The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit wildlife conservation organization headquartered in Missoula, Montana. Founded in 1984, RMEF is dedicated to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat, and hunting heritage through direct conservation action and strategic partnerships.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$151.5M
+7.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$8.4M
+70.6% YoY
Grant Count
112
+12.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$75K
+52.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission: To ensure the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.
RMEF operates through four core program areas:
Land Protection and Access: Land acquisitions, conservation easements, land exchanges, donations, and projects to enhance hunter and public access. The organization identifies and prioritizes crucial elk winter and summer ranges, migration corridors, and calving areas using GIS mapping, internal criteria, partnerships, and field-based professional knowledge.
Habitat Stewardship: Projects to improve essential forage, water, and cover components of wildlife habitat, including restoring aspen communities, fighting noxious weed spread, and boosting land productivity.
Wildlife Management: Supporting wildlife management initiatives and research.
Hunting Heritage: Preserving and promoting hunting traditions and access.
Grantmaking
RMEF established its grant program in 1986 to provide financial and logistical support to projects aligned with organizational priorities and goals. The program emphasizes leveraging RMEF funding with partner contributions to maximize conservation impact.
Grant Range
$3,500 to $761,760+ per project
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
RMEF operates nationally with a focus on elk habitat states. Recent grant activity spans 42-44 states, with significant conservation work across the western United States and beyond.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $151,500,836
- Total revenues: $100,089,143
- Total expenses: $90,084,188
- Total giving: $9,219,469 to $11.2 million
Staffing:
- 168 employees (as of 2024)
Conservation Impact:
- RMEF has conserved or enhanced over 9.1 million acres of habitat since founding
- Completed nearly 15,000 conservation and outreach projects valued at more than $1.7 billion
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $151,500,836 | $141,374,719 | $130,743,568 |
| Revenue | $100,089,143 | $83,528,636 | $66,007,163 |
| Expenses | $90,084,188 | $74,173,733 | $54,864,004 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $9,460,484 | $5,173,485 | $1,067,523 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Inc
Project Advisory Committee (PAC) Grant Program - Habitat Enhancement, Wildlife Management and Research
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION INC
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
State Grant Program - Hunting Heritage and Conservation Outreach
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION INC
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| R KYLE WEAVER | PRESIDENT & CEO | 50 | $592,370 |
| SHANE CRONK | CFO / TREASURER | 50 | $269,570 |
| STEVE DECKER | CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER | 50 | $260,099 |
| GRANT PARKER | GENERAL COUNSEL/SECRETARY | 50 | $190,140 |
| RODNEY TRIEPKE | MANAGING DIRECTOR OF IT | 50 | $187,414 |
| CASEY CLINE | CONTROLLER | 50 | $188,865 |
| BLAKE HENNING | CHIEF CONSERVATION OFFICER | 50 | $176,930 |
| JENNIFER DOHERTY MNG DIR | OF MISSION OPERATIONS | 50 | $141,516 |
| KIRK MURPHY | DIR. OF FIELD OPERATIONS - NW | 50 | $141,940 |
| RIZA LESSER MNG DIR | OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS | 50 | $151,149 |
| FRED LEKSE | CHAIR | 10 | — |
| TOBIAS TOBY BUCK | VICE CHAIR | 10 | — |
| JAMES J BAKER | DIRECTOR (THROUGH OCT. 28, 2024) | 5 | — |
| CHARLIE DECKER | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| NANCY HOLLAND | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| MAURICE HULL | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| DONNA MCDONALD | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| MARC PIERCE | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| TOM RAY | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| TOM ROBINSON | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| VINCE ROSDAHL | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| DAVE STEPHENS | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| ASHLEE STRONG | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| TODD WALKER | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
| MICHAEL WRIGHT | DIRECTOR | 5 | — |
Contact Information
Headquarters: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 5705 Grant Creek Road Missoula, MT 59808
Phone:
- Toll-free: 1-800-CALL-ELK (1-800-225-5355)
- Main: (406) 523-4500
Email:
- Grant Program: [email protected]
Website: www.rmef.org
Grant Portal: ams.rmef.org/outbound-grants
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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