To enhance community vitality by inspiring community giving and strengthening nonprofits
General operating support is the clearest pattern in Missoula Community Foundation’s recent grantmaking. The foundation’s largest listed award is $140,525 to Morel Society in Bonner, and its more recent grants continue to center local nonprofits through flexible support rather than project-only funding. Across the current grant list, recipients include community organizations, schools, arts groups, and social service providers, with awards to Missoula Food Bank, Poverello Center, YWCA Missoula, and Missoula Symphony Association among the examples. That mix fits the foundation’s stated purpose of enhancing community vitality by inspiring community giving and strengthening nonprofits. Its active programs show a broad local role: small grants for area nonprofits, a Missoula Forever Fund that has historically supported youth and social services, women’s giving circle grants that change by year, and scholarship awards for local students. Capacity building also appears in the program menu and in grant purposes tied to organizational development. The overall picture is of a public charity using multiple local funds to support nonprofit stability, community services, education, and arts participation in Missoula County and nearby Montana communities.
Arts and culture is one of the foundation’s repeated themes. In 2025, it gave $21,447 to the Missoula Symphony Association and $20,213 to Zootown Arts Community Center, both as general operating support. Earlier grants also reached Arts Missoula and Free Verse Writing Project, showing that arts funding is not limited to one format. Education is another steady area. Mcps received $26,447 in 2023 and another $20,000 in 2025, both for general operating support. The foundation also administers scholarship programs for Missoula-area students, including awards tied to college, university, and trade school attendance in Montana or WUE schools. Community care and social services appear throughout the grant list. Recent support includes $47,839 to Missoula Food Bank, $25,375 to Poverello Center, and $21,325 to YWCA Missoula. Those awards align with the foundation’s focus on community care and homelessness-related support through its local programs.
Typical grant size sits in a fairly tight band: the 25th percentile is $11,358, the median is $13,274, and the 75th percentile is $18,867. The recent list also includes larger operating awards, but the center of gravity is in mid-five-figure and low-five-figure support. The foundation is a public charity, and its current grantmaking is structured around local programs that accept unsolicited applications in several cases, including Small Grants, Missoula Forever Fund Grants, Women’s Giving Circle Grants, and LoLA Grants. The presence of the same grantee across multiple years, such as Missoula Food Bank and Mcps, points to recurring support rather than one-off awards only.
$781K
$2.5M
$2.2M
$1.3M
Most grants fall between $11K and $19K, with a median of $13K.
25th Percentile
$11K
Median
$13K
75th Percentile
$19K
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Giving is entirely local in the data provided: 100% of grants go to recipients in Montana, and the top state by grant count is MT. Missoula is the main recipient city, with repeated awards to organizations such as Open Air, Friends of Missoula Parks, Positively Covid, and Montana Technology Enterprise. The list also reaches other Montana places, including Bonner and Florence. Program geography is similarly centered on Missoula County and the Missoula area, with some scholarship awards extending to WUE schools.
The foundation supports arts and culture, K-12 and postsecondary education, community care, and homelessness and housing-related work through its women’s giving circle focus. Recent grants show nonprofit operating support for arts groups, food access, youth-serving organizations, and community service providers across Missoula County.
Its recent grants are often written as general operating support. The median grant size is $13,274, with the 25th percentile at $11,358 and the 75th percentile at $18,867. The foundation also runs local grant programs such as Small Grants, Missoula Forever Fund Grants, and Women’s Giving Circle Grants.
Yes for several programs. Small Grants, Missoula Forever Fund Grants, Women’s Giving Circle Grants, Diversity Scholarship, Lorilee Evans-Lynn Memorial Scholarship, General Scholarship, and LoLA Grants all accept unsolicited applications. The Scholarship Program and Capacity Building Grants are marked as not accepting unsolicited applications.
Its giving is local and entirely in Montana in the data provided. The recipient country distribution is 100% US, and every listed grant goes to a Montana recipient. Missoula is the most common recipient city, with additional grants in places such as Bonner and Florence.
Yes. It administers scholarship funding for Missoula-area students, including a general scholarship for students planning to attend college, university, or trade school in Montana or WUE schools, and a diversity scholarship for students who self-identify with an underrepresented community. It also offers the Lorilee Evans-Lynn Memorial Scholarship for a Big Sky High School graduate in the arts.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Missoula Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Nonprofit organizations; annual focus area varies by cycle and is set by the Circle membership.
Deadline: Application opens July 15; closes August 30 each year.
Who can apply: Nonprofit organizations doing work aligned with the annual focus area in Missoula County. The application pages indicate organizations addressing homelessness and housing in 2024 and poverty and hunger in 2026. Applicants should demonstrate community impact and alignment with the Circle's values.
Deadline: 2026 cycle open July 15 through August 31; 2024 cycle open July 15 through August 30
Who can apply: Open to individuals and groups in Missoula who have technology needs.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPEN AIR | MISSOULA, MT | $51,160 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FRIENDS OF MISSOULA PARKS | MISSOULA, MT | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MISSOULA FOOD BANK | MISSOULA, MT | $47,839 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FLORENCE CARLTON COMMUNITY CH | FLORENCE, MT | $43,857 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| POSITIVELY COVID | MISSOULA, MT | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MONTANA TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE | MISSOULA, MT | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MISSOULA YOUTH FOR CHRIST | MISSOULA, MT | $27,800 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| SOFT LANDING MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $26,039 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| POVERELLO CENTER | MISSOULA, MT | $25,375 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MISSOULA INTERFAITH COLLABORA | MISSOULA, MT | $23,218 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| GARDEN CITY HARVEST | MISSOULA, MT | $22,618 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MISSOULA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY | MISSOULA, MT | $22,358 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MONTANA FOOD BANK NETWORK | MISSOULA, MT | $21,589 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MISSOULA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION | MISSOULA, MT | $21,447 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| YWCA MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $21,325 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MOUNTAIN HOME MONTANA | MISSOULA, MT | $21,270 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BLUE MOUNTAIN CLINIC | MISSOULA, MT | $20,758 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ZOOTOWN ARTS COMMUNITY CENTER | MISSOULA, MT | $20,213 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FARM CONNECT MONTANA | MISSOULA, MT | $20,169 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTE | MISSOULA, MT | $20,113 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER | MISSOULA, MT | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MCPS | MISSOULA, MT | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FREE VERSE WRITING PROJECT | MISSOULA, MT | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MONTANA HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK | HELENA, MT | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MOREL SOCIETY | BONNER, MT | $18,700 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| EMPOWER MT | MISSOULA, MT | $15,347 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MONTANA LEGAL SERVICES ASSOC | MISSOULA, MT | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| SPARK ARTS IGNITE LEARNING | MISSOULA, MT | $10,538 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ARTS MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $10,194 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FRACTURED ATLAS | HARTSDALE, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FREE CYCLES MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $6,930 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MTB MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $6,089 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| NORTHERN ROCKIES RESEARCH | LOLO, MT | $5,714 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BARE BAIT DANCE & THEATER | MISSOULA, MT | $5,121 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MISSOULA BUTTERFLY HOUSE | MISSOULA, MT | $5,089 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| WATSON CHILDRENS CENTER | MISSOULA, MT | $5,020 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| GREATER MISSOULA YOUTH FOR CH | MISSOULA, MT | $27,800 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| NORTH-MISSOULA COMMUNITY DEVE | MISSOULA, MT | $12,000 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| BLUE MOUNTAIN CLINIC | MISSOULA, MT | $10,966 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ARTS MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $10,100 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MONTANA FOOD BANK NETWORK | MISSOULA, MT | $6,691 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FAMILIES FIRST LEARNING LAB | MISSOULA, MT | $6,342 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MOREL SOCIETY | BONNER, MT | $140,525 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FLORENCE CARLTON COMMUNITY CH | FLORENCE, MT | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MISSOULA FOOD BANK | MISSOULA, MT | $29,945 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MCPS | MISSOULA, MT | $26,447 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MONTANA TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE | MISSOULA, MT | $22,895 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ARTS MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $21,918 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| FREE VERSE WRITING PROJECT | MISSOULA, MT | $20,647 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| YWCA MISSOULA | MISSOULA, MT | $18,274 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
OPEN AIR
$51,160GENERAL OPERATING
MISSOULA FOOD BANK
$47,839GENERAL OPERATING
FLORENCE CARLTON COMMUNITY CH
$43,857GENERAL OPERATING
POSITIVELY COVID
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING
GENERAL OPERATING
MISSOULA YOUTH FOR CHRIST
$27,800GENERAL OPERATING
POVERELLO CENTER
$25,375GENERAL OPERATING
GARDEN CITY HARVEST
$22,618GENERAL OPERATING
MISSOULA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
$22,358GENERAL OPERATING
MISSOULA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION
$21,447GENERAL OPERATING
ZOOTOWN ARTS COMMUNITY CENTER
$20,213GENERAL OPERATING
LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
MCPS
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
FREE VERSE WRITING PROJECT
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
MONTANA HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK
$20,000GENERAL OPERATING
MOREL SOCIETY
$18,700GENERAL OPERATING
EMPOWER MT
$15,347GENERAL OPERATING
SPARK ARTS IGNITE LEARNING
$10,538GENERAL OPERATING
ARTS MISSOULA
$10,194GENERAL OPERATING
FREE CYCLES MISSOULA
$6,930GENERAL OPERATING
MTB MISSOULA
$6,089GENERAL OPERATING
NORTHERN ROCKIES RESEARCH
$5,714GENERAL OPERATING
BARE BAIT DANCE & THEATER
$5,121GENERAL OPERATING
GREATER MISSOULA YOUTH FOR CH
$27,800GENERAL OPERATING
ARTS MISSOULA
$10,100GENERAL OPERATING
FAMILIES FIRST LEARNING LAB
$6,342GENERAL OPERATING
MOREL SOCIETY
$140,525GENERAL OPERATING
FLORENCE CARLTON COMMUNITY CH
$50,000GENERAL OPERATING
MISSOULA FOOD BANK
$29,945GENERAL OPERATING
MCPS
$26,447GENERAL OPERATING
ARTS MISSOULA
$21,918GENERAL OPERATING
FREE VERSE WRITING PROJECT
$20,647GENERAL OPERATING
