Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster

Private foundation · Grantmaker Billings, MT EIN: 81-4703537

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster is a private foundation based in Billings, Montana. It reported giving $162,000 in 2025 through 20 grants to charitable organizations, including community food banks, family-support organizations, youth organizations, and educational institutions.

Key facts about Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster

In short: Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster gave $162K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Montana. 80% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
81-4703537
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$162,000
Grants made (2025)
20
Average grant
$8,100
Median grant
$7,500
New grantees (estimate)
80% first-time grantees (16 of 20, 2025; small sample)
Total assets
$625,806
Primary geography
Montana (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 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

$626K

+7.7% YoY

Annual Giving

$162K

+116.0% YoY

Grant Count

20

+100.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$8K

+8.0% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster reported a distributable amount of $35K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster open to new grantees?

80%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 16 of 20 grantees (80%) were first-time recipients. With only 20 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $9K. How we count

Medians: $6K first-time, $9K repeat.

  • 20% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 179% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 470% of 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.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations addressing community needs. The Great Falls Community Food Bank says its mission is to provide food and engage, educate, and lead the community against hunger. The Lopez Island Family Resource Center says it provides resources and guidance to meet basic community needs, along with educational and engagement programs and advocacy for a more just and equitable community. Montana Free Press describes its mission as producing in-depth public-service journalism on issues relevant to Montanans.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation awarded 20 grants totaling $162,000. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $20,000, with a median of $7,500. Listed grants included $20,000 to Great Falls Community Food Bank; $15,000 each to Family Promise of GF and YMCA Billings; and $10,000 each to Boys and Girls Club of Cascade County, District 4 HRDC - Havre Food Bank, YWCA Billings, Tumbleweed, Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, and MSUB Foundation. Other reported awards included $7,500 to Lopez Island Family Resource Center and $5,000 to Montana Free Press. The listed grants were for general operations.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Montana, 5% to recipients in California, and 5% to recipients in Washington.

Grant Distribution by State

5states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.

Cities

BillingsGreat FallsSeattleVancouverCalabasasHelenaIndioLopez IslandPortlandBozemanCoachellaHavreLake CityShepherd

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K9 grants2019 11 grants2020 10 grants2021 10 grants2022 13 grants2023 10 grants2024 20 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $40K (2019) to $162K (2025). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $162K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Great Falls Community Food Bank: $20KGreat Falls Community FoodBank$20KFamily Promise of GF: $15KFamily Promise of GF$15KYMCA Billings: $15KYMCA Billings$15KBoys and Girls Club of Cascade County: $10KBoys and Girls Club of CascadeCounty$10KDistrict 4 HRDC - Havre Food Bank: $10KDistrict 4 HRDC - Havre FoodBank$10KYWCA Billings: $10KYWCA Billings$10KTumbleweed: $10KTumbleweed$10KEducation Foundation for Billings Public Schools: $10KEducation Foundation forBillings Public Schools$10KMSUB Foundation: $10KMSUB Foundation$10KLopez Island Family Resource Center: $8KLopez Island Family ResourceCenter$8K

The largest 2025 recipient was Great Falls Community Food Bank ($20K). Together the top 10 received $118K.

Grant Size Distribution

63 grants across all recorded years

63<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 63 grants of 63 (100%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Great Falls Community Food Bank Great Falls, MTGeneral operations$20,000
Family Promise of GF Great Falls, MTGeneral operations$15,000
YMCA Billings Billings, MTGeneral operations$15,000
Boys and Girls Club of Cascade County Great Falls, MTGeneral operations$10,000
District 4 HRDC - Havre Food Bank Havre, MTGeneral operations$10,000
YWCA Billings Billings, MTGeneral operations$10,000
Tumbleweed Billings, MTGeneral operations$10,000
Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools Billings, MTGeneral operations$10,000
MSUB Foundation Billings, MTGeneral operations$10,000
Lopez Island Family Resource Center Lopez Island, WAGeneral operations$7,500

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $625,806 $218,325 $175,994 $162,000 (20 grants)
2024 $580,985 $147,414 $87,424 $75,000 (10 grants)
2023 $518,935 $122,299 $84,095 $73,000 (13 grants)
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$100K$200K$300K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$625,806$580,985$518,935
Revenue$218,325$147,414$122,299
Expenses$175,994$87,424$84,095
Qualifying Distributions$163,784$77,764$75,755
Net Investment Income$208,451$136,376$104,792
Distributable Amount$34,875$32,837$27,745

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 27, 2020)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 31, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 17, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 15, 2024)

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Cynthia Long Foster as President/Director; Shannon Anderson as Vice President/Director; Paul M Foster Jr as Secretary/Treasurer/Director; and Stacie Foster and Sydney Higgins as Directors.

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster is led by Cynthia Long Foster, President & Director on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Cynthia Long Foster

    President & Director

    On filings since 2019

    0.1 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Paul M Foster Jr.

    Secretary, Treasurer & Director

    On filings since 2019

    0.1 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Shannon Anderson

    Vice President & Director

    On filings since 2019

    0.1 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stacie Foster

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    0.1 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sydney Higgins

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    0.1 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

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.

Contact

Mailing address: 3840 Rimrock Road Apt 3112, Billings, MT 59102
Phone: (406) 259-1566

Frequently asked questions about Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster

How much does Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster give each year?

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster gave $162K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $75K across 10 grants.

What is Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster's typical grant size?

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster's median grant in 2025 was $7,500, and its average grant was $8,100, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster that year got $8K on average.

Where does Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster give grants?

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster gives mostly in Montana: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Billings, MT (7 grants), Great Falls, MT (5 grants) and Helena, MT (2 grants).

Does Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster give general operating support?

Yes: 100% of Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (20 of 20) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster's largest grantees?

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster's largest 2025 grantees include Great Falls Community Food Bank ($20,000), Family Promise of GF ($15,000) and YMCA Billings ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster?

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster reported $626K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $164K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $35K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations addressing community needs. The Great Falls Community Food Bank says its mission is to provide food and engage, educate, and lead the community against hunger. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster?

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 Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster's EIN?

Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-4703537. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster 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.

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