Pleiades Foundation
Pleiades Foundation is a private foundation based in Missoula, Montana. It reported 23 grants totaling $60,000 in 2025, supporting charitable organizations including Montana and Washington organizations working in areas such as land conservation, food access, arts, and community programs.
Pleiades Foundation at a glance
In short: Pleiades Foundation gave $60K across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Montana. 13% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $60,000
- -47.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,609
- -54.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $2,359,318
- +7.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 13% first-time grantees (3 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Montana (73% 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 Pleiades Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 5434, Missoula, MT 59806
Phone: (406) 396-3903
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Pleiades Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Citizens for a Weed Free Future ($8K). Together the top 10 received $47K.
Grant Size Distribution
107 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 107 grants of 107 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 72% of grant dollars went to recipients in Montana and 20% to recipients in Washington. The remaining grant dollars went to recipients in Utah (5%), Colorado (2%), and Virginia (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Pleiades Foundation open to new grantees?
13%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 23 grantees (13%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 41% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 70% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $51K (2020) to $114K (2024). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $60K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Citizens for a Weed Free Future Missoula, MT | Operations | $7,500 |
| Missoula Food Bank Missoula, MT | Operations | $7,500 |
| Methow Conservancy Winthrop, WA | Operations | $7,000 |
| Montana Land Reliance Helena, MT | Operations | $5,000 |
| The Blackfoot Challenge Ovando, MT | Operations | $5,000 |
| Missoula Art Museum Missoula, MT | Operations | $3,500 |
| Methow Valley Family Home Center Winthrop, WA | Operations | $3,000 |
| Behaveutah State Univ Logan, UT | Operations | $3,000 |
| Five Valleys Land Trust Missoula, MT | Operations | $2,500 |
| Garden City Harvest Missoula, MT | Operations | $2,500 |
Ready to take the next step with Pleiades Foundation?
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 | $2,359,318 | $86,310 | $128,129 | $60,000 | 23 | $78,000 | $68,418 | $111,281 |
| 2024 | $2,198,340 | $87,704 | $182,696 | $113,584 | 20 | $131,584 | $70,916 | $104,841 |
| 2023 | $2,099,211 | $76,919 | $161,156 | $104,633 | 22 | $122,633 | $60,496 | $99,473 |
| 2022 | $1,974,433 | $55,564 | $155,285 | $101,233 | 21 | $119,233 | $39,572 | $105,708 |
| 2021 | $2,340,612 | $116,966 | $101,240 | $77,910 | 21 | $77,910 | $102,326 | $109,726 |
| 2020 | $2,194,939 | $475,352 | $78,081 | $51,022 | 22 | — | $462,357 | $72,949 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Pleiades Foundation reported a distributable amount of $111K 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 include support for organizations whose own missions include conserving the Methow Valley’s land and natural beauty (Methow Conservancy), protecting western Montana’s water, wildlife habitat, agricultural lands, and community open spaces (Five Valleys Land Trust), and providing public art exhibitions and education (Missoula Art Museum). Other recipients describe work in community health (Garden City Harvest), wildlife habitat and grizzly bear recovery (Vital Ground Foundation), and organizing Montanans around land, water, air, and working landscapes (Northern Plains Resource Council).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 23 grants totaling $60,000. Grant amounts ranged from $500 to $7,500, with a median grant of $1,000. The largest listed grants were $7,500 each to Citizens for a Weed Free Future and Missoula Food Bank; $7,000 to Methow Conservancy; and $5,000 each to Montana Land Reliance and The Blackfoot Challenge. The filing lists the grant purposes as operations.
Other 2025 recipients included Missoula Art Museum ($3,500), Methow Valley Family Home Center ($3,000), BehaveUtah State Univ ($3,000), Five Valleys Land Trust ($2,500), Garden City Harvest ($2,500), Raptors of the Rockies ($2,000), Vital Ground Foundation ($1,000), Northern Plains Resource Council ($1,000), MCT Inc ($1,000), and High Country News ($1,000).
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Nancy Cook, Mary Johnston, Sarah A Kingston, and Kirby S Christian as trustees.
Pleiades Foundation's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; all 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kirby S. Christian
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$3K (2024) → $4K (2025)
Mary Johnston
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$4K (2024) → $4K (2025)
Nancy Cook
Trustee
On filings since 2020
15 hrs/week
$36K (2022) → $36K (2025)
Sarah A. Kingston
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$4K (2024) → $4K (2025)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $36K, to Nancy Cook (Trustee). 4 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Pleiades Foundation
How much does Pleiades Foundation give each year?
Pleiades Foundation gave $60K across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $114K across 20 grants.
What is Pleiades Foundation's typical grant size?
Pleiades Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,609, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Pleiades Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Pleiades Foundation give grants?
Pleiades Foundation gives mostly in Montana: 73% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Washington (20%) and Utah (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Missoula, MT (11 grants) and Winthrop, WA (2 grants).
Does Pleiades Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 23 grants with a stated purpose on Pleiades Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Operations" (23 grants).
Who are Pleiades Foundation's largest grantees?
Pleiades Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Citizens for a Weed Free Future ($7,500), Missoula Food Bank ($7,500) and Methow Conservancy ($7,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Pleiades Foundation?
Pleiades Foundation reported $2.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $78K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $111K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Pleiades Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Pleiades Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Pleiades Foundation's EIN?
Pleiades Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-6246872. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Pleiades 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 3, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 5, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 28, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Pleiades Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/pleiades-foundation-morg_bd7568edc2ef4f08932827a55704bde2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_206246872_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Pleiades Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/pleiades-foundation-morg_bd7568edc2ef4f08932827a55704bde2},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Pleiades 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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