Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger Inc. funds, engages in, and drives, innovative in-state food system changes that create strong schools and communities where kids and their families can eat fresh, quality, locally sourced food every day.
- Income
- $381,203
- Spending
- $385,661
- Spent on programs
- 72%
- Reserves
- -0.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 95%
- Employees
- 2
- Volunteers
- 27
- Highest pay
- $1,794, fab board & director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 48 out of 100. Higher than 10% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 8% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 16% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1572% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 9 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 97 out of 100. Higher than 93% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 8 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
12 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 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)
- $115,917 spent. Child Nutrition--The Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger (MT-PECH) is transforming how school food systems operate in Montana. During the year, MT-PECH improved access to fresh, quality food for more than 5,000 Montana school children, generating school meal participation rates in schools that worked with us of at least 82%, with some schools exceeding 90%, significantly above the state and national averages. We also helped connect 9,290 school children outside our Rural School Networks to critical summer EBT benefits, which they would not have otherwise received. Additional accomplishments included 1) Expanding our Rural School Networks from two cohorts of four schools each to a broader multi-region effort supporting improved meal quality and program sustainability in four cohorts comprised of just over 20 schools; 2) Changing from only two of these schools sourcing and serving Montana-grown foods, and none of the schools intentionally serving Indigenous foods, to all participating schools using both Montana-sourced foods and Indigenous foods and recipes in their school meal programs; 3) Providing training and technical assistance to 325 Montana school nutrition professionals through statewide and events, along with training for 124 educators interested in integrating Indigenous food knowledge into their classrooms; 4) Supporting the development of new summer meal sites in rural communities and increasing utilization of flexible meal delivery models across Montana; 5) Positively impacting food service director turnover among Rural School Network participants through training, assistance, and ongoing support. Among Rural School Network schools, turnover for the year was 12.5% compared to nearly 50% statewide. Together, these efforts improved schools' use of Montana-grown and Indigenous foods, increased participation in school meal programs, and strengthened the capacity of schools to sustain high-quality nutrition services.
- $91,866 spent. Food Systems & Agriculture--During the tax year, MT-PECH strengthened Montana food systems by advancing coordination across producers, Tribal partners, distributors, and institutional buyers, focusing on improving efficiency, resilience, and long-term sustainability. Key accomplishments included: 1) Expanding a statewide collaborative network, engaging 48 partners across Tribal, community, and statewide organizations to coordinate school food-system development efforts and support shared solutions; 2) Developing and disseminating procurement tools, including a Traditional Foods in Montana Schools Toolkit, now used by 38% (124 out of 325) of Montana's school districts located across its 145,550 square miles, to support sourcing and use of Montana-grown and Indigenous foods in school meals; 3) Strengthening producer-to-institution supply chains by including producers directly in trainings for school food service directors; 4) Developing four geographically based lists of Montana produce and protein growers interested in selling products to Montana schools for use by school food service directors, thus advancing institutional market opportunities for producers; 5) Implementing trainings for food service directors in all Rural School Network schools to help them buy products from Montana growers; 6) Mobilizing additional funding and creative partnerships, leveraging foundation, federal, and private support to expand MT-PECH's food systems work; 7) Crafting a strategy for providing long-term infrastructure solutions in Montana, including aggregation, transportation, and coordinated purchasing systems so implementation could begin in FY25 and FY26. These efforts improved supply-demand alignment, reduced inefficiencies, and strengthened local school food economies while expanding schools' access to locally produced foods from across Montana.
- $50,784 spent. Nutrition in Healthcare--MT-PECH promoted the integration of nutrition into Montana's healthcare and community health systems during the year to help ensure all Montana kids and their families can eat fresh, quality Montana-grown foods, thereby reducing the incidence of food-related chronic disease across the state. Key accomplishments included: 1) Developing cross-sector partnerships that connected healthcare providers, schools, and community organizations, helping them align around nutrition and health strategies benefiting kids and families in their communities; 2) Advancing produce prescription and nutrition initiatives by helping convene and host a statewide Produce Prescription conference; 3) Providing assistance to new and existing nutrition in healthcare programs to strengthen their model, their funding, and their communications with healthcare leadership; 4) Leadership in statewide coordination efforts, including identifying and addressing of service gaps, to increase the amount of nutrition education available to all Montana students; and 5) Creating partnerships with state and national health organizations to fund Montana school kitchen-equipment purchases. These efforts strengthened understanding among partners of the important role school nutrition plays in the long-term health of Montanans of all ages.
- $20,000 spent. Narrative Change--MT-PECH strives to build a statewide understanding that eating fresh, quality food improves the health of all Montanans, from mitigating chronic disease to improving kids' ability to learn and achieve in school. This understanding forms the foundation of all of the organization's programs and services.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 2023.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.