The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation
The Bill and Rosemary Gallagher Foundation is a private foundation based in Missoula, Montana. Established in 2001 to honor Bill and Rosemary Gallagher, lifelong supporters of charitable organizations in Missoula and Western Montana, it supports organizations working to improve the lives of people in Western Montana.
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation gave $380K across 46 grants in 2025 (avg $8K), mostly in Montana. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $379,500
- +0.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 46
- +12.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,250
- -10.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $4,771,864
- +5.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (15 of 46, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Montana (90% 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 The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation
- How to Apply
-
Contact Carolyn Maier for details and, after preliminary review, eligible applicants may receive access to the application form. The 2025 filing lists application materials and deadlines as available by contacting her. The filing states that awards are restricted to charities in Montana.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists April 30 and October 31 as application postmark deadlines. The April 30, 2026 deadline has passed; October 31, 2026 is the next listed deadline.
- Deadline
- The website lists April 30 and October 31 as application postmark deadlines.
- Contact
Application contact: Carolyn Maier
Mailing address: PO Box 3387, Missoula, MT 59806
Phone: (406) 240-6353
Website: https://thegallagherfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation
Who The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Youth Homes ($51K). Together the top 10 received $204K.
Grant Size Distribution
192 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 185 grants of 192 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The website defines Western Montana as the area west of the Continental Divide and Helena, and says grants must benefit residents there. The 2025 filing lists a restriction to charities in Montana. In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Montana; the remainder went to recipients in California (5%), Washington, DC (2%), Georgia (1%), and Pennsylvania (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 46 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 46 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 57% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 32% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 165% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $287K (2022) to $380K (2025). In 2025 it made 46 grants totaling $380K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Homes Missoula, MT | General Operating | $51,000 |
| Mountain Home Montana Missoula, MT | General Operating | $35,000 |
| Montana Food Bank Missoula, MT | General Operating | $25,000 |
| Florence Crittenton Home Helena, MT | General Operating | $20,000 |
| Missoula Fairgrounds Missoula, MT | General Operating | $20,000 |
| Partnership for Children Salinas, CA | General Operating | $15,000 |
| Missoula Aging Services Missoula, MT | General Operating | $10,000 |
| Missoula Downtown Foundation Inc Missoula, MT | General Operating | $10,000 |
| Child Bridge Inc Bigfork, MT | General Operating | $10,000 |
| Boys Girls Club of Missoula County Missoula, MT | General Operating | $8,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher 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 | $4,771,864 | $750,332 | $515,088 | $379,500 | 46 | $486,133 | $719,674 | $294,084 |
| 2024 | $4,537,783 | $230,296 | $509,088 | $377,500 | 41 | $484,540 | $204,680 | $298,249 |
| 2023 | $4,816,455 | $164,232 | $493,091 | $376,500 | 40 | $466,533 | $139,976 | $280,294 |
| 2022 | $5,145,868 | $402,482 | $395,173 | $287,317 | 32 | $363,680 | $378,709 | $290,918 |
| 2021 | $5,138,753 | $561,772 | $445,828 | $336,880 | 33 | $412,075 | $536,991 | $333,845 |
| 2020 | $5,020,655 | $533,868 | $442,220 | $355,597 | 31 | — | $508,499 | $293,262 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation reported a distributable amount of $294K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated commitment is to benefit residents of Western Montana. Its guidelines list education; arts and culture; community enrichment; healthcare; assistance to youth and older adults; and support for organizations serving people in need. Eligible organizations must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), and must show that grant funds will benefit Western Montana residents in an eligible area. Recipients must document how funds were spent.
The foundation’s 2025 grants included organizations serving youth, families, older adults, and the community. For example, Youth Homes says its mission is to help youth feel safe, belong, and find a place to call home. Mountain Home Montana says it provides a safe, stable, nurturing home for young mothers and their children. Child Bridge says it finds and equips families for children who have experienced abuse and neglect, and supports foster, adoptive, and kinship families. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own work.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 46 grants totaling $379,500. Grants ranged from $1,500 to $51,000, with a median grant of $5,000. The foundation’s website lists average awards of $3,000 for small program grants, $8,000–$10,000 for program grants, and $50,000 for capital campaigns.
The largest 2025 grants included $51,000 to Youth Homes, $35,000 to Mountain Home Montana, $25,000 to Montana Food Bank, and $20,000 each to Florence Crittenton Home and Missoula Fairgrounds. Other grants included $15,000 to Partnership for Children, $10,000 each to Missoula Aging Services, Missoula Downtown Foundation, and Child Bridge, and $8,000 to Boys and Girls Club of Missoula County.
The website says applicants should review the guidelines and contact Executive Director Carolyn Maier for details. Following a preliminary review, eligible applicants receive a password to access the application form; a site visit may be scheduled. Returning grantees are advised to contact the foundation before applying again. Grants are awarded only in writing, and final decisions are made by the Board of Directors. The website says the foundation generally does not fund multi-year applications, except that it may make exceptions for capital campaigns. Its guidelines say it generally does not fund conferences, camps, publications, videos, films, television or radio programs, endowments, special fundraising events, religious programs serving specific denominations, individuals, organizations already funded in the current calendar year, or funds to be redistributed under another name.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Carolyn Maier as executive director, Rick Hart as chairman, Larry Gianchetta as vice chairman, and Rick Baskett as secretary/treasurer.
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation is led by Carolyn Maier, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carolyn Maier
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$68K (2022) → $96K (2025)
Rick Hart
Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Larry Gianchetta
Vice Chairman
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rick Baskett
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: US Bank N A (2020–2021) — Trustee
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 $96K, to Carolyn Maier (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation
How much does The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation give each year?
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation gave $380K across 46 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $378K across 41 grants.
What is The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,250, across 46 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation give grants?
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation gives mostly in Montana: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Missoula, MT (27 grants), Helena, MT (2 grants), Stevensville, MT (2 grants) and Hamilton, MT (2 grants).
Does The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (46 of 46) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Youth Homes ($51,000), Mountain Home Montana ($35,000) and Montana Food Bank ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 29% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation?
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation reported $4.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $486K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $294K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated commitment is to benefit residents of Western Montana. Its guidelines list education; arts and culture; community enrichment; healthcare; assistance to youth and older adults; and support for organizations serving people in need. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation?
Contact Carolyn Maier for details and, after preliminary review, eligible applicants may receive access to the application form. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's EIN?
The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-2138399. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 5, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bill-and-rosemary-gallagher-foundation-morg_d3365cac51f94417a33fa4712a79b991
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_912138399_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Bill \& Rosemary Gallagher Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bill-and-rosemary-gallagher-foundation-morg_d3365cac51f94417a33fa4712a79b991},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-05. 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 The Bill & Rosemary Gallagher 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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