Montana Pool Service Foundation

## Approach Strategy

The Montana Pool Service Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of Jeff Ament, bassist for Pearl Jam and a native of Big Sandy, Montana. This is a founder-driven, mission-focused private foundation with an extremely narrow and clearly articulated purpose: funding the construction of world-class skateparks in rural and Native American communities across Montana and neighboring states. The foundation does not publish open grant applications, nor does it list formal application guidelines in its Form 990-PF filings.

How the Foundation Operates: The foundation works through direct community partnerships rather than competitive grant rounds. Jeff Ament personally identifies target communities — typically small towns and tribal nations that lack recreational infrastructure — and then engages local partners including city parks departments, tribal governments, and municipalities. The foundation co-funds projects alongside local government contributions and partners with Evergreen Skateparks (a professional skatepark design/build firm) to deliver finished facilities. The foundation also receives co-funding from Pearl Jam's Vitalogy Foundation on some projects.

Entry Point for Grant Seekers: Given the non-competitive, relationship-driven nature of this foundation, the most effective approach is a direct outreach to the foundation via montanapoolservice.com. A qualifying applicant would be a municipality, tribal government, or established parks/recreation department in rural Montana, North Dakota, or South Dakota proposing a specific skatepark project with demonstrated community support and willingness to contribute local matching funds or in-kind support.

Who Is Eligible: Past grantees are almost exclusively municipal governments and tribal nations (City of Hardin, City of Pablo, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge Agency, etc.), with a handful of youth-serving nonprofits (Girls On Shred) and university foundations (University of Montana Foundation scholarship).

## Funding Patterns

Annual Giving Volume: The foundation has distributed over $3.5 million total across 46 grants since inception (2016–2024). Annual distributions have grown from approximately $162,000 in 2017 to $880,628 in 2024 — a 5x increase over eight years.

Typical Grant Size: Individual grants range from $5,000 to $250,000. The overall median is $50,000, but recent (2024) skatepark grants averaged $82,000–$100,000. Major anchor grants exceed $200,000 (e.g., $250,000 to City of Hardin; $242,100 to City of Pablo; $232,850 to Standing Rock Sioux Tribe).

Grant Frequency: In 2024, the foundation made 17 grants totaling ~$880,000. In 2023, only 2 grants were made ($242,000 total), suggesting a lumpy cadence driven by project readiness rather than a fixed annual cycle.

Geographic Concentration: Approximately 85% of all grants go to Montana recipients. The remaining 15% have gone to North Dakota and South Dakota.

New vs. Repeat Grantees: In 2024, 100% of grant recipients were new grantees — the foundation consistently opens new communities rather than returning to previously funded sites.

Financial Trajectory: - 2016: $1.25M founding contribution; $220,000 in disbursements - 2017–2020: $150,000–$200,000/year in grants - 2022: $552,836 in expenses with $901,448 revenue - 2024: $880,628 in charitable disbursements; $1,085,367 total revenue; $1.55M total assets

## Peer Comparison

The Montana Pool Service Foundation occupies a unique niche — one of very few private foundations in the U.S. exclusively focused on skatepark infrastructure for rural and Indigenous communities.

Key Differentiators: The Skatepark Project (Tony Hawk Foundation) is the closest national peer but focuses on smaller grants to nonprofits, not direct municipal construction grants. Montana Pool Service Foundation is exceptional for its 100% focus on a single infrastructure type and direct partnerships with rural and Native American governments.

## Recent Activity

2025 Expansion Pipeline: The montanapoolservice.com website lists five communities in the active future pipeline: Fort Benton (MT), Inchelium (WA), Lame Deer (MT), Philipsburg (MT), and Hot Springs (MT).

2024 Milestone Year: The foundation made 17 grants totaling approximately $880,000 in 2024 — the highest annual distribution to date. Notable grants included Standing Rock Sioux Tribe ($232,850), City of Hardin ($250,000), and City of Pablo ($242,100), all for skatepark construction.

2023 Clinton Skatepark: A widely covered project saw Jeff Ament contribute $100,000 toward a skatepark in Clinton, MT, generating significant coverage in the Missoulian and local community networks.

Media Visibility: The foundation has been featured in the New York Times (September 2021), HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (November 2021), and the Billings Gazette, lending significant credibility and national name recognition.

Financial Health: The 2024 Form 990-PF shows strong health: $1.55M in assets, $1.085M in revenue (96.8% from contributions), zero liabilities. Revenue in 2024 jumped dramatically from 2023's $103,056, suggesting a major new capital contribution.

Organizational Stability: Leadership has been stable since inception — Jeff Ament (President), Pandora Andre-Beatty (Vice President), and CPA Rena Hansen (Treasurer/Secretary) — all serving without compensation throughout the foundation's history.

## Application Tips

Realistic Eligibility Check First: This foundation does not publish open RFPs or grant applications. Before investing time, confirm your organization meets these criteria: 1. You are a municipality, tribal government, or established parks/recreation department (not a general nonprofit) 2. You have a specific skatepark site identified with community support 3. Your community is in rural Montana, or a rural/tribal community in ND, SD, or neighboring states 4. You can contribute matching funds or in-kind support

Make Direct Contact: Visit montanapoolservice.com and use the Contact page to initiate a conversation. Be concise and specific about your community, proposed site, and local support already secured.

Frame Around Community Need: Jeff Ament's stated motivation is giving youth in small towns — especially those without access to skate culture — a safe, expressive space. Lead with the story of your community's youth and why a skatepark would be transformative.

Demonstrate Local Commitment: Past grantees (cities, tribes) were all public entities that could provide matching financial commitments or free land. Demonstrating that your municipality or tribal government is an active co-investor substantially strengthens your case.

Partner with Evergreen Skateparks: The foundation consistently partners with Evergreen Skateparks for construction. Having preliminary conversations with Evergreen about your project concept demonstrates seriousness and can open doors to a foundation introduction.

Timing: There is no defined application cycle. The foundation makes grants on a rolling basis as projects are developed. Note that 2025 already has five projects in queue (Fort Benton, Inchelium, Lame Deer, Philipsburg, Hot Springs), so patience may be required while current commitments are fulfilled.