Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster
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.
Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster at a glance
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.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $162,000
- +116.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +100.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,100
- +8.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,500
- Total assets
- $625,806
- +7.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 80% first-time grantees (16 of 20, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Montana (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3840 Rimrock Road Apt 3112, Billings, MT 59102
Phone: (406) 259-1566
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
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
The most common grant size was under $50K: 63 grants of 63 (100%).
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
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
Cities
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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $40K (2019) to $162K (2025). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $162K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Great Falls Community Food Bank Great Falls, MT | General operations | $20,000 |
| Family Promise of GF Great Falls, MT | General operations | $15,000 |
| YMCA Billings Billings, MT | General operations | $15,000 |
| Boys and Girls Club of Cascade County Great Falls, MT | General operations | $10,000 |
| District 4 HRDC - Havre Food Bank Havre, MT | General operations | $10,000 |
| YWCA Billings Billings, MT | General operations | $10,000 |
| Tumbleweed Billings, MT | General operations | $10,000 |
| Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools Billings, MT | General operations | $10,000 |
| MSUB Foundation Billings, MT | General operations | $10,000 |
| Lopez Island Family Resource Center Lopez Island, WA | General operations | $7,500 |
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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 | $625,806 | $218,325 | $175,994 | $162,000 | 20 | $163,784 | $208,451 | $34,875 |
| 2024 | $580,985 | $147,414 | $87,424 | $75,000 | 10 | $77,764 | $136,376 | $32,837 |
| 2023 | $518,935 | $122,299 | $84,095 | $73,000 | 13 | $75,755 | $104,792 | $27,745 |
| 2022 | $480,731 | $118,582 | $67,004 | $58,000 | 10 | $60,750 | $109,873 | $23,574 |
| 2021 | $429,153 | $116,157 | $62,391 | $50,000 | 10 | $52,625 | $110,441 | $22,568 |
| 2020 | $375,387 | $202,100 | $51,564 | $46,000 | 11 | — | $199,111 | $11,084 |
| 2019 | $224,851 | $14,406 | $47,075 | $40,000 | 9 | — | $12,195 | $11,969 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 27, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 31, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 15, 2024)
Live grants for the work Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/paul-milan-and-cynthia-long-foster-morg_0cdce1844cc7429994058822b4150e0f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_814703537_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/paul-milan-and-cynthia-long-foster-morg_0cdce1844cc7429994058822b4150e0f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-24. 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 Paul Milan and Cynthia Long Foster'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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