About Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
RMEF is dedicated to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.
Focus Areas
Habitat stewardshipWildlife managementResearchLand conservationPublic access for hunting and recreationHunting heritage programsConservation education and outreach
Who They Fund
native wildlife populations / game specieshunting and sporting communitiesland trusts, conservation organizations, and rural landowners
Funding Style
land acquisition / protection (capital support)
About Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Inc. gives at a scale that places land protection and habitat work at the center of its recent activity. Its largest recent grant was $1,693,707 to the Utah Department of Natural Resources for land protection, and another seven-figure award went to the USDA Forest Service in Portland, Oregon for habitat stewardship. Those awards sit alongside a broad set of grants to state wildlife agencies, conservation groups, and research partners focused on elk habitat, wildlife management, land conservation, public access, and hunting heritage. The foundation’s recent grants show a mix of capital support and project-based conservation funding. State agencies appear often, including the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Montana Department of Fish Wildlife & Parks, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Idaho Department of Fish & Game, and Wyoming Game & Fish Department. It also supports universities and conservation organizations, such as the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the Nature Conservancy, and the University of Montana. The recurring emphasis across these grants is conservation work tied to wildlife, habitat, and hunting traditions, with projects spread across multiple states.
What Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Funds
Land protection is a clear part of the foundation’s work. It gave $582,300 to the Pennsylvania Game Commission for land protection in 2025 and $400,000 to the Nevada Department of Wildlife for land protection in 2023. Habitat stewardship and enhancement also appear repeatedly. The foundation awarded $316,047 to Montana Department of Fish Wildlife & Parks for habitat stewardship in 2025 and $153,434 to the Arizona Game and Fish Department for habitat enhancement in 2023. Wildlife management is another active area. Recent grants include $250,000 to the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit for wildlife management in 2024 and $222,500 to the Idaho Department of Fish & Game for wildlife management in 2025. Hunting heritage is supported through grants such as $150,000 to the University of Montana in 2023 and $125,000 to the Illinois Conservation Foundation in 2024.
How Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Gives
Typical grant sizes cluster around a mid-range operating level, with a p25 of $9,613, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $49,999. The recent list also includes larger project grants into the hundreds of thousands and above. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Inc. is a regular funder and accepts unsolicited applications through its RMEF Grant Program. Its recent recipients appear more than once across years, including the USDA Forest Service, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Game Commission, and Illinois Conservation Foundation, which suggests repeat support for some partners and projects.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.4M
Total Assets
$151.5M
Total Revenue
$100.1M
Total Expenses
$90.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
National32 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SHANE CRONK
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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