The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $6.5 million in support of nonprofits in Montana.

The Blank Family Foundation has supported nonprofits in Montana since 2001, when the foundation’s chairman, Arthur M. Blank, purchased Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Emigrant. This year, the foundation granted more than $2.9 million to nonprofits in support of new giving areas, including more than $1.7 million through its youth development portfolio, which aims to connect young people in Montana to economic mobility; $706,000 from the foundation’s environment portfolio, and $500,000 through its mental health and well-being portfolio with a grant to the Montana Community Foundation for Funders for Thriving Communities. The foundation also awarded $2.7 million from its Founder Initiatives portfolio, including a $1.4 million grant to the Montana Historical Society for the new Montana Heritage Center.

Another $875,000 of the grants are from the AMB West Community Fund, which comprises a group of associates from across Blank’s four ranches in Montana who collectively recommend grants intended to enhance the quality of life for residents of Montana, particularly in Park and Gallatin counties and Indigenous communities across the state. In addition, $375,000 was awarded from the Veterans Community Fund, which helps veterans realize their full potential, especially those who bear the toll of the visible and invisible wounds of war.

“We are pleased to expand our giving in Montana to include these new areas of focus,” said Blank Family Foundation president Fay Twersky. “We will continue to invest locally in Park and Gallatin counties, while also looking for opportunities to have state-wide or regional impact across the Intermountain West. We look forward to working with nonprofit partners and other funders to make a positive difference in the lives of Montana residents.”

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