← Back to US Funders Directory

Gianforte Family Foundation

Annual Giving
$11.0M
Grant Range
$5K - $1.7M
Decision Time
2mo

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $11,000,000+ (2024)
  • Total Assets: $210,900,000 (approximate)
  • Decision Time: 8 weeks from application deadline
  • Grant Range: Varies by organization; average $45,755, with first-time grantees receiving smaller amounts
  • Geographic Focus: Montana (with $10.5M of $11M in 2024 going to Montana causes)
  • Application Schedule: Quarterly deadlines (Jan 20, Apr 20, Jul 20, Oct 20)

Contact Details

Address: PO Box 11253, Bozeman, MT 59719
Phone: 406-585-0604
Website: https://gianfortefoundation.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GianforteFoundation.org

Pre-Application Requirement: Organizations must schedule a consultation with foundation staff before submitting an application. Contact the foundation several weeks before the application deadline to arrange this discussion.

Overview

Established in 2004 by Greg and Susan Gianforte, the Gianforte Family Foundation has become one of Montana's largest private grantmakers, contributing more than $130 million through approximately 2,700 grants to over 700 nonprofit partners. The foundation awarded over $11 million in 2024—its highest annual giving to date—with 237 grants made in 2023 and over 340 in 2024. Founded by Greg Gianforte (Montana's current governor and founder of RightNow Technologies, which sold to Oracle) and his wife Susan, the foundation focuses on helping Montanans flourish spiritually and economically. The trustees include Greg Gianforte, Susan Gianforte, and their son Richard Gianforte. The foundation operates with a philosophy of equipping people to improve their lives sustainably rather than simply providing immediate assistance.

Funding Priorities

Three Strategic Focus Areas

The foundation centers its grantmaking around three core areas:

  1. Equipping Montanans Through Education: Supporting education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and job creation initiatives that help Montanans build career skills and economic self-sufficiency.

  2. Strengthening Families Through Ministries: Supporting faith-based organizations engaged in Christian outreach, discipleship, and initiatives that help families grow stronger. This includes support for churches and Christian nonprofits working with at-risk youth and families.

  3. Restoring Individuals Through Relationships: Supporting organizations that help individuals struggling with incarceration, addiction, trafficking, and other challenges. This includes programs providing sober-living homes, reentry services, and holistic healing.

Specific Program Areas

  • Basic Needs: Family Promise Gallatin Valley, Montana Food Bank Network, Habitat for Humanity Gallatin Valley
  • Education & Scholarships: Ace Scholarships ($1.73M in 2023)
  • Faith-Based Initiatives: Montana Family Foundation, churches, Christian discipleship programs
  • Community Development: Child Bridge (faith-based foster/adoption recruitment), Community Leadership and Development Inc.
  • Native Communities: Mountain Shadow Association (Crow Reservation), with dedicated Native Initiatives director on staff
  • Arts & Culture: Limited exclusively to Bozeman community
  • International Mission Work: Rafiki Foundation

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the foundation's focus suggests limited support for:

  • Projects without direct benefit to Montanans (with few exceptions for established partners)
  • Organizations outside Montana (except established international mission partners)
  • Secular approaches that don't align with faith-based values
  • More than 50% of any single project cost

Governance and Leadership

Trustees:

  • Greg Gianforte: Montana Governor, founder of RightNow Technologies (sold to Oracle), established foundation after business success
  • Susan Gianforte: Co-founder and trustee
  • Richard Gianforte: Son and trustee

Staff:

  • Catherine Koenen: Executive Director
  • Specialized staff including Native Initiatives director

The Gianfortes have donated 55% of their income to charity in recent years. As Greg Gianforte stated: "We've been incredibly blessed and we feel an obligation to give back, and that's the reason we've given more than half our income away in the last 10 years."

Susan Gianforte emphasized their mission: "Helping Montanans thrive and prosper is the number one goal of the Gianforte Family Foundation. We are abundantly blessed to be able to give back, and we are humbled by the work our nonprofit partners do to improve the lives of so many people across our state."

Greg Gianforte on their giving approach: "We support these charities because we believe in the work they're doing and having an impact in the community. We tend to give to organizations that we have relationships with and where we have confidence in their leadership."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

  1. Pre-Application Consultation (Required): Before submitting an application, organizations must contact the foundation to schedule a consultation with staff. This discussion explores whether your organization and project align with the foundation's focus areas. Consultation requests received less than 5-10 business days before a deadline may be deferred to the next grant cycle.

  2. Online Application: After the consultation, complete and submit the online application through the foundation's website.

  3. Project-Specific Focus: Limit requests to a specific project, especially for first-time applicants. The foundation prefers project-based grants rather than general operating support for new partners.

Application Deadlines

Applications are accepted quarterly with these deadlines and decision timelines:

  • January 20 → Decisions by mid-March
  • April 20 → Decisions by mid-June
  • July 20 → Decisions by mid-September
  • October 20 → Decisions by mid-December

Decision Timeline

  • Applications are reviewed at quarterly board of trustees meetings
  • Applicants receive responses within 8 weeks of the submission deadline
  • All applicants are notified regardless of the decision

Grant Terms

  • Annual Renewal Required: Approved grants are not automatically renewed; organizations must reapply each year
  • One Grant Per Year: The foundation generally provides one grant per organization per year; multiple requests within a single year are discouraged
  • Matching Requirement: The foundation does not generally fund more than 50% of a project (and in most cases, funds less than 50%)
  • Starting Small: First-time grantees typically receive smaller grant amounts, with potential for increased funding in subsequent years based on performance and relationship

Eligibility Requirements

  • Must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
  • Project must directly benefit Montanans
  • Work must align with one or more of the three focus areas

Reapplication Policy

Organizations with approved grants must reapply annually. The foundation's policy regarding unsuccessful applicants is not publicly documented; organizations should inquire during the consultation process about reapplication timelines and opportunities.

Application Success Factors

Foundation-Specific Insights

Start Small and Build: The foundation explicitly prefers to "start with smaller grants for organizations that they have not worked with in the past." Demonstrate your organization's capacity and impact with a modest, well-defined project before requesting larger funding.

Project-Specific Over General Operating: The foundation advises applicants to "limit their request to a specific project, especially if they have not funded the organization before." Avoid requesting general operating support if you're a new applicant.

Relationship-Driven Grantmaking: Greg Gianforte stated they "tend to give to organizations that we have relationships with and where we have confidence in their leadership." The mandatory pre-application consultation is your opportunity to begin building this relationship—come prepared with clear information about your organization's leadership, track record, and community impact.

Sustainable Impact Over Immediate Relief: Executive Director Catherine Koenen emphasized their goal to "empower Montanans—through not just immediate assistance but by leading people toward sustainable success." Applications should clearly demonstrate how your project creates lasting change, not just temporary relief.

Faith-Based Alignment: The foundation has a strong commitment to Christian values and faith-based solutions. While not all grantees need to be explicitly faith-based, understanding this value system is important. As noted in their materials, "Christian churches and nonprofits have a pivotal role in their work."

Community Understanding: The foundation looks for organizations that demonstrate "deep understanding of community needs" and show "clear vision for family and individual restoration." They also provide "coaching on nonprofit management before financial support" to some grantees.

Cultural Sensitivity: For organizations working with Native communities, the foundation has hired specialized staff and values "culturally sensitive community development" approaches.

Recent Grant Examples

Understanding what the foundation has recently funded provides insight into current priorities:

  • 2024: Family Promise Gallatin Valley (homeless families), Montana Food Bank Network (food insecurity), Habitat for Humanity Gallatin Valley (housing), expansion of sober-living homes
  • 2023: Ace Scholarships ($1.73M - education choice), Community Leadership and Development Inc. ($1M), Montana Family Foundation ($254,231 - conservative/Christian values advocacy)
  • Consistent Multi-Year Support: Child Bridge ($300K-$450K annually - Christian foster/adoption), Rafiki Foundation ($250K-$573K annually - international missions)

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Pre-application consultation is mandatory and critical—use it wisely to demonstrate organizational capacity, leadership quality, and alignment with foundation values. Schedule this several weeks before deadlines.
  • First-time applicants should request modest, project-specific grants rather than large general operating requests; the foundation explicitly prefers to start small and build relationships over time.
  • Faith-based alignment matters significantly—while not all grantees are explicitly Christian organizations, understanding and respecting the foundation's faith-based values and mission is essential.
  • Demonstrate sustainable impact, not just immediate relief—show how your project equips people to improve their lives long-term, emphasizing personal responsibility and lasting change.
  • Montana focus is nearly absolute—$10.5M of $11M in 2024 went to Montana work; unless you have an established relationship (like Rafiki Foundation), your project must directly benefit Montanans.
  • Be prepared to provide only partial funding—plan for the foundation to cover less than 50% of project costs; demonstrate other funding sources and sustainability planning.
  • Leadership and organizational capacity are heavily weighted—Greg Gianforte's statement about supporting "organizations that we have relationships with and where we have confidence in their leadership" suggests board strength, management capacity, and track record are critical factors.

References

← Back to US Funders Directory