Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in 1996, that mobilizes volunteers to maintain trails, control invasive species, and deliver education across the 1.6-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in Montana, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersHungry Horse, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation does
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation (BMWF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1996 in Hungry Horse, Montana, to address the erosion of trails in the 1.6-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex following 40% cuts to U.S. Forest Service budgets. By 1996, only 1,900 of the original 2,500 miles of trails remained; today, BMWF has cleared and maintained over 10,000 miles cumulatively through volunteer-led trail work, invasive species control, and restoration of heavily used areas and historic structures. The organization operates under a formal partnership with the U.S. Forest Service across five ranger districts within three National Forests (Flathead, Lolo, and Lewis & Clark), and coordinates all crew leadership, food, packing support, and project reporting for its volunteer projects.
BMWF's core service offerings are Volunteer Adventures (1–10 day backcountry stewardship trips), Wilderness Internships and Packer Apprenticeships (career-pathway programs), and Wilderness Education (including a 2023–2028 Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex Education Plan). Supporting programs include the Artist Wilderness Connection residency, Gear Library, Great Bear Trail Posse, Trailhead Ambassador, and Solitude Monitoring citizen-science initiative. The organization is supported by a small core staff of approximately seven full-time employees plus 20+ seasonal crew members and apprentices, and an 18-member board. Technology infrastructure is minimal: the foundation runs on Squarespace for its public website and NeonCRM for donor management, event registration, and ticketing.
Revenue is generated through a diversified non-profit model: individual donations (including a monthly giving program and The Bob Squad membership offering newsletters and early trip access), corporate sponsorships via the Business Partner Program (with named tiers including a top Bob Marshall-level anchor such as Whitefish Credit Union), annual event revenue (most notably the BobFest gala with $40 tickets and $1,000–$2,500 table sponsorships), a Montana specialty license plate program routed through MVD Montana, and planned-giving vehicles (charitable remainder trusts and an endowment managed by the Whitefish Community Foundation). Volunteer program deposits are nominal ($75 refundable per participant, with discount codes for students and indigenous participants) and function as commitment devices rather than revenue drivers.
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
- Legal name
- Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
- Website
- https://bmwf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, founded in 1996, that mobilizes volunteers to maintain trails, control invasive species, and deliver education across the 1.6-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in Montana, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)
Keywords
Where Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hungry Horse
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting Active Wilderness Stewardship. Donors receive membership in The Bob Squad with email updates and two print newsletters per year. Monthly giving program available.
- Business Partnerships/Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide essential general operations funding at various levels (Bob Marshall-level being the top tier). Partners like Whitefish Credit Union provide annual support.
- BobFest Annual Fundraiser: Annual gala featuring live music, food, drinks, raffles, silent and live auctions. Ticket sales at $40 each with table sponsorship options at $1,000 and $2,500.
- License Plate Program: Montana vehicle registration fee portion supports the foundation's wilderness stewardship work through MVD Montana.
- Planned Giving/Endowments: Charitable remainder trusts, endowment donations invested with Whitefish Community Foundation, and legacy gifts create long-term funding sustainability.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Volunteer Adventure Deposit |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Partner Group Deposit |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | BobFest Ticket |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Women's Packing Clinic |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Giving Program |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation organizes volunteer-driven wilderness stewardship across the 1.6-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in Montana, delivering trail maintenance, invasive species control, camp restoration, and historic structure preservation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. It also offers paid training programs such as Wilderness Internships, Packer Apprenticeships, and the Women's Packing Clinic, and supplements these with educational and community events like BobFest, Mountainfilm on Tour, and the Wilderness Speaker Series.
Product overview
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation operates a coordinated portfolio of wilderness stewardship programs centered on volunteer engagement and conservation education. The core offerings include Volunteer Adventures (guided wilderness service trips), Wilderness Internships (career development programs), and Packer Apprenticeships (traditional skills training). Supporting programs include the Artist Wilderness Connection (artist residencies), Gear Library (equipment lending), Trailhead Ambassador and Solitude Monitoring programs (citizen science), and the Great Bear Trail Posse (independent volunteer maintenance). The Foundation also hosts signature events including The BobFest (annual fundraiser), Women's Packing Clinic, Wilderness Speaker Series, and Mountainfilm on Tour. Business Partner and Planned Giving programs provide institutional funding streams.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000 miles of trail cleared and maintained since 1997
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- U.S. Forest ServicecorePrimary partner in all wilderness stewardship work. BMWF works with five ranger districts within three National Forests (Flathead, Lolo, Lewis & Clark) who manage the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Foundation coordinates crew leadership, volunteers, food, pack support, and reports accomplishments back to Forest Service. Formal partnership established in 1996 when USFS and citizens came together to address trail loss.
- One Percent for the PlanetminorNonprofit partner allowing Bedrock Sandals to direct 1% of sales to BMWF through their membership.
- Two Bear Air Rescueminor2026 business partner providing emergency rescue services in the region.
- Flathead National ForestcoreOne of three National Forests managing the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Hosts multiple ranger districts involved in BMWF projects.
- Hockaday Museum of ArtminorCollaborative partner in the Artist Wilderness Connection program that places artists in remote Forest Service cabins.
- Swan Valley ConnectionsminorCollaborative partner in the Artist Wilderness Connection program.
- Montana Conservation CorpsminorPartner organization where Executive Director Caleb Stewart served as crew member and leader. Similar mission of youth conservation corps.
- Backcountry HorsemenminorFounded in 1973 to support wilderness trail work and horse packing. Provides volunteer trail work and packing support for BMWF projects.
- University of Montana Institute for Tourism & Recreation ResearchminorBMWF assists with approved visitor monitoring research projects through Tourism Advisory Council, engaging volunteers in data collection.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sierra Club: One of the largest and oldest U.S. environmental nonprofits, with active wilderness advocacy and outings programs. Broad incumbent: BMWF lists Sierra Club as a partner organization, but Sierra Club operates nationally across many issue areas while BMWF is a focused single-region stewardship nonprofit.
Direct peers
- Pacific Crest Trail Association: National nonprofit that maintains and protects the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail through volunteer labor. Direct peer: most operationally similar organization to BMWF in scale, model, and funding approach (volunteer trail crews, individual donors, business partners, federal land agency partnership, education programs).
- The Mountaineers: Pacific Northwest outdoor education and conservation nonprofit with volunteer-led trips, courses, and trail stewardship. Direct peer: similar combination of volunteer trip leadership, education programs, gear library, and member-supported conservation work on federal lands.
- Appalachian Mountain Club: Northeast-based outdoor recreation and conservation nonprofit maintaining trails and huts. Direct peer: comparable membership-based model, volunteer trail maintenance crews, conservation education programs, and donor-supported stewardship of public lands.
- American Hiking Society: National nonprofit that advocates for trails and runs National Trails Day and volunteer vacation programs. Direct peer: BMWF lists AHS as a partner organization, and both run multi-day volunteer stewardship trips, advocate for federal trail funding, and engage individual donors nationally.
- National Park Trust: National nonprofit completing land acquisition and youth engagement projects for national parks and federal lands. Direct peer: aligned mission of preserving and improving access to federal public lands through grantmaking, youth programs, and federal partnership.
- Montana Conservation Corps: Montana-based youth conservation corps focused on trail building, habitat restoration, and invasive species work. Direct peer: BMWF's Executive Director Caleb Stewart came from MCC, both organizations share crew-based volunteer models, partner with USFS in Montana, and run internship-style career pathway programs.
- Student Conservation Association: National nonprofit placing young adults in conservation internships and crew-based stewardship projects on public lands. Direct peer: closely aligned with BMWF's Wilderness Internships and apprenticeship model, USFS partnership, and crew-leader protocols for young adult conservation service.
- Montana Wilderness Association: Statewide Montana nonprofit advocating for and stewarding wilderness, including the Bob Marshall Complex. Direct peer: both are Montana-anchored 501(c)(3) conservation nonprofits with overlapping member bases, USFS partnerships, and shared focus on the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
- Backcountry Horsemen of America: National organization of horseback riders who maintain trails and packing infrastructure on public lands. Direct peer: named BMWF partner, provides volunteer trail work and packing support; both organizations rely on horse/mule logistics for remote wilderness stewardship.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceBob Marshall Wilderness Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
What does Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation do?
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation organizes volunteer-driven wilderness stewardship across the 1.6-million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in Montana, delivering trail maintenance, invasive species control, camp restoration, and historic structure preservation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. It also offers paid training programs such as Wilderness Internships, Packer Apprenticeships, and the Women's Packing Clinic, and supplements these with educational and community events like BobFest, Mountainfilm on Tour, and the Wilderness Speaker Series.
Is Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation a public or private company?
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation founded?
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation based?
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is headquartered in Hungry Horse, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are business Partnerships/Sponsorships, bobFest Annual Fundraiser, license Plate Program and planned Giving/Endowments.
Who are Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation's main competitors?
Sierra Club is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Pacific Crest Trail Association, The Mountaineers, Appalachian Mountain Club, American Hiking Society, National Park Trust, Montana Conservation Corps, Student Conservation Association, Montana Wilderness Association and Backcountry Horsemen of America.
Does Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation.
What industry is Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAD, Forestry & Reforestation. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 8600.