Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Disability Rights Montana

EIN 81-0372577 · Helena, MT

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak45 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Disability Rights Montana envisions a society where people with disabilities have equality of opportunity and are able to participate fully in community life by exercising choice and self-determination. Because of this vision, the mission of Disability Rights Montana is to protect and advocate for the human, legal, and civil rights of Montanans with disabilities while advancing dignity, equality, and self-determination.

Income
$1.7 million
Spending
$1.6 million
Spent on programs
79%
Reserves
-1 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 99%
Employees
19
Highest pay
$144,526, executive dir.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 45 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    0 of 35

    Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 31% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 5% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 10% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    79% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 9 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

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited 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 September 30, 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 (4)
  1. $450,653 spent. Protection and advocacy for beneficiaries of social security, protection and advocacy for beneficiaries with representative payees, protection and advocacy for voting access, protection and advocacy for individuals with traumatic brain injury, protection and advocacy for assistant technology, enforcement of access to vocational services.
  2. $317,204 spent. PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY OF INDIVIDUAL WITH MENTAL ILLNESS (PAIMI): PROTECT THE LEGAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SIGNIFICANT MENTAL ILLNESS THROUGH THE MONITORING OF THE STATE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL AS WELL AS PRIVATE SETTINGS SERVING ADULTS AND CHILDREN WITH PSYCHIATRIC NEEDS, INVESTIGATIONS OF POSSIBLE ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF THEM IN THESE SETTINGS, INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP ADVOCACY TO ADDRESS RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, AND EDUCATION OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND POLICY MAKERS ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS.
  3. $290,192 spent. Protect the legal and human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the monitoring the various community and institutional locations in which they receive support, investigations of possible abuse and neglect of them in these settings, individual and group advocacy to address rights violations, and education of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and policy makers about the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PADD).
  4. $239,336 spent. Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR):Protect the legal and human rights of individuals with disabilities. Including sensory disabilities like blindness and deafness to neurophysiology including autism, dyslexia, and ADHD to mobility disabilities and chronic health care conditions like cancer and diabetes. Through the monitoring of setting and providing them services, investigations of possible abuse and neglect of disabled people, individual and group advocacy to address rights violations, and education of people with disabilities and policy makers about the rights of people with disabilities.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 October 13, 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 November 6, 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 October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since January 1978.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 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.