Helena Area Community Foundation

The Helena Area Community Foundation     inspires people to make a difference by encouraging the spirit of giving to provide resources that benefit present and future generations in our communities. The Helena Area Community Foundation was created by current and former residents of the Helena area to support the projects of nonprofit organizations in Helena and surrounding area communities through annual grant-making. This is accomplished through private contributions, planned gifts and grants, which help maintain our permanent endowment and help facilitate the operation of our organization. The steady growth of HACF’s permanent endowment is attributable to the generosity of many individuals, families and businesses throughout the Helena Area and beyond.

The Helena Area Community Foundation was started in December 1994 under the under the legal and administrative umbrella of the Montana Community Foundation (MCF)as the  Lewis and Clark Community Foundation serving residents of Lewis and Clark County.  MCF was established in the late 1980s and its formative years generated energy in local communities all over Montana. Ultimately, that energy resulted in the formation of nearly 90 local community foundations that virtually cover the map of Montana. MCFs volunteers and staff, supported by significant grants from the Ford Foundation and other national foundations, worked to create and nurture many of those local community foundations.

In 2001, under the dynamic leadership of Lizzie Schueler and other leaders, HACF was restructured to incorporate as a Montana nonprofit corporation and obtain its own tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Since then, HACF has been awarding grants to local nonprofits and engaged in other community-building activities. As the Foundation grew, it became clear in 2013 that the residents who call this area home extend beyond the reaches of the County and include Northern Jefferson County and Western Broadwater County.  Thus, the Foundation became the Helena Area Community Foundation.