Montana · Nonprofit
THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC
THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC (Montana) receives grants from 13 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,409,047 to it, the largest being THE AYCO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ($666,668). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 99% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2025
- $19M
- Funders on record
- 13
- Grants received
- $1.4M
- Net assets
- $53M
What The Foundation for the Diocese of Helena Inc does
Mission
The foundation's mission is to serve and strengthen the people, parishes, ministries and apostolic mission of the roman catholic diocese of helena (referred to as "the diocese" in this return).
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Grants and distributions: distributions made by the foundation of its donor-directed temporary and permanent endowment funds totaled nearly $1.45 million. The foundation also made grants from its own unrestricted resources in the amount of $79,764 to help provide funding for parishes or programs lacking money for specific ministries or projects and to assist parishes with unrestricted resources. Additionally, the foundation board designated its own unrestricted resources during the fiscal year as follows: $4,999 to various endowment funds within the foundation.the foundation continued to manage a five year $30 million capital campaign to raise funds for the parishes and diocese of helena.
$16,415,698 spentof which $79,764 as grants100% of program spendingBuilding and managing permanent endowments: the foundation solicits and manages gifts to permanent endowments to support the parishes and ministries of the diocese of helena. Over $45 million in endowed funds are professionally managed by the foundation, invested in adherence to the principals of socially responsible investing as outlined by the united states conference of catholic bishops. Endowment beneficiaries receive quarterly endowment statements reflecting investment activity and fund balances.
$2,001 earned by the programCharitable planning expertise: the foundation provides annual estate planning and planned giving education in every deanery across the diocese of helena and upon request for an individual parish/school/ministry. Charitable gift annuity program administration is provided by the foundation, allowing donors with easy access to the montana endowment tax credit. The foundation establishes named endowment funds for donors, allowing them to provide a steady stream of income that their chosen parish/school/ministry can count on in perpetuity. Donors establishing named endowment funds receive annual endowment statements reflecting investment activity, distributions to their designated ministry, and fund balances.
The 3 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $16,415,698.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2018, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2018, 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 2023 to 2024, from $43M to $62M (+43%).
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.
84% of THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (84% 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
Daniel Thies
Executive director
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
The chief executive listed changed between the FY2020 and FY2021 filings.
Who funds it, year by year
2021 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 4 funders, grant income rose $300k → $349k.
11 of 13 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 99% 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 THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). 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
THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 47% of grant income and the top three 76%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
99% 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 THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2021 100% · 2022 100% · 2023 96% — 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.
Where its funders are
99% of THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC'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 $15k that is directly attributable, 100% of it comes from funders outside Montana, across 2 states.
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $1.4M arriving through sponsors registered in 9 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
THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 119 religion nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 119 religion nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2025
Organizations like THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC
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
93% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
84%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Part of a family of 2 related entities
- Legendary Holdings LLC · disregarded
- Fdoh Mission Advancement LLC · disregarded
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC: 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 THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC?
- THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC (Montana) receives grants from 13 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,409,047 to it, the largest being THE AYCO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ($666,668). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 99% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC have?
- IRS filings report 13 organizations giving $1,409,047 in grants to THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC, 5 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC?
- THE AYCO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $666,668 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF HELENA INC 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 FY2025 (financials across 2018–2025), and the filings of 13 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 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing