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Key people at High Stakes Foundation.
High Stakes Foundation operates as a philanthropic organization, providing grant funding to visionary individuals and groups dedicated to fostering positive systemic change. It strategically invests in areas such as civic engagement, climate action, conservation, leadership, local food systems, social justice, and sustainability. The foundation’s core mechanism is supporting initiatives that build a more resilient and equitable future for the state of Montana.
The foundation was established in 2007 by Mary Stranahan. Her inspiration for creating the organization arose from an experience at a "Play Big Conference" in 2006, which solidified her commitment to empowering significant societal and environmental advancements. This insight catalyzed her decision to formalize a structure for targeted philanthropic endeavors.
High Stakes Foundation primarily serves non-profit organizations and innovative leaders operating within Montana. Its overarching mission is to cultivate a vibrant, informed democracy while promoting environmental stewardship and social equity. The foundation envisions a future where communities are empowered to drive meaningful, sustainable change within their local and broader ecosystems.
Key people at High Stakes Foundation.
The High Stakes Foundation (HSF) is a private nonprofit foundation based in Missoula, Montana, focused on granting funds to 501(c)(3) organizations driving systems change in the state.[1][2][3] With assets around $1.1 million, it supports visionary nonprofits through grants typically ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 (up to 10% of a grantee's general operating budget) and program-related investments, prioritizing general operating expenses for work in civic engagement, climate change, conservation, economic development, leadership, local food systems, social justice, and sustainability.[1][3][4] Its mission emphasizes making Montana more equitable, sustainable, and resilient by backing solutions to pressing issues, with a preference for multi-year funding but a cap at five consecutive years to encourage diversified support.[2][3]
HSF impacts Montana's nonprofit ecosystem by enabling change-makers to scale operations without restrictive project-specific funding, fostering long-term resilience in rural and environmental sectors.[2][3]
High Stakes Foundation operates from Missoula, MT, as a private foundation with a focus on Montana-specific philanthropy, though exact founding year and key partners are not detailed in public records.[1][3] Its evolution centers on grant-making and program-related investments for nonprofits addressing state challenges, as evidenced by its support for organizations like Forward Montana Foundation.[2] Financial snapshots show variable revenue (e.g., $73k to $2M) and expenses around $2M in recent years, reflecting episodic large contributions funding its $1.1M asset base.[1][8] This backstory positions HSF as a steady, place-based supporter of Montana's social and environmental infrastructure.
While not directly a tech entity, HSF plays an indirect role in Montana's emerging tech and innovation ecosystem by fueling rural economic development, leadership training, and sustainability initiatives that underpin tech-adjacent growth like agritech (local food systems), climate tech, and civic tech for remote communities.[3][4] It rides trends in place-based philanthropy amid climate urgency and rural revitalization, where market forces like federal infrastructure funds and ESG investing favor resilient local systems.[2] By supporting conservation and economic opportunity, HSF influences Montana's tech landscape—home to growing hubs in Bozeman and Missoula—enabling startups in sustainability and agtech to thrive via nonprofit partners.[3]
HSF's nimble, operating-focused granting positions it to expand influence as Montana grapples with climate migration, rural tech adoption, and equity gaps, potentially scaling via larger program-related investments in impact ventures.[3] Trends like federal climate funding and AI-driven sustainability tools will amplify its grantees, evolving HSF from regional grantor to catalyst for Montana's equitable tech ecosystem. Watch for deeper ties to emerging cleantech and food system innovators, sustaining its legacy of high-impact, visionary support.[2][4]
