The James & CK Coles Foundation concentrates its giving on sustaining local Whitefish-area institutions, with the largest share supporting regional healthcare and community infrastructure. Grants are primarily unrestricted/operations support and favor familiar, repeat recipients including a hospital foundation, the local church, and the community foundation; a small portion funds a state policy center and a local education program. The foundation appears focused on maintaining core services and civic capacity rather than project-specific philanthropy.
The James & Ck Coles Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by two consecutive $100,000 operations grants to Logan Regional Healthcare Foundation in Kalispell, Montana. That pattern points to a funder that uses sizable, repeat support to sustain a core regional health institution rather than spreading funds across many short-term projects. Smaller grants follow the same logic: Whitefish Presbyterian Church received operating support in 2024 and 2025, and Whitefish Community Foundation received annual operating grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The foundation’s portfolio is concentrated in nearby institutions tied to civic life, healthcare, and community infrastructure, with a handful of additional grants extending to scholarship, education, and policy organizations. The grant list suggests relationship-based philanthropy, with several recipients appearing more than once across the 2023–2025 period. Grant sizes range from a few hundred dollars to six figures, but the larger awards are reserved for organizations seen as part of the region’s essential service network. Across the latest filings, the foundation gave entirely to U.S. recipients and kept much of its activity within Montana.
Healthcare support is the clearest theme in the foundation’s recent grants. It gave $100,000 in 2023 and another $100,000 in 2024 to Logan Regional Healthcare Foundation for operations. Community-infrastructure funding follows a similar pattern: Whitefish Community Foundation received $5,000 in 2023, $5,000 in 2024, and $5,000 in 2025, all for operations. Faith-based support also appears in the record, with Whitefish Presbyterian Church receiving $12,000 in 2024 and $15,000 in 2025 for operations. The foundation also backed education-linked work, including $6,000 to The Skola in 2025 and scholarship support to GSBA Scholarship Fund in Seattle. A smaller set of grants went to policy and public-affairs organizations, including Washington Polity Center in 2024.
The foundation’s grant sizes cluster at the small-to-mid range: p25 is $750, median is $2,500, and p75 is $8,000. That distribution sits alongside a few much larger operating grants, showing a portfolio with modest checks and a small number of major awards. The same recipients recur across multiple years, especially in Whitefish and Kalispell, which suggests ongoing relationship-based support rather than one-time project funding. The foundation is a private family foundation with annual grants of $269,500 and assets of $1,038,302. No application process is described in the data.
$246K
$881K
$92K
$249K
Most grants fall between $750 and $8K, with a median of $3K.
25th Percentile
$750
Median
$3K
75th Percentile
$8K
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Concentrated, small-number portfolio: few grants overall with one very large gift and several smaller repeat grants; emphasis on operations/general support to long-standing local grantees rather than one-off project funding or wide geographic spread.
Notable grantees: Logan Regional Healthcare Foundation, Whitefish Presbyterian Church, Whitefish Community Foundation, Washington Policy Center, The Skola
Grantmaking is heavily Montana-centered, with 47% of grants going to recipients in the state and Montana ranking first by grant count. Whitefish and Kalispell account for many of the named recipients, including grants to organizations in Whitefish, Kalispell, and nearby community institutions. Outside Montana, the foundation’s grants also reached Seattle, Bellevue, Chicago, and Staten Island, but every recorded grant in the recent list went to a U.S. recipient. The pattern shows a regional base with a small number of out-of-state awards.
Its typical grant sizes are modest: p25 is $750, the median is $2,500, and p75 is $8,000. The recent list also includes larger operating grants of $100,000, showing that the foundation makes a small number of high-value awards alongside many smaller ones.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Whitefish Presbyterian Church in 2024 and 2025, and Whitefish Community Foundation in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Logan Regional Healthcare Foundation also received $100,000 in both 2023 and 2024.
The recent grants show support for regional healthcare, congregational operations, community foundation capacity, scholarship and education programs, and a policy organization. Examples include healthcare, church, community foundation, scholarship fund, and public-policy grantees.
Montana is the top state by grant count, and 47% of grants went to recipients in that state. Named Montana recipients include organizations in Whitefish, Kalispell, and Glacier.
The grant descriptions are largely for operations. That includes the two $100,000 grants to Logan Regional Healthcare Foundation, the grants to Whitefish Presbyterian Church, Whitefish Community Foundation, The Skola, and several smaller awards to other recipients.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Health Foundation | Kalispell, MT | $150,000 | 2026 | Operations |
| Child Bridge | Big Fork, MT | $25,000 | 2026 | Operations |
| The Nationsl WW II Musuem | New Orleans, LA | $25,000 | 2026 | Operations |
| Whitefish Presbyterian Church | Whitefish, MT | $20,000 | 2026 | Operations |
| The Skola Foundation | Whitefish, MT | $14,500 | 2026 | Operations |
| Whitefish Community Foundation | Whitefish, MT | $10,000 | 2026 | Operations |
| The Wave Center | Whiterfish, MT | $500 | 2026 | Operations |
| Fractured Atlas | Harrtsdale, NY | $500 | 2026 | Operations |
| Whitefish Presbyterian Church | Whitefish, MT | $15,000 | 2025 | Operations |
| The Skola | Whitefish, MT | $6,000 | 2025 | Operations |
| Whitefish Community Foundation | Whitefish, MT | $5,000 | 2025 | Operations |
| GSBA Scholarship Fund | Seattle, WA | $2,500 | 2025 | Scholarships |
| Forest Ridge Fund | Bellevue, WA | $500 | 2025 | Operations |
| Glacier Symphony | Kalispell, MT | $250 | 2025 | Operations |
| Logan Regional Healthcare Foundation | Kalispell, MT | $100,000 | 2024 | Operations |
| Whitefish Presbyterian Church | Whitefish, MT | $12,000 | 2024 | Operations |
| Washington Polity Center | Seattle, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | Operations |
| Whitefish Community Foundation | Whitefish, MT | $5,000 | 2024 | Operations |
| GSBA Scholarship Fund | Seattle, WA | $1,000 | 2024 | Scholarships |
| Forest Ridge Fund | Bellevue, WA | $250 | 2024 | Operations |
| Logan Regional Healthcare Foundation | Kalispell, MT | $100,000 | 2023 | Operations |
| Whitefish Community Foundation | Whitefish, MT | $5,000 | 2023 | Operations |
| Intl Fellowship of Christians & Jews | Chicago, IL | $2,500 | 2023 | Operations |
| Tunnel to Towers | Staten Island, NY | $2,500 | 2023 | Operations |
| GSBA Scholarship Fund | Seattle, WA | $1,500 | 2023 | Operations |
| Forest Ridge Fund | Bellevue, WA | $250 | 2023 | Operations |
| 913 KBCS Public Radio | Bellevue, WA | $250 | 2023 | Operations |
The Nationsl WW II Musuem
$25,000Operations
Whitefish Presbyterian Church
$20,000Operations
The Skola Foundation
$14,500Operations
Operations
The Wave Center
$500Operations
Whitefish Presbyterian Church
$15,000Operations
The Skola
$6,000Operations
GSBA Scholarship Fund
$2,500Scholarships
Forest Ridge Fund
$500Operations
Glacier Symphony
$250Operations
Whitefish Presbyterian Church
$12,000Operations
GSBA Scholarship Fund
$1,000Scholarships
Forest Ridge Fund
$250Operations
GSBA Scholarship Fund
$1,500Operations
Forest Ridge Fund
$250Operations
913 KBCS Public Radio
$250Operations