Five Valleys Land Trust Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO PROTECT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS WESTERN MONTANA'S NATRUAL LEGACY - WATER, WIDLIFE HABITATS, AGRICULTURAL LANDS, AND COMMUNITY OPEN SPACES.
- Income
- $4.4 million
- Spending
- $4.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 86%
- Reserves
- 17.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 89%
- Employees
- 17
- Volunteers
- 1,240
- Highest pay
- $149,500, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 17.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 8% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 28% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1586% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (environment, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $3.9 million spent. The Organization operated the following programs during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:Land Protection: The Organization protects lands relevant to its mission using fee acquisitions, voluntary conservation easements, and other real property interests. The organization works with private landowners to protect open space on private lands and partners with government entities to protect or create public open space. Conservation easement grantors enter into agreements with the Organization voluntarily and knowing their land holds special value to them and to the public. Conservation easements held by the Organization hold no marketable financial value and are a non-possessory interest in real property, so the landowner retains ownership of the land, subject to the terms of the conservation easement. The costs to acquire purchased or donated easements are expensed as incurred. The Organization recognizes in-kind contributions that represent the diminution in value of the property at the time of the grant of the conservation easement resulting from the restrictions that the easement imposes on the use of the land. The Organization only recognizes in-kind contributions in this way if there is an appraisal to inform the value. The value of in-kind conservation easement contributions for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was $1,212,500 and $0 respectively.Stewardship:Since its inception, the Organization has identified opportunities to convert privately held lands into public lands over several areas in western Montana. Examples of these projects include the Alberton Gorge, Hiawatha Route, Mount Jumbo, Mount Sentinel, and the Rattlesnake Greenway. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Organization sold and transferred approximately 160 acres on Marshall Mountain to Missoula County.The Organizations stewardship staff works with public and private partners to conserve, steward, and improve protected lands that it owns for conservation purposes. The organization enlists a broad group of partners to complete this work, including students, volunteers, and contractors. The organization continued weed treatment, habitat restoration, fuels reduction, public access development and othersimilar activities on the Mount Dean Stone, Rock Creek Confluence, and other properties throughout its service area. Perpetual conservation easements that the organization holds commit the organization to a long-term responsibility of stewarding the protected conservation values of the conserved properties for public benefit and supporting landowners in their efforts to manage their land with conservation in mind. Stewardship work involves monitoring conservation easement properties, ensuring conservation easement terms are upheld, visiting with landowners at least annually to listen to their concern and working with landowners to help them meet their land management goals or otherwise use their properties in a manner consistent with the terms of the conservation easements.As of December 31, 2025, the Organization held a total of 200 conservation easements protecting a combined 84,391 acres of land. In the year ending December 31, 2024, the Organization held a total of 198 conservation easements protecting a combined 83,397 acres of land. Included in the 2025 land protection figures, the Organization accepted a gift of real property in fee near Lincoln, Montana, in the year ending December 31, 2024. After accepting the gift of property, the property was protected with a conservation easement that the Organization retained before disposition of the property to a private party, subject to the conservation easement, in the year ending December 31, 2025.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since August 1972.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.