Montana Land Reliance
“Protect Montana’s agricultural lands, forest lands, and open spaces.”
1,015 conservation easements held, 94 cents of every dollar to the work.
The work
What they do
Largest land trust in Montana. Conservation easements on working lands adjacent to national forests and other federal lands. Protects wildlife habitat and connectivity.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “The mission of the Montana Land Reliance (mlr) is to partner with landowners to provide permanent protection for private lands that are significant for agricultural production, fish and wildlife habitat, and open space.” as filed.
Where the money went, FY2024
The work, and what it cost
Land Projects
$20.0M, 86% of spendingMlr worked with numerous landowners in 2024 to permanently protect private lands for continued agricultural production, open space, and natural habitat.
Read it as they filed it
LAND PROJECTS: MLR WORKED WITH NUMEROUS LANDOWNERS IN 2024 TO PERMANENTLY PROTECT PRIVATE LANDS FOR CONTINUED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL HABITAT. THIRTY NEW CONSERVATION EASEMENTS WERE COMPLETED BY MLR IN 2024 THAT PROTECTED, IN PERPETUITY, APPROXIMATELY 68,799 ACRES. MLR HAS PROTECTED A TOTAL OF 1,388,496 ACRES OF AGRICULTURAL/RECREATIONAL LANDS IN MONTANA. THAT ACREAGE INCLUDES 350,697 ACRES IN THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM; 21,570 ACRES IN THE NORTHERN CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ECOSYSTEM; 232,027 ACRES OF CROP/HAY/PASTURE LANDS; 1,156,469 ACRES OF RANGE AND FOREST LANDS; 658,630 ACRES OF ELK HABITAT; AND OVER 49,522 ACRES OF WETLANDS. OVER 2,038 MILES OF STREAM FRONTAGE HAVE BEEN PROTECTED BY EASEMENTS HELD BY MLR TO DATE.
IRS Form 990 Part III for fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Education and Outreach Activities
$948K, 4% of spendingMlr staff travel across the state of Montana conducting meetings with potential clients, county planning boards, county commissioners, various agricultural groups/organizations, and other community groups to provide…
Including $483,084 granted onward, most of it ($247,973) to Montana Land Reliance Foundation.
Read it as they filed it
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES: MLR STAFF TRAVEL ACROSS THE STATE OF MONTANA CONDUCTING MEETINGS WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS, COUNTY PLANNING BOARDS, COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, VARIOUS AGRICULTURAL GROUPS/ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS TO PROVIDE ANSWERS TO THEIR QUESTIONS AND TO CONDUCT GENERAL EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOCUSED ON THE BENEFITS OF LAND CONSERVATION AND CONSERVATION EASEMENTS. FOR THESE OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, MLR PUBLISHES VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL BROCHURES AND AN ANNUAL REPORT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND ENHANCE THE TRANSPARENCY OF ITS PUBLIC INTEREST ACTIVITIES. ADDITIONALLY, STAFF PARTICIPATE WITH NUMEROUS CONSERVATION GROUPS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE LAND TRUST COMMUNITY'S CONSERVATION EFFORTS. IN 2024, MLR GRANTED $26,250 TO THE RUBY HABITAT FOUNDATION FOR OUTREACH USE, AND 456,834 TO THE MONTANA ASSOCIATION OF LAND TRUSTS AND ITS FISCAL SPONSOR HEART OF THE ROCKIES INITIATIVE FOR STRATEGIC COLLABORATION OF MONTANA LAND TRUSTS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT NATURAL, ECONOMIC, AND AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
IRS Form 990 Part III for fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Stewardship and Monitoring
$903K, 4% of spendingMlr stewardship staff monitor each property on which mlr holds a conservation easement.
Including $247,973 granted onward.
Read it as they filed it
STEWARDSHIP AND MONITORING: MLR STEWARDSHIP STAFF MONITOR EACH PROPERTY ON WHICH MLR HOLDS A CONSERVATION EASEMENT. STEWARDSHIP/MONITORING ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY STAFF INVOLVES VISITING OR VIEWING AERIAL PHOTOS OF EACH EASEMENT PROPERTY ON AN ANNUAL BASIS TO ENSURE THAT THE TERMS OF THE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS ARE BEING UPHELD. THE STEWARDSHIP STAFF ALSO WORKS WITH EXISTING EASEMENT HOLDERS TO SUPPLY NATURAL RESOURCE INFORMATION FOR THE LANDOWNER TO IMPROVE THEIR LAND HOLDINGS FOR CONSERVATION PURPOSES. STEWARDSHIP STAFF WORKS WITH LEGAL COUNSEL IN REGARD TO ANY POTENTIAL ISSUES THAT ARISE REGARDING INTERPRETATION OR ENFORCEMENT OF CONSERVATION EASEMENTS HELD BY MLR. IN 2024, MLR GRANTED $247,973 TO THE MONTANA LAND RELIANCE FOUNDATION INC., TO BE INVESTED INTO THE LAND PROTECTION FUND TO COVER STEWARDSHIP AND MONITORING EXPENDITURES.
IRS Form 990 Part III for fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
94 cents of every dollar goes to the work
A good sign, not a scorecard: what matters is the extremes, and this is nowhere near one.
$21,839,562 programs, $1,054,791 management, $303,540 fundraising. Form 990, FY2024.
The backers
Backed, each with its source, by Montana Community Foundation, Fanwood Foundation, Conservation Fund A Nonprofit Corporation and 8 others, latest filing FY25.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. If it’s out of date, tell us. Work at Montana Land Reliance? Claim this page.
Those 27 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If Montana Land Reliance is holding your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Find your way inThe filings
15 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year as filed. Point at or tap the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $1,659,920 |
| 2011 | $2,191,526 |
| 2012 | $4,451,858 |
| 2013 | $1,862,410 |
| 2014 | $2,863,095 |
| 2015 | $3,205,219 |
| 2016 | $6,811,779 |
| 2017 | $5,761,283 |
| 2018 | $4,636,398 |
| 2019 | $12,380,957 |
| 2020 | $7,515,997 |
| 2021 | $21,937,428 |
| 2022 | $13,399,553 |
| 2023 | $37,886,901 |
| 2024 | $26,137,405 |
From $1.7M in 2010 to $26.1M in FY24, with no missed filing in 15 years. 2023, at $37.9M, stands well above the other years on file.
The returns as e-filed with the IRS, 3 years:
- FY2024Download the return
- FY2023Download the return
- FY2022Download the return
Source: IRS Form 990 e-file data, each return by its IRS object id, served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. A year in the chart without a link here is read from a later return’s own history table; its return is on ProPublica’s page for the group.
Their ground
The land they hold
As filed on Schedule D of the FY2024 return. An easement is a permanent deed restriction the trust must monitor and defend, 13,125 staff hours of it last year.
Montana Land Reliance is not on our editors’ record for a threatened place yet. See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
Montana Land Reliance files 2 related organizations on its return: Ruby Habitat Foundation (501(c)(3)) and Montana Land Reliance Foundation (501(c)(3)). A related organization shares people or purpose; it does not share the books.
The Montana congressional delegation averages 3 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
Straight to their own donation page. Your dollar never passes through us.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗FollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with Montana Land Reliance
The mission is theirs. The backing is yours.