Montana · Nonprofit
AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION
AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION (Montana) receives grants from 171 organizations whose IRS filings report $63,372,961 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($12,359,280). 92 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 71% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $45M
- Funders on record
- 171
- Grants received
- $63M
- Net assets
- $202M
What American Prairie Foundation does
Mission
Our mission is to create the largest nature reserve in the contiguous united states, a refuge for people and wildlife preserved forever as part of america's heritage.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Rewilding and habitat stewardship: american prairie is rewilding a vast grassland to support ecologically meaningful wildlife populations. Since 2004, we have completed 43 transactions to conserve 526,959 acres of prairie habitat adjacent to the 1.1 million-acre charles m. Russell national wildlife refuge - together forming the largest protected area in the great plains. Our bison herd, established in 2005, now numbers around 850 animals and contributes to riparian and rangeland health and greater wildlife diversity.continued on schedule o . . .we are also working to restore other keystone and extirpated species, including black-tailed prairie dogs, beavers, swift foxes, and black-footed ferrets. Rewilding efforts also include habitat restoration and enhancement, as well as promoting wildlife tolerance beyond our lands through economic incentives and coexistence tools.
$5,034,136 spentof which $614,006 as grants$1,080,493 earned by the program61% of program spendingExternal communications: american prairie strives to work collaboratively and to make positive contributions to the communities around us, both economic and cultural, by building meaningful relationships with local groups and leaders in and around the seven-county region where american prairie operates. The national discovery center in lewistown is a social and educational hub providing meaningful community resources and connections in central montana.continued on schedule o . . .sharing stories from the prairie is a priority, and our marketing efforts have been focused on showcasing the visitor experience and elevating our public access model, including through features in 60 minutes, outside magazine, fast company, and local publications. By raising general awareness in montana, our web traffic, lodging bookings and visitation inquiries have all increased substantially.
$1,750,708 spent$38 earned by the program21% of program spendingVisitor experience and education: american prairie provides public access to more than 140,000 acres of deeded land, along with seamless access to an additional 386,000 acres of adjacent public land. This expansive landscape supports thriving wildlife habitat and offers outstanding opportunities for hiking, hunting, and wildlife viewing. By ensuring public access to these lands, american prairie invites people to explore and connect with the prairie ecosystem, with the promise that each visit will reveal a wilder, more vibrant landscape. Continued on schedule o . . . In addition to land access, american prairie operates the american prairie field school, a k12 education program offering free day and overnight experiences for montana public school students. These programs are designed to foster curiosity and a deeper understanding of the region's natural and cultural heritage through immersive, hands-on outdoor learning. Together, these efforts support conservation, recreation, and education across one of north america's most iconic and ecologically significant landscapes.
$1,531,200 spent$161,906 earned by the program18% of program spending
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $8,316,044.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $104M to $144M (+38%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2021 2%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
98% of AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (87% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Alison Fox
CEO
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 28 funders to 71 funders, grant income rose $2.1M → $10M.
39 of 171 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 71% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 171 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 20% of grant income, and it takes 4 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 4 funders to its left
72% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 40% · 2018 43% · 2019 40% · 2020 23% · 2021 38% · 2022 38% · 2023 16% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
44% of AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 54% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
71% of AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $18M that is directly attributable, 98% of it comes from funders outside Montana, across 28 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $45M arriving through sponsors registered in 22 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 330 environment nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 330 environment nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Organizations like AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Montana
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
54% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
39%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 39 states
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- 5 Mountain Ranch LLC · disregarded
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION?
- AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION (Montana) receives grants from 171 organizations whose IRS filings report $63,372,961 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($12,359,280). 92 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 71% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION have?
- IRS filings report 171 organizations giving $63,372,961 in grants to AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION, 92 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $12,359,280 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like AMERICAN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Montana. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 171 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing