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Montana Freshwater Partners Inc

EIN 45-2804436 · Livingston, MT

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair50 out of 100GovernanceStrong91 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

To restore, enhance, and preserve Montana's aquatic resources to maximize their ecological function into the future.

Income
$829,069
Spending
$1.0 million
Spent on programs
68%
Reserves
1.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 64%
Employees
7
Volunteers
187
Highest pay
$112,601, 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

Fair: 50 out of 100. Higher than 13% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 23% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 15% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    68% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 12 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: 91 out of 100. Higher than 71% of charities in its peer group (environment, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 6 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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)
  1. $691,840 spent. Statewide In-Lieu Fee Program. This program provides compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to Montana wetland and streams, and involves the collection of mitigation fees to pay for mitigation site planning, implementation, monitoring and maintenance. MFP accomplished the following for the program: collected mitigation fees, investigated new project locations, prepared project plans for new restoration sites, coordinated construction activities for restoration sites, and completed annual monitoring for existing sites across the state. Give Back to the Yellowstone Stewardship Program: This program uses grant funding and private donations to promote conservation, restoration, flood hazard mitigation, and public education and outreach to conserve, protect and restore the Yellowstone River. An important part of the program are volunteers, who contribute time working directly on projects in field and to helping with fundraising events. MFP accomplished the following for the program: prepared project plans for new restoration sites, coordinated construction activities for restoration sites, coordinated with partners and local landowners to identify new projects, convened a collaborative group of technical experts in water resources, provided technical expertise to the community around flood hazard mitigation and educated the community about natural river processes. Technical Services Program: Under this program Montana Freshwater Partners provides a limited set of technical services for project partners, nonprofit organizations, and private entities and collects fees for these services. MFP accomplished the following for the program: provided technical expertise to support project partners and nonprofit organizations projects that required mitigation technical expertise, wetland delineation and stream restoration technical expertise and water resourcepermitting/policy technical expertise.

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

  1. 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 September 7, 2026.

  2. 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 September 30, 2026.

  3. 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 September 10, 2026.

  4. 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 September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since January 2012.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. 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 October 7, 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.