Mountain America Foundation
Mountain America Foundation is a private foundation based in Sandy, Utah. Its 2025 filing describes two forms of charitable activity: distributions to qualifying organizations serving the communities in which the Foundation operates, and scholarships for students pursuing post-secondary education.
Mountain America Foundation at a glance
In short: Mountain America Foundation gave $1.5M across 237 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Utah. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,490,000
- +30.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 237
- +27.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,287
- +2.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $2,026,617
- -36.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Utah (89% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Mountain America Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The Foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Its scholarship program has been promoted through communications with high schools and post-secondary institutions.
- Contact
Mailing address: 9800 South Monroe Street, Sandy, UT 84070
Phone: (801) 325-1939
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mountain America Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hale Centre Theatre ($600K). Together the top 10 received $1.1M.
Organizations only. It also paid 155 individual scholarships ($305,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
583 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 571 grants of 583 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation states that its charitable contributions serve communities within the area in which it is committed to operate. In 2025, 89% of grant dollars went to Utah recipients; Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Arizona each received 2%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 237 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Mountain America Foundation gives
- Giving grew 111% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2022 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $705K (2022) to $1.8M (2023). In 2025 it made 237 grants totaling $1.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hale Centre Theatre Sandy, UT | To provide affordable, world-class family theater and education. | $600,000 |
| Fullmer Legacy Foundation Jordan, UT | To assist at-risk youth to build physical and mental strength for the world outside the ring. | $250,000 |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities Salt Lake City, UT | To create, fund, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. | $200,000 |
| University of Utah School of Medici Salt Lake City, UT | To advance health sciences and practice by pursuing excellence in the discovery and application of informatics innovations, the education of the next generation of a biomedical workforce, and the establishment, development, and building of collaborative partnerships. | $40,000 |
| USANA Kids Eat West Valley, UT | To eliminate childhood hunger in Utah by providing nutritious, easy-to-prepare food to at-risk students, especially over weekend and holidays. | $14,000 |
| Idaho Foodbank Warehouse Meridian, ID | To feed, educate, and advocate for Idaho's hungry through collaborative partnerships and programs that nourish communities. | $2,000 |
| United Food Bank Salt Lake City, UT | To fight hunger statewide. | $2,000 |
| Cedar Valley Elementary Cedar Fort, UT | To support a public elementary school located in Cedar Fort, UT. | $2,000 |
| Springville High School Springville, UT | To support a public high school located in Springville, UT. | $2,000 |
| 41 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $82,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,026,617 | $386,927 | $1,543,391 | $1,490,000 | 237 | $1,508,770 | $107,011 | $132,427 |
| 2024 | $3,183,079 | $244,142 | $1,193,153 | $1,139,582 | 186 | $1,154,207 | $181,393 | $183,004 |
| 2023 | $4,125,090 | $690,051 | $1,860,611 | $1,818,721 | 156 | $1,836,673 | $148,836 | $235,685 |
| 2022 | $5,295,650 | $6,009,429 | $713,779 | $705,000 | 4 | $705,000 | $649 | $230,094 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mountain America Foundation reported a distributable amount of $132K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation’s filing describes its charitable activities as supporting organizations that serve communities within its area of commitment and providing scholarships to underprivileged or otherwise deserving students pursuing post-secondary education.
Its 2025 grants included support for Hale Centre Theatre, whose mission is to present family-oriented theatre and provide education programs and performances for students and community groups. Fullmer Legacy Foundation describes its mission as helping at-risk youth develop discipline, sportsmanship, and resilience through boxing. Idaho Foodbank Warehouse describes its mission as feeding, educating, and advocating for Idaho’s hungry through collaborative partnerships.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Foundation reported 237 grants totaling $1,490,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $600,000, with a median grant of $2,000. The filing separately reports 155 scholarships for students attending post-secondary institutions.
Among the largest reported grants were $600,000 to Hale Centre Theatre, for affordable family theatre and education; $250,000 to Fullmer Legacy Foundation, to assist at-risk youth; and $200,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities, to support programs for children and their families. Other reported grants included $40,000 to the University of Utah School of Medici for health-sciences and informatics work, and $14,000 to USANA Kids Eat for its work addressing childhood hunger in Utah.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sterling Nielsen as President; Chad Curtis and Scott Burt as Directors; Tony Rasmussen as Secretary; and Suzanne Oliver as Executive Director.
Mountain America Foundation is led by Sterling Nielsen, President on every filing since 2022; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Sterling Nielsen
President
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Suzanne Oliver
Executive Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Chad Curtis
Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Scott Burt
Director
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Tony Rasmussen
Secretary
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2022–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Mountain America Foundation
How much does Mountain America Foundation give each year?
Mountain America Foundation gave $1.5M across 237 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.1M across 186 grants.
What is Mountain America Foundation's typical grant size?
Mountain America Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $6,287, across 237 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Mountain America Foundation give grants?
Mountain America Foundation gives mostly in Utah: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Salt Lake City, UT (8 grants), Sandy, UT (4 grants), Eagle Mountain, UT (4 grants) and West Jordan, UT (3 grants).
Does Mountain America Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 237 grants with a stated purpose on Mountain America Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To provide an academic scholarship to attend Snow College." (5 grants) and "To provide an academic scholarship to attend BYU-Idaho." (3 grants).
Who are Mountain America Foundation's largest grantees?
Mountain America Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Hale Centre Theatre ($600,000), Fullmer Legacy Foundation ($250,000) and Ronald McDonald House Charities ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 155 individual scholarships ($305,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 70% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mountain America Foundation?
Mountain America Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $1.5M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $132K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mountain America Foundation fund?
The Foundation’s filing describes its charitable activities as supporting organizations that serve communities within its area of commitment and providing scholarships to underprivileged or otherwise deserving students pursuing post-secondary education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mountain America Foundation?
The Foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mountain America Foundation's EIN?
Mountain America Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-3574217. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2022–2025.
Does Mountain America Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 25, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 11, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2022–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Mountain America Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mountain America Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mountain-america-foundation-morg_97d1e3f3486b45c1a8ffa95efca58bec
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_843574217_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mountain America Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mountain-america-foundation-morg_97d1e3f3486b45c1a8ffa95efca58bec},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Mountain America Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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