Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 311597921
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2011
- Location
- Hungry Horse, MT, USA
- Phone
- 4063873847
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Parks and Playgrounds
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,262,165
- Expenses
- $1,023,150
- Assets
- $944,492
- Liabilities
- $12,993
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- CLIFF KIPP (KEY EMPLOYEE): $75,341 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The bob marshall wilderness foundation bmwf has been serving the wilderness recreation community for over twenty 20 years by organizing and leading projects that clear trails and preserve the wilderness ecosystem by restoring damaged areas and removing invasive species. Bmwf works to ensure that all americans have access to Montana's bob marshall wilderness complex, the crown jewel of the wilderness system and one of the world's most spectacular places. Each year around 400 bmwf volunteers, ages 12 to 80, participate in 40 to 60 wilderness projects. Projects are accomplished in coordination and cooperation with the u.s. Forest service on trails and land within the bob marshall wilderness complex. Many bmwf projects introduce youth to the wilderness, and for some, it is a life changing experience. Since its incorporation in 1998, the bmwf and its volunteers have cleared over 10,000 miles of trail and treated 100's of acres of invasive species. The value of this labor donated to national
What it reported doing in 2025
Stewardship - the stewardship programs that bmwf coordinates are invaluable to the wilderness recreational community including hunters, anglers, hikers, backpackers, horsemen, and packers. Each year bmwf engages an average of 400 volunteers, ages 12 to 80, in conservation projects. Projects invoke a sense of pride for Montana's most treasured landscape. Both youth and adult volunteers have life changing experiences. In 2025, 380 bmwf volunteers worked a total of 20,216 hours on 48 projects, clearing 2,415 downed trees, maintaining 448 miles of trail, and conducting 132 acres of weed suppression. The total value of labor donated to public lands by bmwf volunteers in 2025 was $1,143,122.00
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 62
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 61.4%; rating input score 61
- Program expense ratio: 74.5%; rating input score 74
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.44 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 57
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Limited
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 18.9%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.92; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.4%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 13.1% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 61.4% of revenue deployed · 74.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $762K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 14 people listed
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 29/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 45/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.