID	$63,807	2025	Support training for members
WESTERN LANDOWNERS ALLIANCE	SANTA FE, NM	$38,711	2025	support conflict prevention
MONTANA ACCESS PROJECT LLC	WHITEFISH, MT	$8,500	2025	SUPPORT RURAL INITIATIVES
SWAN VALLEY CONNECTIONS	CONDON, MT	$6,000	2025	support conflict prevention
WESTERN LANDOWNERS ALLIANCE	SANTA FE, NM	$68,701	2024	support conflict prevention
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY	LOGAN, UT	$35,000	2024	support conflict prevention
MADISON VALLEY RANCHLANDS	MCALLISTER, MT	$23,450	2024	support conflict prevention
WILLOW CREEK RANCH	BELT, MT	$19,181	2024	—
CONFEDERATED SALISH & KOOTENA	PABLO, MT	$11,205	2024	support conflict prevention
Conservation Science Collabor	GLEN, MT	$10,043	2024	support conflict prevention
RUBY VALLEY CONSERVATION DIS	SHERIDAN, MT	$9,165	2024	support conflict prevention
MT SHASTA WILD LLC	BEND, OR	$9,055	2024	support conflict prevention
SWAN VALLEY CONNECTIONS	CONDON, MT	$6,000	2024	support conflict prevention
WESTERN LANDOWNERS ALLIANCE	SANTA FE, NM	$69,146	2023	support conflict prevention
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY	LOGAN, UT	$35,000	2023	support conflict prevention
MADISON VALLEY RANCHLANDS	MCALLISTER, MT	$14,866	2023	support conflict prevention
BIG HOLE WATERSHED COMMITTEE	DIVIDE, MT	$13,625	2023	support conflict prevention
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT RANCHLAN	VALIER, MT	$10,275	2023	support conflict prevention
MT SHASTA WILD LLC	BEND, OR	$9,499	2023	support conflict prevention
RUBY VALLEY CONSERVATION DIS	SHERIDAN, MT	$9,206	2023	support conflict prevention
CENTENNIAL VALLEY ASSOCIATION	DILLON, MT	$8,136	2023	support conflict prevention
Conservation Science Collabor	GLEN, MT	$8,000	2023	support conflict prevention
WATERSHED RESTORATION COALITI	DEER LODGE, MT	$7,906	2023	support conflict prevention
CONFEDERATED SALISH & KOOTENA	PABLO, MT	$6,795	2023	support conflict prevention
SWAN VALLEY CONNECTIONS	CONDON, MT	$6,000	2023	support conflict prevention
GRANITE CONSERVATION DISTRICT	PHILIPSBURG, MT	$5,564	2023	support conflict prevention

Heart of the Rockies Initiative

About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Focus Areas

Funding Style

Topics

About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

What Heart of the Rockies Initiative Funds

How Heart of the Rockies Initiative Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

Leadership

Deep Analysis

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Where Heart of the Rockies Initiative Makes Grants

Frequently Asked Questions About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

What is the foundation’s main funding focus?

How large are its typical grants?

Does it support repeated recipients?

What geography does it prioritize?

Does it accept unsolicited applications?

Open Grant Opportunities

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) — Carnivore Conflict Prevention Grants (administered / coordinated by Heart of the Rockies Initiative)

Montana Community–Bear Conflict Prevention Efforts Fund (NFWF / America the Beautiful Challenge)

NFWF (America the Beautiful Challenge) grants administered by Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)

Recent Grants

Heart of the Rockies Initiative

About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Focus Areas

Funding Style

Topics

About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

What Heart of the Rockies Initiative Funds

How Heart of the Rockies Initiative Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

Leadership

Unlock Deep Analysis

See Similar Funders

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The Grant Brief

Where Heart of the Rockies Initiative Makes Grants

Frequently Asked Questions About Heart of the Rockies Initiative

What is the foundation’s main funding focus?

How large are its typical grants?

Does it support repeated recipients?

What geography does it prioritize?

Does it accept unsolicited applications?

Open Grant Opportunities

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) — Carnivore Conflict Prevention Grants (administered / coordinated by Heart of the Rockies Initiative)

Montana Community–Bear Conflict Prevention Efforts Fund (NFWF / America the Beautiful Challenge)

NFWF (America the Beautiful Challenge) grants administered by Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)

Recent Grants