Grant FAQ

We fund tax-exempt public charities (as qualified by the IRS) and fiscally sponsored organizations that align with our mission, vision, and values.  

Our funding focuses on nonprofits working alongside families most impacted by health disparities* within the Flathead Nation 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. 

*Families with children (0-18) living below 200% of the federal poverty level, Indigenous, Black, and other communities of color, and families with children with disabilities or who identify as LGBTQ+. 

At Headwaters Foundation, we envision a Western Montana where everyone – especially those facing the greatest barriers, can live healthy lives. While this vision encompasses diverse solutions, some activities fall outside our funding scope. We currently do not fund: 

• Individuals 
• Endowments 
• Capital campaigns 
• Event sponsorships (but GO! Grants may cover fundraising/event expenses) 
• Direct lobbying 
• Debt retirement, operating deficits or after-the-fact support 
• Basic biomedical research, drug therapies, or devices 
• Public, private or parochial education institutions or their foundations, except for programs aligning with our priorities that are not standard educational services 
• Organizations or projects that unlawfully discriminate in employment, services, or program delivery based on age, sex, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, military or veteran status, pregnancy, or genetic information 
• Activities or organizations inconsistent with Headwaters Foundation’s mission, vision, values or Strategic Framework. 

In addition to the general eligibility requirements above:

• Must primarily serve areas outside Western Montana’s urban centers of Missoula, Kalispell, Butte and Helena.
• Must have operated for at least two years.
• Operating budgets must be under $1 million (excluding schools).
• Hospitals and community foundations are eligible only if they act as a fiscal sponsor for an aligned organization or are the sole provider of aligned services in their region.
• We generally do not fund intermediary organizations, professional associations, or university programs (including extension offices).
• We are unable to fund organizations that encourage participation in religious teachings to access services.

To apply for a GO! Grant:

At Headwaters Foundation, we keep grant applications simple so you can focus more on your mission and less on paperwork.

First-time applicants: First, register in our grants portal. Once registered, complete your organization and personal profile before accessing the GO! Grant application.

Returning applicants: Organizations can apply once every 12 months. If you currently have a GO! Grant, make sure your final report or end-of-grant conversation is complete before submitting a new application. When you’re ready to reapply, log in and follow the instructions. If you need help accessing your account, email us at grants@headwatersmt.org.

Funding decisions are typically made within two weeks of submission.

Questions?

Email us at grants@headwatersmt.org.

Think your work aligns with the goals of the Family Power Fund? We’d love to hear from you!

Email us at grants@headwatersmt.org with a brief description of your work and how it connects to improving health in Montana.

If it’s a strong fit, we’ll reach out within three weeks to schedule a conversation with a Resource Partner. This will be an opportunity to share more about your mission, goals, the communities you serve, and your organization’s governance structure.

Based on that conversation, the Resource Partner may invite you to submit a short application for consideration in an upcoming grant cycle or provide feedback if your work isn’t the right fit. Grant applications are typically reviewed three times per year (May, August, and November in 2025), with decisions made within 2–3 weeks of each review date. Approved grants are paid out within one month of the decision.

Through this partnership, our team works directly with Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to identify health priorities and support aligned programs and projects. As this work is guided by the Tribe’s leadership, the program is not open to inquiries. 

At Headwaters, we focus on relationship-based reporting. For Family Power Fund and CSKT Partnership Fund grants, we stay in touch throughout the grant period through regular check-ins and conversations. These conversations help us learn from each other and adapt to any changes in your work. At the end of the grant, we’ll reach out to reflect together—either in a final conversation or through a story-based update.

For GO! Grant recipients, a short final report is required at the end of the grant. You’ll receive a reminder through your grants portal, and the report is due one month after the grant end date. You can submit it early, but we ask that most of the funds be spent before you do. Once we have reviewed the report and closed out the grant, your organization is eligible to reapply.

We encourage grantee partners to reach out to us any time with questions, concerns, or ideas.