About Us

The MHCF Board of Trustees ensures that the operations and programming of the Foundation are carried out in a manner that is consistent with the purpose of the trust. Using their knowledge of the state and expertise in a range of disciplines, Trustees establish the Foundation’s policies, goals, and strategy; monitor the success of its programming; and develop and oversee implementation of its investment policies.

The MHCF Trust is managed so that the Foundation will serve as a permanent resource for Montana’s health. Grants and other activities that support MHCF’s purpose, are funded based on the annual income of trust investments. This is consistent with IRS regulations which require that private foundations use 5% of the value of their restricted assets for grants and related activities each year.

To create our first strategic plan, we consulted with many stakeholders, reviewed extensive research and state health data, and carried out an extensive strategic planning process to identify the important health issues in Montana. The 2015 Strategic Plan describes this process and our initial approach to developing our programming.

The Foundation makes major investments in each focus area, however, it does not have a specific, predetermined amount of grant dollars allocated to each area. Rather, the allocation of grant dollars is based on the number, quality, and need demonstrated by the proposals we receive. We seek to support a range of projects across the state and across each focus area. Recognizing that preparing high-quality grant applications may be more difficult for smaller communities and organizations that lack staff and resources, we may give preference to proposals based on their contribution to the overall diversity and balance of our portfolio, and to proposals from communities with the greatest demonstrated need.