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· Private foundation

Pleiades Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$60k
Granted FY2025still arriving
23
Grants FY2025still arriving
5
States reached
$8k
Largest
01What it funds
0186% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Environment$300kFood & Nutrition$87kArts & Culture$59kAnimals$35kEmployment$33kHealth$25kHuman Services$22kPhilanthropy$14kOther$0
02FY2025 · 23 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$1,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$2.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
CITIZENS FOR A WEED FREE FUTURE$7,500
MISSOULA FOOD BANK$7,500
METHOW CONSERVANCY$7,000
MONTANA LAND RELIANCE$5,000
THE BLACKFOOT CHALLENGE$5,000
MISSOULA ART MUSEUM$3,500
Individual grant recipient$3,000
METHOW VALLEY FAMILY HOME CENTER$3,000
FIVE VALLEYS LAND TRUST$2,500
GARDEN CITY HARVEST$2,500
RAPTORS OF THE ROCKIES$2,000
HIGH COUNTRY NEWS$1,000
FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN$1,000
FARM CONNECT MONTANA$1,000
SAN JUAN ISLANDS AGRICULTURAL GUILD$1,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–20, $9k) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%THE COVE: $5k → 17%ROOM ONE: $2k → 17%ROOM ONE: $1k → 17%ROOM ONE: $500 → 17%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$653k · 31 repeat orgs$38k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +66% since the first grant, against +24% for those funded once.

31 repeat relationships: 20 still active in FY2025, 11 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

31
14

Total granted

$653k
$33k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+66%
+24%

Still filing today

65%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 92% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EnvironmentFood & NutritionAnimalsCommunity ImprovementEducationHuman ServicesOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • TM
    THE MONTANA LAND RELIANCE
    9× · 2017–2025 · $48k · revenue +248%
  • MA
    MISSOULA ART MUSEUM
    8× · 2017–2025 · $46k · revenue +94%
  • WS
    WESTERN SUSTAINABILITY EXCHANGE
    9× · 2017–2025 · $39k · revenue +43%

Funded once

  • TM
    TRUST MONTANA INC
    one grant, 2024 · $8k · revenue -57%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $8k
  • JW
    JAMES WELCH NATIVE LIT FESTIVAL
    one grant, 2022 · $5k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Palouse Land Trust Inc

Our mission is to work with landowners and communities to conserve the lands we love, now and forever, and to enrich connections to the natural world.

Environment
2
Bitterroot Water Partnership

BWP leads reliable and intentional conservation initiatives that promote and provide clean, ample water for people and habitats by working with key partners and our communities

Environment
3
Swan Valley Connections

Maintain the swan valley's unique natural resources and ensure that a vibrant human community can sustain itself through stewardship, education, economic viability, and conservation on public and private lands.

Environment
4
Idaho Forest Restoration Partnership
Environment
5
Public Land Water Access Association

The organization's mission is to maintain, restore, and perpetuate public access to the boundaries of all Montana's public lands and waters.

—
6
Montana Association of Conservation Districts

To heighten the public's awareness of conservation districts and their activities as well as to promote soil and water conservation.

—
7
Flathead Land Trust

Flathead land trust is dedicated to the conservation of northwest montana's land and water legacy through voluntary agreements with private land owners. flt's primary program service is private land conservation through voluntary…

Environment
8
Montana Trout Unlimited

To conserve, protect and restore montana's coldwater fisheries and watersheds.

Recreation & Sports
9
Teton Regional Land Trust Inc

The mission of the teton regional land trust is to conserve working farms and ranches, fish and wildlife habitat, and scenic open spaces in eastern idaho for this and future generations.

Environment
10
Madison Valley Ranchlands Group

To help keep ranches in the madison valley viable and promote good stewardship, promote open space, and healthy way of life that has western values and clean water and wildlife habitate and healthy ranchlands.

Environment
11
Watershed Restoration Coalition for the

The organization is dedicated to restoring water quality, fisheries, and wildlife, and protecting the agricultural heritage and open space of the upper clark fork river basin of southwest montana. the organization pursues these goals by…

Environment
12
Wood River Land Trust Co

The wood river land trust's mission is to protect and sustain the treasured landscapes and life-giving waters of the wood river valley and to inspire love for this special place for generations to come.

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Methow Conservancy; the most unlike its peers is Friends of the Pool. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

29 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 29 of the 48 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
11
Early backer (in before they grew)
28/29
Grantees still filing
22/29
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CITIZENS FOR A WEED FREE FUTURE INC: $55,000 · OtherCITIZENS FOR A WEED FREE FUTURE INCIndividual grant recipient: $44,200 · OtherIndividual grant recipientIndividual grant recipient: $42,409 · OtherIndividual grant recipientTWISP WORKS: $32,500 · OtherTWISP WORKSTHE VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 · OtherTHE VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION INCYWCA: $14,000 · OtherTHE UM FOUNDATION: $14,000 · OtherRAPTORS OF THE ROCKIES: $16,500 · OtherClassroom in Bloom: $13,000 · Other+23 more: $74,135 · Other+23 moreTHE MONTANA LAND RELIANCE: $48,000 · EnvironmentTHE MONTANA LAND RELIANCEWESTERN SUSTAINABILITY EXCHANGE: $38,500 · EnvironmentWESTERN SUSTAINABILITY EX…FIVE VALLEYS LAND TRUST: $25,499 · EnvironmentFIVE VALLEYS LAND TRUSTBLACKFOOT CHALLENGE INC: $25,000 · EnvironmentBLACKFOOT CHALLENGE INCHIGH COUNTRY NEWS: $15,500 · EnvironmentHIGH COUNTRY NEWS+3 more: $5,000 · EnvironmentMETHOW CONSERVANCY: $57,500 · Youth DevelopmentMETHOW CO…MISSOULA FOOD BANK & COMMUNITY CENTER: $23,000 · Food & NutritionMISSOULA …GARDEN CITY HARVEST INC: $18,000 · Food & NutritionGARDEN CI…SAN JUAN ISLANDS ARGRICULTURAL GUILD: $16,000 · Food & NutritionSAN JUAN …MISSOULA ART MUSEUM: $45,500 · Arts & CulturePARTNERS HOPE FOUNDATION: $25,000 · HealthNORTHERN PLAINS RESOURCE COUNCIL: $16,500 · Community ImprovementTRUST MONTANA INC: $8,000 · Community Improvement
Other$323,744Environment$157,499Youth Development$57,500Food & Nutrition$57,000Arts & Culture$45,500Health$25,000Community Improvement$24,500

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMETHOW CONSERVANCY: $57,500 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetTHE MONTANA LAND RELIANCE: $48,000 over 9y, 0.0% of budgetMISSOULA ART MUSEUM: $45,500 over 8y, 0.8% of budgetWESTERN SUSTAINABILITY EXCHANGE: $38,500 over 9y, 1.0% of budgetFIVE VALLEYS LAND TRUST: $25,499 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetBLACKFOOT CHALLENGE INC: $25,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetPARTNERS HOPE FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 3y, 0.8% of budgetMISSOULA FOOD BANK & COMMUNITY CENTER: $23,000 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetTHE VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION INC: $18,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetGARDEN CITY HARVEST INC: $18,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetRAPTORS OF THE ROCKIES: $16,500 over 9y, 3.7% of budgetNORTHERN PLAINS RESOURCE COUNCIL: $16,500 over 9y, 0.2% of budgetSAN JUAN ISLANDS ARGRICULTURAL GUILD: $16,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetHIGH COUNTRY NEWS: $15,500 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetClassroom in Bloom: $13,000 over 6y, 11% of budgetTRUST MONTANA INC: $8,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetThe Land Institute: $7,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE COVE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetTROUT UNLIMITED INC: $4,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetFREEDOM GARDENS: $3,635 over 2y, 3.4% of budgetRoom One: $3,500 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetCLARK FORK COALITION: $3,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetMONTANA WILDERNESS SCHOOL: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRanchers Stewardship Alliance: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHumanities Montana: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMissoula Catholic Schools Foundation: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ROXY THEATER: $250 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds METHOW CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds THE MONTANA LAND RELIANCE ↗
  • Who funds MISSOULA ART MUSEUM ↗
  • Who funds WESTERN SUSTAINABILITY EXCHANGE ↗
  • Who funds FIVE VALLEYS LAND TRUST ↗
  • Who funds BLACKFOOT CHALLENGE INC ↗
  • Who funds PARTNERS HOPE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MISSOULA FOOD BANK & COMMUNITY CENTER ↗
  • Who funds THE VITAL GROUND FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds GARDEN CITY HARVEST INC ↗
  • Who funds RAPTORS OF THE ROCKIES ↗
  • Who funds NORTHERN PLAINS RESOURCE COUNCIL ↗
  • Who funds SAN JUAN ISLANDS ARGRICULTURAL GUILD ↗
  • Who funds HIGH COUNTRY NEWS ↗
  • Who funds Classroom in Bloom ↗
  • Who funds TRUST MONTANA INC ↗
  • Who funds The Land Institute ↗
  • Who funds THE COVE ↗
  • Who funds TROUT UNLIMITED INC ↗
  • Who funds FREEDOM GARDENS ↗
  • Who funds Room One ↗
  • Who funds CLARK FORK COALITION ↗
  • Who funds METHOW VALLEY CITIZENS COUNCIL ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The William H & Margaret M Wallace FoundationMT22.1× affinity8 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The William H & Margaret M Wallace Foundation · The Llewellyn Foundation · Treacy Foundation · First Interstate BancSystem Foundation Inc · James G and Marcia H Valeo Charitable Fd · Merlin Foundation Inc · Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation · Max and Betty Swanson Foundation · Sample Foundation Inc · Cross Charitable Foundation Attn John R Clark · The Kendeda Fund · Community Foundation of Ncw

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Pleiades Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Pleiades Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Pleiades Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Pleiades Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 48 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

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