What Headwaters Foundation does

Headwaters Foundation is an independent private nonprofit foundation headquartered at 119 West Main Street in Missoula, Montana, created in 2016 to steward the proceeds from the sale of Community Medical Center. The foundation operates exclusively within a fixed geographic remit covering the Flathead Reservation and Montana's 15 westernmost counties (Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Flathead, Granite, Jefferson, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli, Sanders, Silver Bow, and Powell). In 2025, the foundation distributed $7.1 million across 157 grants to 142 nonprofit partner organizations, funding work that addresses health disparities for families facing barriers due to income, race, disability, geography, or LGBTQ+ identity.

The foundation's core product portfolio consists of three grant programs and a community venue: the Family Power Fund (multi-tiered grants up to $150,000 for organizations building family leadership and driving health policy advocacy), GO! Grants ($8,500 fixed quick-turnaround general operating support for rural nonprofits), and the CSKT Partnership Fund (sovereign-to-sovereign grantmaking with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes). It also operates the Confluence Center, a free nonprofit event space in downtown Missoula. Grants and reporting are administered through the SmartSimple cloud-based grants management portal. The foundation practices trust-based philanthropy, offering unrestricted multi-year funding, simplified application processes, and non-monetary support (technical assistance, coaching, convening, storytelling, research) as core to its model.

Commercially, the foundation is funded by an endowment rather than fee-for-service revenue; it does not charge for grants or venue usage. Revenue model is best characterized as a spend-down/payout endowment with an annual grants-distribution target. Distribution occurs through three annual funding cycles targeted at tax-exempt public charities and fiscally sponsored organizations in its service area. The foundation employs 11–12 staff led by CEO Carly Hare and is governed by a Board of Trustees with deep expertise in tribal sovereignty, healthcare, and nonprofit law. It is a founding member of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project and has produced an AI Framework in partnership with Namaste Data, but has no commercial product lines, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Name

Headwaters Foundation

Legal name

Headwaters Foundation

Website

https://headwatersmt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Headwaters Foundation is an endowed nonprofit foundation based in Missoula, Montana that distributed $7.1M in 2025 to 142 nonprofit partners across Western Montana and the Flathead Reservation to address health disparities through trust-based philanthropy and community-led grantmaking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Community foundation grants
• Trust-based philanthropy
• Health equity funding
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Foundation grant programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking from Foundation Endowment: Headwaters Foundation distributes grants from its endowment to nonprofits working to improve health outcomes for families in Western Montana. The foundation was created in 2016 from the sale of Community Medical Center and deploys funds through various grant programs including Family Power Fund, GO! Grants, and CSKT Partnership Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Headwaters Foundation is a nonprofit community foundation that channels endowment proceeds into unrestricted, multi-year grants for nonprofit organizations in Western Montana working to advance health equity. It operates named grant programs — Family Power Fund, GO! Grants, and the CSKT Partnership Fund — and runs Confluence Center, a free community event space in Missoula.

Product overview

Headwaters Foundation operates as a philanthropic organization offering a portfolio of grant programs and a community event venue. The core offerings include the Family Power Fund (multi-year grants for advocacy and organizing), GO! Grants (quick-turnaround rural nonprofit support), and CSKT Partnership Fund (tribal health collaboration). The organization also operates Confluence Center, a free nonprofit event space in downtown Missoula. All programs are managed through the SmartSimple grants portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Family Power Fund: Grant program supporting nonprofits that develop and engage leaders, drive advocacy for health-related policies, and amplify stories that reveal health challenges and inspire solutions.
• CSKT Partnership Fund
• GO! Grants

Products and services

• Family Power Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed $7.1M in grants to 142 partners in 2025 alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Montana Partnership to End Childhood HungercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Collaborative partnership to support community film project highlighting creative solutions to childhood hunger across Montana. The project produced six short films featuring school food leaders, farmers, and community members working in communities like Polson, Fairview, Hinsdale, Conrad, Arlee, and Pablo to address food insecurity.
• Stories for ActionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partnered to produce community film project on childhood hunger solutions, supporting storytelling efforts that elevate community voices and shift public understanding of food access issues.
• Namaste Data (Meena Das)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Partnered on AI Playground initiative - a six-month program helping Headwaters build its own values-based approach to artificial intelligence. Resulted in Headwaters' AI Framework documenting how AI use aligns with organizational values.
• UM Center for Children, Families, and Workforce DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped data briefs focused on five areas where health disparities show up in Montana: youth mental health, social inclusion and belonging, housing, food security, and early care and education. Partnership provides shared language and evidence to support conversations with policymakers and community collaborators.
• Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep partnership with CSKT through CSKT Partnership Fund reflecting respect for Tribal sovereignty. Works directly with Tribal Council to support their health goals on the Flathead Nation. Consults with culture committees on priorities.
• Torrents ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrings arts programming to Confluence Center including visual art exhibitions, performances, and community events like First Fridays. Aims to amplify voices from underrepresented communities and make art part of conversations about health, community, and change.
• Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP)minorOthersConducted Grantee Perception Report survey to gather feedback on foundation practices and partnership quality. Results help Headwaters improve as a funder and strengthen relationships with grantee partners.
• CHANGE PhilanthropycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHeadwaters signed on to CHANGE Philanthropy's Level Up Campaign, joining fellow grantmakers who are leading with action, moving money where it matters most, and sharing their receipts for accountability.
• Funders for Montana's ChildrencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative group of Montana funders working to identify ways to coordinate more effectively and support children and families across the state. Addresses grantee feedback about need for funder collaboration.
• Trust-Based Philanthropy ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeadwaters is a founding member of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project which explores values and practices that democratize philanthropy. The project supports foundations in shifting conventional power dynamics.
• Montana Nonprofit AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborated to spotlight and respond to federal funding cuts affecting Montana nonprofits. Worked together to bring additional resources into the state.
• PerryUndemminorOthersNonpartisan research firm conducted focus groups in Montana and national survey including Montana voters to understand challenges facing young families and support for government programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rasmuson Foundation: A major Alaska-based grantmaking foundation with comparable focus on health, community development, and rural/Indigenous populations. Shares Headwaters' emphasis on trust-based philanthropy and place-based strategy.
• The Denver Foundation: A Western U.S. community foundation with comparable asset base, place-based strategy, and commitment to community-led philanthropy. Uses similar trust-based grantmaking practices and serves diverse urban and rural populations.
• Montana Community Foundation: Montana's statewide community foundation with similar grantmaking focus across the state. Operates comparable donor-advised funds, community grant programs, and rural Montana health and family initiatives, making it the closest peer to Headwaters.
• M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust: Pacific Northwest regional foundation funding health, education, and community-capacity-building in similar rural geographies. Operates comparable multi-year, capacity-building grants to nonprofits.

Broad incumbents

• Colorado Health Foundation: A larger state health-focused foundation where Headwaters CEO previously held a leadership role. Shares a health-equity mission and rural/underserved population focus, making it comparable at a different scale.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The largest U.S. health-focused philanthropy with overlapping interests in health disparities, family wellbeing, and rural health. Several Headwaters board members previously worked at RWJF, indicating strong sectoral alignment.

Emerging players

• Trust-Based Philanthropy Project: An advocacy and peer-learning network of which Headwaters is a founding member. Comparable as a movement-builder in the philanthropic sector focused on shifting funder-grantee power dynamics.
• Native Americans in Philanthropy: A field-building organization advancing Indigenous-led philanthropy where Headwaters CEO previously worked. Overlaps on tribal partnership models and trust-based grantmaking for Native communities.
• Philanthropy Northwest: A regional association of funders in the Pacific Northwest where Headwaters' Senior Program Director sits on the board. Comparable as an ecosystem-builder aligning funders across Western states.
• CHANGE Philanthropy: A coalition of grantmakers where Headwaters CEO previously worked and that Headwaters is publicly affiliated with via the Level Up Campaign. Operates at the intersection of philanthropy, equity, and community power-building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/headwatersmt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/headwatersmt
• Instagraminstagram.com/headwatersmt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Headwaters Foundation