The Steele-Reese Foundation is a charitable trust that grants money to “rural education, rural human/social services, rural conservation and preservation, rural health, and rural arts and humanities [projects].” ¹

Donations go almost entirely to tax-exempt organizations located in Idaho, Montana, Appalachian Kentucky, and Native American territories. The foundation was started by Eleanor Steele Reese, the daughter of financier and aide to J.P. Morgan Charles Steele. ² Due to the foundation’s large initial endowment, it has maintained generous giving with net assets totaling over $40 million as of August 2023. ³

History

The Steele-Reese Foundation was founded on August 10, 1955 using the inheritance money Eleanor Steele Reese received from her father. Eleanor and her husband lived in Idaho where they ran a successful cattle ranch that allowed them to put the inheritance money towards the foundation so that it could be “put to a permanent good use.” ⁴

The original trustees were Sidney W. Davidson and JP Morgan & Co., who together were tasked with grantmaking decisions. The successors to Davidson, Charles U. Buice, and JP Morgan Chase Bank, are the trustees responsible for grantmaking decisions. ⁴

Areas of Giving

Rural Education

The Steele-Reese Foundation donates to K-12 programs in Appalachian Kentucky, Idaho, and Montana. It funds programs that “improve outcomes for students; support literacy programs and out-of-school-time services; and charter schools…and small public libraries.” ¹ It does not fund higher education or programs that aim to raise awareness for some sort of social or political issue. ¹

Rural Human and Social Services

The Steele-Reese Foundation donates to low-income populations in Idaho and Montana, including “homeless individuals, people with disabilities, people in the criminal justice system and survivors of domestic abuse.” ⁵ It donated to the ACLU of Montana Foundation in 2014 and 2016, and Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence in 2017. ⁶

Rural Conservation and Preservation

The Steele Reese Foundation donates to conservation and environmental programs that are “locally focused on rural communities or landscapes.” ¹  The foundation will not donate to national organizations that plan to distribute funds through multiple programs. It specifically donates to “water, and wildlife conservation; historic preservation and restoration projects; and ecosystem protection programs.” ¹  In 2012, it donated $25,000 to The Nature Conservancy for its programs in Idaho. ⁶

Rural Health

The Steele-Reese Foundation donates to health organizations in Idaho and Montana. It specifically donates to “medical clinics, small hospitals, EMS and Ambulance services, family planning programs, and hospices.” ¹  From 2012 through 2017, the foundation donated $165,000 to Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana. ⁷

Projects in Indian Country

The Steel-Reese Foundation donates to health, conservation, social, and education services in Native American territories. It prefers to work with groups that are led by Natives, but non-Native led organizations are always accepted as long as they have “Native staff and board members, how much the recipients of the proposed work will be served, and how much support they are receiving from Native communities for the proposed work.” ¹

1. “Program Areas.” Steele Reese Foundation. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://steele-reese.org/what-we-fund/program-areas.
2. “Home.” Steele Reese Foundation. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://steele-reese.org/.
3. The Steele-Reese Foundation, Form 990-PF, 2022, Part II Line 16c.
4. “About Us.” Steele Reese Foundation. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://steele-reese.org/about
5. “Program Areas.” Steele Reese Foundation. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://steele-reese.org/what-we-fund/program-areas.  
6. “Foundation Maps for the Steele Reese Foundation.” Foundation Maps. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://maps.foundationcenter.org/#/map/?subjects=SS&popgroups=all&years=all&location=6252001&excludeLocation=0&geoScale=ADM1&layer=recip&boundingBox=-164.61914062499997,18.895892559415024,-35.947265625,58.21702494960191&gmOrgs=all&recipOrgs=all&tags=all&keywords=&pathwaysOrg=&pathwaysType=&acct=STEE004&typesOfSupport=all&transactionTypes=all&amtRanges=all&minGrantAmt=0&maxGrantAmt=0&gmTypes=all&recipTypes=all&minAssetsAmt=0&maxAssetsAmt=0&minGivingAmt=0&maxGivingAmt=0&andOr=0&includeGov=1&custom=all&customArea=all&indicator=&dataSource=oecd&chartType=trends&multiSubject=1&listType=gm&windRoseAnd=undefined&zoom=4.
7. “Foundation Maps for the Steele Reese Foundation.” Foundation Maps. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://maps.foundationcenter.org/#/map/?subjects=SS&popgroups=all&years=all&location=6252001&excludeLocation=0&geoScale=ADM1&layer=recip&boundingBox=-164.61914062499997,18.895892559415024,-35.947265625,58.21702494960191&gmOrgs=all&recipOrgs=all&tags=all&keywords=&pathwaysOrg=&pathwaysType=&acct=STEE004&typesOfSupport=all&transactionTypes=all&amtRanges=all&minGrantAmt=0&maxGrantAmt=0&gmTypes=all&recipTypes=all&minAssetsAmt=0&maxAssetsAmt=0&minGivingAmt=0&maxGivingAmt=0&andOr=0&includeGov=1&custom=all&customArea=all&indicator=&dataSource=oecd&chartType=trends&multiSubject=1&listType=gm&windRoseAnd=undefined&zoom=4.