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MONTANA FREE PRESS

EIN 47-5237719 HELENA, MT

Revenue 2025
$3,308,425
Expenses 2025
$2,819,772

Program services were 75.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

As filed

Subsection
03
NTEE code
A33
Classification
1200
Street
PO BOX 1425

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Mission and programs · 2025

Mission

OUR MISSION: OUR MISSION IS TO PRODUCE IN-DEPTH PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM COVERINGSTATE AND COMMUNITY ISSUES RELEVANT TO MONTANANS.OUR VISION: ALL MONTANANS HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY JOURNALISM THAT CREATESPOSITIVE CHANGE AND HELPS MOVE SOCIETY TOWARD JUSTICE AND EQUITY.

Activities or mission (Part I)

MONTANA FREE PRESS IS AN INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT, READER-SUPPORTED NEWSROOM THATPROVIDES HIGH QUALITY, IN-DEPTH AND DATA-INFORMED NEWS, INFORMATION, AND ANALYSIS TOALL FREE OF CHARGE.WE BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM HAS THE CAPACITY TO CATALYZE POSITIVESOCIAL CHANGE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE FREE ACCESS TO INFORMATION IS THE TINDER TO IGNITEACTION. WE ENVISION A FUTURE FOR OUR STATE WITH EQUITABLE ACCESS TO CLEAN AIR AND AHEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION, AFFORDABLE HOMES, SUSTAINABLE ECONOMICGROWTH, AND ABOVE ALL, ACCESS TO NONPARTISAN INFORMATION THAT ALLOWS MONTANANS TO BEENGAGED CITIZENS. WE DONT TELL OUR READERS HOW TO THINK; RATHER, WE PROVIDE THEM WITH NONPARTISAN FACTS AND ANALYSIS TO FORM THEIR OWN OPINIONS AND ACTIONS.WE HOLD THOSE IN POWER ACCOUNTABLE WHILE STRIVING TO MOVE MONTANAS NEEDLE TOWARD AJUST AND EQUITABLE DEMOCRACY. IN A SEA OF ADVERTISING REVENUE-DRIVEN NEWSROOMS, MTFPIS AN INNOVATIVE LEADER IN THE NEWS INDUSTRY, COMMITTED TO OPERATING UNDER A NONPROF

  • PROGRAM: EDITORIALMTFP SEEKS TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH AND BRING TO LIGHT ESSENTIAL NEWS STORIES BY INVESTIGATING GOVERNMENT, POLICY AND COMMUNITY ISSUES, ANALYZING DATA AND PUBLIC RECORDS, AND HOLDING THOSE IN POWER ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE. WE WORK INDEPENDENTLY AND IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER NEWS OUTLETS AROUND MONTANA TO PRODUCE IN-DEPTH, PUBLIC-SERVICE JOURNALISM INCLUDING STATEWIDE AND LOCAL REPORTING THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE.

    Expenses $1,587,053

  • PROGRAM: AUDIENCEONE OF MTFPS KEY GOALS IS TO PRODUCE ACCOUNTABILITY AND PUBLIC-SERVICE JOURNALISM THAT FILLS THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF MONTANANS, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS UNDERSERVED BY LOCAL NEWS. TO MEET THESE NEEDS, WE PRIORITIZE BROAD DISTRIBUTION OF OUR FREE CONTENT THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, NEWSLETTERS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AUDIO PROGRAMMING, LIVE EVENTS, AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH NEWS OUTLETS ACROSS THE STATE, WHICH ARE ABLE TO REPUBLISH OUR WORK AT NO COST. WE CONTINUE TO EXPLORE AND IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE WAYS OF DELIVERING NEWS THAT MEET MONTANANS WHEREVER THEY ARE ONLINE, ON MOBILE, THROUGH EMAIL, BROADCAST, AND IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

    Expenses $349,083

  • PROGRAM: SPECIAL PROJECTS MTFP launched and expanded several strategic initiatives designed to strengthen civic engagement, improve access to trusted local journalism and better understand the information needs of Montanans. During the year, Special Projects included the Montana Insights public opinion research initiative, expansion of MTFP Local reporting into Billings, and participation in Local News Day, a national effort to increase awareness of and support for local journalism. These initiatives complement Montana Free Press' core reporting mission by providing original public-interest research, expanding local reporting capacity and engaging communities around the importance of independent journalism.

    Expenses $200,784

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Officers and directors · 2025

As listed in Part VII of the 2025 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

  • JOHN ADAMS

    Executive Dir.

    Total calculated
    $122,043
    From this org
    $122,043
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • MARK HUBER

    Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • HEATHER DIETRICK

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • ANNE AVIS

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • SUSAN FOX

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • SKYLAR BROWNING

    President

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • ALEXIS BONOGOFSKY

    Secretary

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • TRESA SMITH

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • JASON BEGAY

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • MIKE DENNISON

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

  • 2025
    Revenue
    $3,308,425
    Expenses
    $2,819,772
    Contributions
    $3,291,853
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2024
    Revenue
    $2,151,666
    Expenses
    $1,926,060
    Contributions
    $2,129,649
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2023
    Revenue
    $1,305,049
    Expenses
    $1,470,356
    Contributions
    $1,281,919
    Grants paid
    $0
  • 2022
    Revenue
    $1,079,434
    Expenses
    $1,253,412
    Contributions
    $1,051,089
    Grants paid
    $0

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

  • 2021 · 990

    Revenue
    $925,213
    Expenses
    $936,289
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,395,111

  • 2020 · 990

    Revenue
    $1,706,709
    Expenses
    $569,646
    Assets (EOY)
    $1,427,198

  • 2019 · 990

    Revenue
    $377,225
    Expenses
    $306,260
    Assets (EOY)
    $221,203

  • 2018 · 990

    Revenue
    $292,871
    Expenses
    $153,079
    Assets (EOY)
    $149,117

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all.

Grants made

No itemized grants to organizations. Schedule I is filed only by organizations that granted more than $5,000 to a recipient, so most filers have none.

Grants received

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Taxable family

From Schedule R Parts I, III and IV: entities that legally are the filer, and taxable partnerships, corporations and trusts it is related to. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money.

Disregarded entities on its 2025 return

  • ROCKY MOUNTAIN FREE PRESS LLC

    MOUNTAIN JOURNAL · MT · income $112,955 · assets $31,640

Other IRS files

Auto-Revocation List

Not listed. The IRS publishes this list for organizations whose exemption was automatically revoked for failing to file for three consecutive years.

Publication 78

Listed as of 13 October 2026, under deductibility PC.

These are two separate IRS files on two separate schedules, shown as published and not reconciled with each other. Neither is a statement about whether a contribution is deductible today: 19,245 organizations appear in Publication 78 while the IRS's own revocation file lists them as currently revoked, more than half of those revoked before 2019. Absence from Publication 78 is evidence of nothing, and presence is not evidence either. Verify current status with the IRS before relying on it.

What this page reflects

The registration facts above come from the IRS Business Master File published 13 October 2026 and read 26 October 2026, for every organization at once. Returns through tax year 2025, the newest we have parsed for this organization.