GRANTING HISTORY
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STATISTICS 1985 - 2021
2020 GRANT FUNDING STATISTICS
NUMBER OF GRANTS AWARDED: 68 AMOUNT AWARDED: $422,000 2021 CINNABAR GRANTEES |
In 1983, Len Sargent incorporated the Cinnabar Foundation, intending it to be an organization-in-waiting, one that his estate would someday endow with the proceeds from the eventual sale of his ranch. Until then, Len figured he would continue donating to his favorite nonprofits on a personal basis. In 1985, the three-person board of directors, Len, Phil Tawney, and Jim Posewitz, met to decide upon the Foundation's first grants. The whole process revolved around three days of elk hunting and an hour or two of Foundation business. In the end, the board made two grants, totaling $1,123.
The next year, Jim remembers how “Len told us that he had put a substantial amount of money into the Foundation since he saw no reason for us to have all the fun after he was gone.” The Cinnabar Foundation’s capacity continues to grow through wise investing and the infusion of donations from many others who share the Sargent's environmental values and understand the need for a Foundation dedicated to supporting conservation in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In 2021, the Cinnabar Foundation reviewed 100 applications during its competitive Challenge Grant cycle and awarded $409,000 in matching grants to 65 environmental and conservation organizations and projects focused on Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem — 32 General Operating Grants ($272,000) and 33 Special Project Grants ($137,000). Additionally, the Foundation awarded 1 Tawney Opportunity Grant ($3,000), 1 Posewitz Professional Conservationist Award grant ($5,000), and 1 Sargent Legacy Grant ($5000), for a grand total of 68 grants amounting to $422,000. |