MONTANA FREE PRESS Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

MONTANA FREE PRESS

EIN 47-5237719 · Printing & Publishing (A33)

What they do

MONTANA FREE PRESS is AN INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT, READER-SUPPORTED NEWSROOM THATPROVIDES HIGH QUALITY, IN-DEPTH and DATA-INFORMED NEWS, INFORMATION, and ANALYSIS TOALL FREE of CHARGE.WE BELIEVE THAT PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM HAS THE CAPACITY to CATALYZE POSITIVESOCIAL CHANGE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE FREE ACCESS to INFORMATION is THE TINDER to IGNITEACTION. WE ENVISION A FUTURE for OUR STATE WITH EQUITABLE ACCESS to CLEAN AIR and AHEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION, AFFORDABLE HOMES, SUSTAINABLE ECONOMICGROWTH, and ABOVE ALL, ACCESS to NONPARTISAN INFORMATION THAT ALLOWS MONTANANS to BEENGAGED CITIZENS. WE DONT TELL OUR READERS HOW to THINK; RATHER, WE PROVIDE THEM WITH NONPARTISAN FACTS and ANALYSIS to FORM THEIR OWN OPINIONS and ACTIONS.WE HOLD THOSE IN POWER ACCOUNTABLE WHILE STRIVING to MOVE MONTANAS NEEDLE TOWARD AJUST and EQUITABLE DEMOCRACY. IN A SEA of ADVERTISING REVENUE-DRIVEN NEWSROOMS, MTFPIS AN INNOVATIVE LEADER IN THE NEWS INDUSTRY, COMMITTED to OPERATING UNDER A NONPROF

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $66.20 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders8 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

59.29%of revenue went to mission work66.2% of expenses · Program services

19.86%of revenue went to fundraising22.2% of expenses

$89.51spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

10.37%of revenue went to management and office costs11.6% of expenses

$0.74in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

99.0%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $110,286 for JOHN ADAMS (EXECUTIVE DIR.). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$2,151,666

Mission workProgram services$1,275,62059.29% of revenue66.2% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$223,05710.37% of revenue11.6% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$427,38319.86% of revenue22.2% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$225,60610.49% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$1,926,06089.51% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 66.2% mission · 11.6% management · 22.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.51% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 63.0% mission · 15.8% management · 21.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 112.67% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 65.8% mission · 22.2% management · 12.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 116.12% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 67.6% mission · 14.5% management · 17.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.20% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 69.3% mission · 22.9% management · 7.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 33.38% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 68.3% mission · 29.4% management · 2.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 81.19% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 35.2% mission · 64.6% management · 0.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 52.27% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$2,151,666

Expenses$1,926,060

Annual surplus $225,606 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$1,275,620 · 66.2% of expenses

Management and office costs$223,057 · 11.6% of expenses

Fundraising$427,383 · 22.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$2,151,666

Expenses$1,926,060

Assets$1,419,011

Income$2,151,666

Contributions$2,129,649

Mission work (program services)$1,275,620

Fundraising$427,383

Management and general$223,057

Executive compensation (total)$80,035

Accounting fees$77,317

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JOHN ADAMSEXECUTIVE DIR. · 40 hrs/week $110,286Base $96,622 · Other $13,664

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (8)

JOHN ADAMSEXECUTIVE DIR.

ALEXIS BONOGOFSKYSECRETARY

ANNE AVISDIRECTOR

HEATHER DIETRICKDIRECTOR

MARK HUBERTREASURER

SKYLAR BROWNINGPRESIDENT

SUSAN FOXDIRECTOR

TRESA SMITHDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2019
Location: PO BOX 1425, HELENA, MT 59624
County: Lewis and Clark
In care of: JOHN ADAMS
Primary officer: JOHN ADAMS, Executive Dir.

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(406) 207-8727

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: AMATICS CPA GROUP
NTEE classification: Printing & Publishing (A33)
IRS tax category: Printing & Publishing