Sweet Grass Community Foundation
Sweet Grass Community Foundation is a public charity based in Big Timber, Montana. Formed in 2001, it manages funds and makes grants to support community efforts, while also providing nonprofit education and resources and fiscal sponsorship services.
Key facts about Sweet Grass Community Foundation
In short: Sweet Grass Community Foundation gave $433K across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $31K), mostly in Montana. 7% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 26-0018693
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $433,357
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- Average grant
- $30,954
- Median grant
- $15,386
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (1 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Total assets
- $4,116,240
- Primary geography
- Montana (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- They describe program-specific proposals, including information about confirmed funding and community impact for Match Grant requests; the Micro Grant description identifies eligible applicants and excluded expenses. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; 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 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$4.1M
+14.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$433K
+22.2% YoY
Grant Count
14
-30.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$31K
+74.6% YoY
Is Sweet Grass Community Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 14 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $32K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $16K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to “build relationships and manage funds to focus, strengthen, and advance our community.” Its filing describes work in community grantmaking, nonprofit education and board support, donor guidance, and fiscal sponsorship. The fiscal sponsorship program provides bookkeeping and administrative services, fundraising tips, and help developing policies and procedures. The foundation reported supporting five local organizations through that program in 2024.
Its 2024 grants included youth programs, community improvement, human services, education and scholarship, and arts and culture. These are purposes reported for specific grants, rather than a complete statement of the foundation’s funding priorities. Among the grantees described in their own words, Sheepherder Square Foundation says it works to create an all-season gathering space for community engagement, local history, and economic vitality. Hospitality House Senior Center says it serves people age 60 and older to help them remain socially involved and independent at home. The Sweet Grass County Museum Society says it collects and preserves county heritage and culture; Pioneer Medical Center describes its mission as providing sustainable, patient- and resident-focused care; and ASPEN describes its work as supporting victims of domestic and sexual violence in several Montana counties, including Sweet Grass.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s 2024 filing lists 14 grants totaling $433,357. Grant amounts ranged from $5,011 to $153,110, with a median of $15,386. Separately, the foundation’s filing narrative states that it granted $531,525 in 2024; the filing does not explain the difference between that figure and the itemized grant total.
The largest listed awards were $153,110 to Big Timber Grade School for youth programs and $95,980 to Sheepherder Square Foundation for community improvement. Other grants included $37,702 to Hospitality House for human services, $25,360 to Big Timber After School Club for youth programs, and $20,593 to Friends of the Library for education and scholarship.
Program descriptions provided for the foundation include Community Impact, Collaboration Granting, Matching Funds, Major Community Impact Grants, Micro Grants, and Give Where You Live. The available program information describes a Micro Grant program for unexpected, urgent, or one-time expenses of eligible charitable organizations and government entities serving Sweet Grass County residents; it excludes recurring expenses, travel, general operating expenses, routine maintenance, and previously funded projects. The Match Grant program is described as providing matching funds to eligible tax-exempt organizations that show confirmed funding from other sources and explain the community impact. A Partners in Education program is described as supporting proposals that benefit Sweet Grass County Schools, address unmet needs, and are implemented by the start of the next school year. The program listings were last updated in 2025 and do not establish a current application deadline.
How to Apply
They describe program-specific proposals, including information about confirmed funding and community impact for Match Grant requests; the Micro Grant description identifies eligible applicants and excluded expenses.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from Sweet Grass Community Foundation
Sweet Grass Community Collaboration Granting
Sweet Grass Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Sweet Grass Community Impact Granting
Sweet Grass Community Foundation
Amount
Up to US $10,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Sweet Grass Community Major Community Project Granting
Sweet Grass Community Foundation
Amount
More than US $10,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Ready to take the next step with Sweet Grass Community Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars listed in the 2024 filing went to recipients in Montana. The foundation’s program descriptions and filing narrative refer to Sweet Grass County and its residents. The 2024 grants listed recipients in Big Timber and Livingston, Montana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $195K (2019) to $545K (2021). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $433K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Big Timber Grade School ($153K). Together the top 10 received $408K.
Grant Size Distribution
90 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 90 (92%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Big Timber Grade School Big Timber, MT | Youth Programs | $153,110 |
| Sheepherder Square Foundation Big Timber, MT | Community Improvement | $95,980 |
| Hospitality House Big Timber, MT | Human Services | $37,702 |
| Big Timber After School Club Big Timber, MT | Youth Programs | $25,360 |
| Friends of the Library Big Timber, MT | Education and Scholarship | $20,593 |
| Sweet Grass Arts Alliance Big Timber, MT | Arts and Culture | $17,955 |
| Crazy Mountain Museum Big Timber, MT | Education | $15,998 |
| Sweet Grass County Ambulance Big Timber, MT | Human Services | $14,773 |
| Hearts & Hands Hospice Big Timber, MT | Human Services | $13,154 |
| Dornix Park Big Timber, MT | — | $13,025 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants listed | Grant count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,116,240 | $1,202,291 | $820,688 | $433,357 | 14 |
| 2023 | $3,596,866 | $1,025,256 | $650,607 | $354,630 | 20 |
| 2022 | $3,043,520 | $708,430 | $675,660 | $424,194 | 23 |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $4,116,240 | $3,596,866 | $3,043,520 |
| Revenue | $1,202,291 | $1,025,256 | $708,430 |
| Expenses | $820,688 | $650,607 | $675,660 |
| Net Investment Income | $140,652 | $112,819 | $86,525 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 27, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 26, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Corry Cremer-Seitz as executive director; Mary Ann Duffey as treasurer; Wes Tuscano, Kathy Mandity, Marc King, Dawn Curry, and Colter Todd as directors; JV Moody as chairman; Mihail Kennedy as vice chair; and Jenn Chappell as secretary.
Sweet Grass Community Foundation is led by Corry Cremer-Seitz, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 10 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Corry Cremer-Seitz
Executive Director
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$60K (2019) → $81K (2024)
Jv Moody
Chairman
Director → Vice Chair, 2023
Vice Chair → Chairman, 2024
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Colter Todd
Director
Director → Treasurer, 2021
Treasurer → Director, 2022
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Mandity
Director
Secretary → Chairman, 2022
Chairman → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Wes Tuscano
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dawn Curry
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marc King
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mihail Kennedy
Vice Chair
Director → Treasurer, 2022
Treasurer → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Ann Duffey
Treasurer
Director → Secretary, 2022
Secretary → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jenn Chappell
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: Brian Engle (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Tara Becken (2019–2022) — Vice Chairman
- Former: Ken Plake (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Page Dringman (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Connor Giesecke (2021) — Director
- Former: Alex Blake (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Melanie Roe (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Brealyn Larue (2020) — Director
- Former: Betsy Donald (2019) — Secretary
- Former: Raelynn Thomasson (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $81K, to Corry Cremer-Seitz (Executive Director).
Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 517, Big Timber, MT 59011
Phone: (406) 932-3090
Frequently asked questions about Sweet Grass Community Foundation
How much does Sweet Grass Community Foundation give each year?
Sweet Grass Community Foundation gave $433K across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $355K across 20 grants.
What is Sweet Grass Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Sweet Grass Community Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,386, and its average grant was $30,954, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sweet Grass Community Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does Sweet Grass Community Foundation give grants?
Sweet Grass Community Foundation gives mostly in Montana: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Big Timber, MT (12 grants) and Livingston, MT (2 grants).
Does Sweet Grass Community Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on Sweet Grass Community Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Human Services" (4 grants) and "Youth Programs" (3 grants).
Who are Sweet Grass Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Sweet Grass Community Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Big Timber Grade School ($153,110), Sheepherder Square Foundation ($95,980) and Hospitality House ($37,702), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Sweet Grass Community Foundation?
Sweet Grass Community Foundation reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.2M.
What does Sweet Grass Community Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to “build relationships and manage funds to focus, strengthen, and advance our community.” Its filing describes work in community grantmaking, nonprofit education and board support, donor guidance, and fiscal sponsorship. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sweet Grass Community Foundation?
They describe program-specific proposals, including information about confirmed funding and community impact for Match Grant requests; the Micro Grant description identifies eligible applicants and excluded expenses. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sweet Grass Community Foundation's EIN?
Sweet Grass Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-0018693. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
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