Montana Mental Health Trust
The Montana Mental Health Trust is a private foundation based in Helena, Montana. It supports programs, services, and resources to prevent, treat, and manage serious mental illness among Montana children and adults.
Key facts about Montana Mental Health Trust
In short: Montana Mental Health Trust gave $301K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $20K), mostly in Montana. 47% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 46-6395023
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $300,804
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- Average grant
- $20,054
- Median grant
- $20,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 47% first-time grantees (7 of 15, 2025)
- Total assets
- $256,944
- Primary geography
- Montana (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The filing describes a written grant request and required supporting materials. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The filing lists September 30.
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$257K
-55.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$301K
-19.5% YoY
Grant Count
15
+25.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$20K
-35.6% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Montana Mental Health Trust reported a distributable amount of $21K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Montana Mental Health Trust open to new grantees?
47%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 15 grantees (47%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $24K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 29% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Trust’s stated purpose includes education for medical providers on prescribing practices; crisis-intervention training for law enforcement and others; crisis services for people supervised or managed by the criminal justice system; support for transitions from inpatient treatment to outpatient care and independent living; children’s mental health programs; and peer-to-peer services.
The Trust’s website says it strongly prefers applications focused on research into treatment effectiveness in Montana; integrated programs for people with co-occurring disorders, including certain transitional-age youth; health services; transitional housing for people released from treatment or custodial facilities; and community crisis systems that can divert people with mental illness from incarceration.
Its 2025 grants included organizations with varied missions. Butte Spirit Center describes its work as supportive housing and services for people recovering from substance abuse. Mountain Home Montana says it provides a stable home for young mothers and their children, while Friends of the Children–Eastern Montana describes a youth mentoring program. Other grantees describe work in recovery support and homelessness (Never Alone Recovery Support Services), support for low-income people (Partners for Justice), services for pregnant and parenting families (Florence Crittenton Home and Services), addiction recovery and sober living (Greater Impact), and accessible health care (PureView Health Center).
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Trust reported 15 grants totaling $300,804. Grants ranged from $4,667 to $40,000, with a median of $20,000. The largest awards included $40,000 to Butte Spirit Center for integrated behavioral health services; $27,500 to Center for Restorative Justice for behavioral health services; $25,000 to Friends of the Children–Western Montana for behavioral health services; and $24,991 to Lewis and Clark Public Health for education, prevention, and training. Other listed awards included $24,815 to Mountain Home Montana, $22,500 to Friends of the Children–Eastern Montana, and $21,400 to Free Verse Project.
Review Cycle
The filing lists September 30. The Trust’s 2025 application guidelines describe a past cycle; the available information does not establish a deadline for a later cycle.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Montana Mental Health Trust
Ready to take the next step with Montana Mental Health Trust?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Trust is based in Helena. Its 2025 guidelines exclude out-of-state organizations and projects that spend funds to assist people who are not Montana residents. In the 2025 grant data, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Montana and 5% to a recipient in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $301K (2025) to $534K (2021). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $301K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Butte Spirit Center ($40K). Together the top 10 received $236K.
Grant Size Distribution
64 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 64 (83%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Butte Spirit Center Butte, MT | Integrated Behavioral Health Services | $40,000 |
| Center for Restorative Justice Kalispell, MT | Behavioral Health Services | $27,500 |
| Friends of the Children - Western Montana Missoula, MT | Behavioral Health Services | $25,000 |
| Lewis and Clark Public Health Helena, MT | Education, Prevention and Training | $24,991 |
| Mountain Home Montana Missoula, MT | Integrated Behavioral Health Services | $24,815 |
| Friends of the Children - Eastern Montana Billings, MT | Behavioral Health Services | $22,500 |
| Free Verse Project Missoula, MT | Behavioral Health Services | $21,400 |
| Never Alone Recovery Support Services Ronan, MT | Support for Recovery and Homelessness | $20,000 |
| Florence Crittenton Home and Services Helena, MT | Support Parenting Families | $15,000 |
| Greater Impact Inc Bozeman, MT | Behavioral Health Services | $15,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $256,944 | $693 | $327,754 | $300,804 |
| 2024 | $582,368 | -$3,788 | $407,058 | $373,695 |
| 2023 | $993,214 | $2,882 | $381,081 | $345,265 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $256,944 | $582,368 | $993,214 |
| Revenue | $693 | $-3,788 | $2,882 |
| Expenses | $327,754 | $407,058 | $381,081 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $312,979 | $388,219 | $360,231 |
| Net Investment Income | $9,532 | $12,468 | $16,277 |
| Distributable Amount | $20,861 | $37,360 | $54,865 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 25, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 6, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Marcia Armstrong as Trust Director and Captain Jim Anderson, Hon. Patricia O’Brien Cotter, Rebecca de Camara, Carol Ewan, Dr. Gary Mihelish, Meghan Peel, and Amber Spring as trustees.
Montana Mental Health Trust's 2025 filing lists 8 officers; 1 of 8 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Marcia Armstrong
Trust Director
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$28K (2020) → $14K (2025)
Amber Spring
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gary Mihelish
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Patricia O'Brien Cotter
Trustee
On filings since 2020
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Captain Jim Anderson
Trustee
On filings since 2021
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Decamara
Trustee
On filings since 2021
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Meghan Peel
Trustee
On filings since 2022
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carol Ewan Ma Eds
Trustee
On filings since 2023
2.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (8)
- Former: Ian McGrane (2019–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Sheriff Brian Gootkin (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Zoe Barnard (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Rebecca De Camara (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Sheriff Dan Tronrud (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: David G. Rice (2019) — Trust Director
- Former: Honor Patricia O'Brien Cotter (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Marica Armstrong (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $14K, to Marcia Armstrong (Trust Director).
Contact
Application contact: Marcia Armstrong
Mailing address: PO Box 1082, Helena, MT 59624
Phone: (406) 431-6066
Email: montanamht@gmail.com
Website: https://www.mmht.org
Frequently asked questions about Montana Mental Health Trust
How much does Montana Mental Health Trust give each year?
Montana Mental Health Trust gave $301K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $374K across 12 grants.
What is Montana Mental Health Trust's typical grant size?
Montana Mental Health Trust's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $20,054, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Montana Mental Health Trust that year got $15K on average.
Where does Montana Mental Health Trust give grants?
Montana Mental Health Trust gives mostly in Montana: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Helena, MT (4 grants), Missoula, MT (3 grants) and Butte, MT (2 grants).
Does Montana Mental Health Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on Montana Mental Health Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Behavioral Health Services" (5 grants).
Who are Montana Mental Health Trust's largest grantees?
Montana Mental Health Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Butte Spirit Center ($40,000), Center for Restorative Justice ($27,500) and Friends of the Children - Western Montana ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Montana Mental Health Trust?
Montana Mental Health Trust reported $257K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $313K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $21K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Montana Mental Health Trust fund?
The Trust’s stated purpose includes education for medical providers on prescribing practices; crisis-intervention training for law enforcement and others; crisis services for people supervised or managed by the criminal justice system; support for transitions from inpatient treatment to outpatient care and independent living; children’s mental health programs; and peer-to-peer services. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Montana Mental Health Trust?
The filing describes a written grant request and required supporting materials. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Montana Mental Health Trust's EIN?
Montana Mental Health Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-6395023. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Montana Mental Health Trust by hand.
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