The Steele-Reese Foundation

The Steele-Reese Foundation is a US private foundation administered by its trustee, JP Morgan Chase Bank NA, in Chicago, IL.

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Foundation supports federally tax-exempt entities serving rural communities in Idaho, Montana, the Native nations within those states and Appalachian Kentucky. In Idaho, Montana and the Native nations, it funds rural education, health, human and social services, arts and humanities, land, water and wildlife conservation, and historic preservation. In Appalachian Kentucky, it focuses on federally tax-exempt entities benefiting pre-kindergarten and K-12 school-aged children, including early-childhood education, schools and public libraries with programmes for children through high school. It favours projects that serve rural areas, help people to help themselves, are modest and direct, demonstrate community support, and yield a direct, measurable benefit to people.

Themes

• Rural Education
• Rural Human/Social Services
• Rural Conservation and Preservation
• Rural Health
• Rural Arts and Humanities

Geographic Focus

Idaho; Montana; Appalachian Kentucky.

What They Don't Fund

• Individuals
• Entities that have not been recognized as federally tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service
• Endowment funds
• Emergencies
• Community funds and charity drives
• Conferences and workshops or their related travel
• Documentaries
• Efforts to influence elections directly or indirectly
• Planning, research, or experimental projects
• Athletic or academic competitions, or related travel
• Summer camps
• Efforts to promulgate religious or political beliefs or agendas
• Rural Education only: directly fund higher education; projects with single or limited interactions with students or those whose primary outcome is to raise awareness or introduce a concept
• Rural Health only: major equipment purchases for rural medical facilities
• Idaho and Montana Grant Program only: requests for work benefiting urban or suburban areas, or those more rural areas immediately adjacent, or in close proximity, to an urbanized area

For Idaho and Montana, organisations submit an online letter of inquiry; those invited then complete a full application. Appalachian Kentucky applicants apply online through the grant portal using the appropriate school or other nonprofit form.

Deadlines: Appalachian Kentucky applications are due in early March.

• Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 32% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
• Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 250 grants to organisations were $20,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

• The Foundation encourages potential applicants to contact its Western Director to discuss a proposal before submitting a letter of inquiry.
• It gives priority to organisations based in rural communities and working in rural areas, including Native-led organisations.
• Projects should help people to help themselves.
• Projects should demonstrate community financial, in-kind, or other support.
• Projects should yield a direct and measurable benefit to people.
• Kentucky proposals should identify a funding rationale, clear execution steps, and measurable outcomes.