Zero to Five Montana
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Zero to Five Montanas mission is to work for our children, for our future. Our promise is to stabilize, innovate, and build the early childhood system so Montana families and communities can thrive. We are a statewide early childhood organization, focused on increasing access to early care and education, supporting and strengthening families, uplifting voices, and empowering small businesses and communities to best support families with young children. We are nonpartisan and focused on solutions that work toward a Montana dedicated to every child.
- Income
- $5.2 million
- Spending
- $4.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- 3.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 61%
- Employees
- 16
- Volunteers
- 4
- Highest pay
- $123,830, 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
Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 61% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.2 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 21% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 22% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 99% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1583% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 55% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
18 of 254 of 4 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)
- $3.4 million spent. At Zero to Five Montana, we work to merge policy and achievable solutions to enhance Montanas early childhood system. We recognize that meaningful change is achieved through concrete, collaborative actions aligned with long-term policy goals, adapting to the evolving needs of children and families across our state. We build momentum through grassroots advocacy, storytelling, and strategic collaboration at the community, state, tribal, and national levels. With nearly 1,000 local partnersincluding parents, providers, businesses, educators, and community coalitionswe are advancing a long-term movement for greater value and investment in early childhood. Our strong relationships with national, state, and local partners enable us to provide a well-informed perspective on a broad range of early childhood issues. As a convenor, connector, and communicator we drive a collective movement toward a shared vision for Montanas children and families. Our key objectives include: Convener: Facilitate strategies to advance early childhood priorities including leading coalitions such as the Montana Early Learning Alliance, the Montana Early Childhood Tribal Coalition, the Strong Start Alliance, and Montanas Early Childhood Network.Collaborator: Prioritize relationship-building across all aspects of our work. Through grassroots and grasstops strategies, we offer policy guidance, advocacy support, and capacity-building resources, including technical assistance, education, and trainings-working closely with local early childhood coalitions and supporting parent peer support groups in communities.Communicator: Serve as a trusted resource for policymakers and stakeholders by providing policy research, issue briefs, expert consultation, polling data, and compelling stories from across Montana. We ensure data and lived experiences are central to our messaging.Montana Child Care Business Connect (MCCBC), a program of Zero to Five Montana, is a statewide hub for child care business development and innovation. MCCBC was launched from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding through a competitive Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) grant awarded in May 2022. This program is currently funded by the DPHHS through a Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Business Supports Contract. MCCBC supports new and expanding child care providers, employers, and community initiatives to stabilize and grow Montanas early childhood system. Through peer mentoring, individual consultations, professional development, and a business focused online resource hub, child care business owners gain essential business skills. MCCBC also supports shared services for providers to access, including virtual care services. In 2025, MCCBC led to tangible outcomes for programs within the child care sector that engaged in the free services offered:New child care businesses: 7 new child care program starts, and 3 child care program expansions supportedIncreased child care capacity: Support services contributed to 155 new child care slotsEnhanced business knowledge: 57 professional development opportunities offered, with 31 home-based providers graduating from an intensive 10-week business focused series. 50 programs were supported through 2024 and 2025 in a Workforce Recruitment and Retention initiative where program leaders received technical assistance, resources, training, and support to develop, implement, and plan sustainability for effective recruitment and retention practices.Access to shared services: In 2025, 26 programs supported their staff by enrolling in AllyHealth Virtual Care services.Community focused work: 88 total community training and technical assistance meetings facilitated across multiple communities.By equipping child care business entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed, MCCBC has helped increase access to child care for Montana families and supported child care businesses to be more sustainable.MCCBC also supports community-led initiatives aimed at increasing the supply of early care and education slots and growing a robust early childhood system. The team offers ongoing, one-on-one, customizable technical assistance and training related to early childhood community development. Additionally, MCCBC facilitates an annual Community Child Care Capacity Building Cohort, prioritizing peer learning through the foundational stages of collaborative action. This model guides community groups through team building, data collection and analysis, solution-focused discussions, action planning, and more.Family Forward Montana In 2025, Zero to Five Montana advanced its Family Forward Montana initiative to support employer adoption of family-friendly workplace practices that improve retention and workforce stability. The program provided technical assistance, toolkits, and guidance to employers implementing policies such as flexible scheduling, paid leave, and employer-sponsored child care benefits.Family Forward Montana joined the Best Place for Working Parents network, giving employers access to an online self-assessment of ten research-backed policies and the opportunity to earn a real-time designation recognizing implementation of family-friendly practices. In 2025, 22 employers received the Best Place for Working Parents designation.To address workforce challenges related to child care, Zero to Five Montana, in partnership with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Bright Futures Birth to Five Program, administered approximately $2 million in employer-sponsored child care grants. In 2025, 28 employers received subawards to implement solutions including tuition assistance, dependent care benefits, reserved child care slots, and onsite or near-site care.These efforts benefited an estimated 230 employees (estimate) by increasing access to child care and reducing barriers to workforce participation.The programs short-term objective is increasing employer adoption of family-friendly policies; its lo
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 December 2023.
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.