Selah Charitable Trust
Selah Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Whitefish, Montana. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations, including organizations working in conservation, religious camping, food assistance, community development, and housing.
Selah Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Selah Charitable Trust gave $32K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Montana. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $31,500
- -38.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,150
- -7.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,250
- Total assets
- $604,054
- +0.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Montana (71% 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 Selah Charitable Trust
- 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: 180 Livermore Flats, Whitefish, MT 59937
Phone: (406) 863-2999
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Selah Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Whitefish Community Foundation - Great Fish Challenge ($14K). Together the top 10 received $32K.
Grant Size Distribution
66 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 66 grants of 66 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 71% of grant dollars went to recipients in Montana, 16% to Washington, 6% to California, 3% to Illinois, and 3% to Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Selah Charitable Trust open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 60% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 20% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 106% 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 $32K (2025) to $79K (2019). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $32K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Whitefish Community Foundation - Great Fish Challenge Whitefish, MT | Charitable Foundation | $14,000 |
| Flathead Lakers Polson, MT | Conservation Purposes | $4,000 |
| All Saints Episcopal Church Whitefish, MT | CHURCH | $2,500 |
| Camp Spalding Newport, WA | Christian Camp | $2,500 |
| Feast World Kitchen Spokane, WA | Charitable Work Helping Feed the Poor | $2,500 |
| Wild Wonder Foundation Auburn, CA | Charitable Work | $2,000 |
| Blackfoot Chalenge Ovando, MT | Conservation | $1,000 |
| YMCA Chicago, IL | Charity Focused on Community Strenghening and Youth Development | $1,000 |
| West Shore Food Bank Lakeside, MT | Charitable Work | $1,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity Americus, GA | Charity Helping Low Income Family Find Housing | $1,000 |
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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 | $604,054 | $37,418 | $33,474 | $31,500 | 10 | $31,500 | $35,444 | $29,736 |
| 2024 | $600,110 | $44,041 | $52,005 | $50,780 | 15 | $50,780 | $42,816 | $29,652 |
| 2023 | $608,074 | $42,347 | $52,631 | $51,500 | 10 | $51,500 | $41,216 | $29,449 |
| 2022 | $618,358 | $46,333 | $41,774 | $39,500 | 15 | $39,500 | $45,288 | $30,052 |
| 2021 | $613,799 | $49,706 | $49,155 | $47,598 | 16 | $47,598 | $48,756 | $30,001 |
| 2020 | $613,248 | $43,491 | $35,402 | $34,000 | 10 | — | $42,231 | $29,602 |
| 2019 | $605,159 | $55,445 | $80,349 | $78,885 | 31 | — | $53,981 | $30,495 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Selah Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $30K 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 with varied purposes. For example, Camp Spalding describes its mission as providing a religious-based camp and retreat experience; Wild Wonder Foundation says it encourages nature connection and conservation through attention, curiosity, art, science, and community. West Shore Food Bank says it provides nutritional assistance to residents of the west shore of Flathead Lake, primarily through a food bank and a schoolchildren’s “SnackPak” program. Habitat for Humanity–North Central Georgia describes itself as a Christian housing ministry that partners with community sponsors and volunteers to build homes with low-income families selected by the organization.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust reported 10 grants totaling $31,500. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $14,000, with a median grant of $2,250.
Among the 2025 grants were $14,000 to Whitefish Community Foundation – Great Fish Challenge, $4,000 to Flathead Lakers, $2,500 each to All Saints Episcopal Church, Camp Spalding, and Feast World Kitchen, and $2,000 to Wild Wonder Foundation. The filing also lists $1,000 grants to Blackfoot Challenge, YMCA, West Shore Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Karen Peterson, Eric Peterson, and Leif Peterson as trustees.
Selah Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Eric Peterson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Peterson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leif Peterson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
2 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 Selah Charitable Trust
How much does Selah Charitable Trust give each year?
Selah Charitable Trust gave $32K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $51K across 15 grants.
What is Selah Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Selah Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $2,250, and its average grant was $3,150, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Selah Charitable Trust that year got $2K on average.
Where does Selah Charitable Trust give grants?
Selah Charitable Trust gives mostly in Montana: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Washington (16%) and California (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Whitefish, MT (2 grants).
Does Selah Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Selah Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Selah Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Selah Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Whitefish Community Foundation - Great Fish Challenge ($14,000), Flathead Lakers ($4,000) and All Saints Episcopal Church ($2,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 65% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Selah Charitable Trust?
Selah Charitable Trust reported $604K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $32K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $30K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Selah Charitable Trust fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations with varied purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Selah Charitable Trust?
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 Selah Charitable Trust's EIN?
Selah Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 37-6393903. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Selah Charitable Trust 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 June 4, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 4, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 27, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 27, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 8, 2024)
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