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Montana Natural History Center Inc

Organization summary

Type of Nonprofit

Designated as a Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn't provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Category: Environmental Quality, Protection and Beautification / Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs (NTEE)

Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

Summary charts: organization finances over time

Revenue
$1.22M (2022)

Expenses
$1.03M (2022)

Total Assets
$2.03M (2022)

Total Liabilities
$88.2k (2022)

Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2011 to 2022

Tax Filings by Year

Form 990 is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. Nonprofit Explorer has IRS digitized Form 990 data for filings processed in 2012 and later. If this organization filed an amended return, it may not be reflected below. Duplicate download links may indicate a resubmission or amendment to this organization's original return. Form 990 data is from the IRS.

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,221,330
Expenses
$1,028,296
Net Income
$193,034
Net Assets
$1,937,522
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,019,179
83.4%
Program Services $188,961
15.5%
Investment Income $3,145
0.3%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $28,805
2.4%
Net Fundraising -$26,424
Sales of Assets $38
0.0%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $7,626
0.6%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $69,516
6.8%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $541,862
52.7%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $2,025,703
Total Liabilities $88,181
Net Assets $1,937,522
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $69,516 $0 $10,175
Katie Guffin (President) $0 $0 $0
Peggy Christian (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Cheryl Carrington (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Joann Ducharme (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Erim Gomez (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Stephanie Lambert (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Caroline Kurtz (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Eva Maria Maggi (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ed Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ashley Parks (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$817,668
Expenses
$886,904
Net Income
-$69,236
Net Assets
$1,784,066
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $629,363
77.0%
Program Services $185,376
22.7%
Investment Income $2,423
0.3%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $28,175
3.4%
Net Fundraising -$32,574
Sales of Assets $866
0.1%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $4,039
0.5%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $68,103
7.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $446,569
50.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,958,045
Total Liabilities $173,979
Net Assets $1,784,066
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $68,103 $0 $9,237
Kelley Willett (President) $0 $0 $0
Stephanie Lambert (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Katie Guffin (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Peggy Christian (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Ian Foster (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ellen Knight (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Caroline Kurtz (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Allison Young (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Sarah Megyesi (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Erim Gomez (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$939,615
Expenses
$735,034
Net Income
$204,581
Net Assets
$1,818,661
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $863,370
91.9%
Program Services $87,050
9.3%
Investment Income $1,665
0.2%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $19,925
2.1%
Net Fundraising -$36,859
Sales of Assets $139
0.0%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $4,325
0.5%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $65,573
8.9%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $372,196
50.6%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,895,883
Total Liabilities $77,222
Net Assets $1,818,661
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $65,573 $0 $8,136
Kelley Willett (President) $0 $0 $0
Stephanie Lambert (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Katie Guffin (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Peggy Christian (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Ian Foster (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ellen Knight (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Caroline Kurtz (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Allison Young (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$789,052
Expenses
$773,585
Net Income
$15,467
Net Assets
$1,590,220
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $661,664
83.9%
Program Services $127,451
16.2%
Investment Income $2,463
0.3%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $23,027
2.9%
Net Fundraising -$29,249
Sales of Assets $49
0.0%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $3,647
0.5%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $64,600
8.4%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $367,262
47.5%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,649,814
Total Liabilities $59,594
Net Assets $1,590,220
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $64,600 $0 $7,236
Stephen Speckart (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ian Foster (President) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Edward Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kelley Willett (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Peggy Christian (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Stephanie Lambert (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Katie Guffin (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Sarah Megyesi (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Allison Young (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Rick Potts (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$596,006
Expenses
$791,137
Net Income
-$195,131
Net Assets
$1,548,067
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $454,033
76.2%
Program Services $119,985
20.1%
Investment Income $2,184
0.4%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $19,400
3.3%
Net Fundraising -$9,804
Sales of Assets -$304
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $10,512
1.8%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $62,141
7.9%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $356,912
45.1%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,610,924
Total Liabilities $62,857
Net Assets $1,548,067
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $62,141 $0 $6,684
Stephen Speckart (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ian Foster (President) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Edward Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kelley Willett (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Peggy Christian (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Stephanie Lambert (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Katie Guffin (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Sarah Megyesi (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Allison Young (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Tom Roy (Past President) $0 $0 $0
Wayne Chamberlain (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$819,220
Expenses
$743,927
Net Income
$75,293
Net Assets
$1,750,975
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $660,618
80.6%
Program Services $91,796
11.2%
Investment Income $2,224
0.3%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $18,942
2.3%
Net Fundraising $23,472
2.9%
Sales of Assets $31
0.0%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $22,137
2.7%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $60,813
8.2%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $337,976
45.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,784,082
Total Liabilities $33,107
Net Assets $1,750,975
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $60,813 $0 $6,072
Tom Roy (President) $0 $0 $0
Stephen Speckart (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ian Foster (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Edward Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kelley Willett (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Wayne Chamberlin (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Marcia Kircher (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Peggy Christian (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Stephanie Lambert (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Colleen Matt (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Mark Metcalf (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$613,196
Expenses
$689,568
Net Income
-$76,372
Net Assets
$1,660,094
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $484,685
79.0%
Program Services $99,296
16.2%
Investment Income $1,817
0.3%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $18,140
3.0%
Net Fundraising -$9,658
Sales of Assets $9,050
1.5%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $9,866
1.6%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $61,896
9.0%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $300,528
43.6%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,691,281
Total Liabilities $31,187
Net Assets $1,660,094
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $61,096 $0 $5,571
Tom Roy (President) $0 $0 $0
Stephen Speckart (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ian Foster (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Edward Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Mark Metcalf (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kelley Willett (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Wayne Chamberlin (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Marcia Kircher (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Colleen Matt (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Peggy Christian (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Stephanie Lambert (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2015

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$606,654
Expenses
$609,527
Net Income
-$2,873
Net Assets
$1,729,174
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $495,325
81.6%
Program Services $95,470
15.7%
Investment Income $1,207
0.2%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $19,605
3.2%
Net Fundraising -$11,628
Sales of Assets $3,900
0.6%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $2,775
0.5%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $55,122
9.0%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $337,340
55.3%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,773,537
Total Liabilities $44,363
Net Assets $1,729,174
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Arnie Olsen (Executive Director) $34,747 $0 $5,461
Thurston Elfstrom (Executive Director) $20,375 $0 $894
Tom Roy (President) $0 $0 $0
Stephen Speckart (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Ian Foster (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Betty Oleson (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Edward Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ryan Huckeby (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kris Litz (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Mark Metcalf (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kelley Willett (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Wayne Chamberlin (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Hank Fischer (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Marcia Kircher (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Colleen Matt (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Sarah Millar (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2014

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$570,602
Expenses
$562,066
Net Income
$8,536
Net Assets
$1,733,619
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $462,482
81.1%
Program Services $66,997
11.7%
Investment Income $2,444
0.4%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $7,900
1.4%
Net Fundraising $16,954
3.0%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $13,825
2.4%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $62,807
11.2%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $265,564
47.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,768,515
Total Liabilities $34,896
Net Assets $1,733,619
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Arnie Olsen (Executive Director) $62,807 $0 $12,064
Hank Fischer (President) $0 $0 $0
Stephen Speckart (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Marcia Kircher (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Betty Oleson (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Janice Givler (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Sally Johnson (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Julie Cannon (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Susie Graham (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Edward Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ryan Huckeby (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kris Litz (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Mark Metcalf (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Kelley Willett (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2013

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$725,146
Expenses
$541,830
Net Income
$183,316
Net Assets
$1,716,512
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $572,132
78.9%
Program Services $133,843
18.5%
Investment Income $4,835
0.7%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $60
0.0%
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $14,276
2.0%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $0
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $298,166
55.0%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,797,110
Total Liabilities $80,598
Net Assets $1,716,512
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Arnie Olsen (Executive Director) $61,297 $0 $12,155
Hank Fischer (President) $0 $0 $0
Marilyn Marler (Vice President) $0 $0 $0
Marcia Kircher (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Betty Oleson (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Rick Oncken (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Stephen Speckart (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Janice Givler (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Sally Johnson (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Julie Cannon (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Susie Graham (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Penny Ritchie (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Edward Monnig (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ryan Huckeby (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2012

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$733,297
Expenses
$497,252
Net Income
$236,045
Net Assets
$1,488,052
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $604,290
82.4%
Program Services $111,868
15.3%
Investment Income $5,411
0.7%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $2,619
0.4%
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $137
0.0%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $8,972
1.2%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $54,847
11.0%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $209,940
42.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,545,125
Total Liabilities $57,073
Net Assets $1,488,052

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2011

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$605,745
Expenses
$493,733
Net Income
$112,012
Net Assets
$1,232,007
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $349,139
57.6%
Program Services $142,475
23.5%
Investment Income $3,583
0.6%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $3,041
0.5%
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $87,337
14.4%
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $20,170
3.3%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $58,963
11.9%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $0
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,255,870
Total Liabilities $23,863
Net Assets $1,232,007

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2010

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2009

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2008

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2007

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2006

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2005

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2004

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2003

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2002

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2001

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

About This Data

Nonprofit Explorer includes summary data for nonprofit tax returns and full Form 990 documents, in both PDF and digital formats.

The summary data contains information processed by the IRS during the 2012-2019 calendar years; this generally consists of filings for the 2011-2018 fiscal years, but may include older records. This data release includes only a subset of what can be found in the full Form 990s.

In addition to the raw summary data, we link to PDFs and digital copies of full Form 990 documents wherever possible. This consists of separate releases by the IRS of Form 990 documents processed by the agency, which we update regularly.

We also link to copies of audits nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016. These audits are copied from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

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Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets, in which case they have to file form 990-EZ. Organizations making less than $50,000 don’t have to file either form but do have to let the IRS they’re still in business via a Form 990N "e-Postcard."

Nonprofit Explorer has organizations claiming tax exemption in each of the 27 subsections of the 501(c) section of the tax code, and which have filed a Form 990, Form 990EZ or Form 990PF. Taxable trusts and private foundations that are required to file a form 990PF are also included. Small organizations filing a Form 990N "e-Postcard" are not included in this data.

Types of Nonprofits

There are 27 nonprofit designations based on the numbered subsections of section 501(c) of the tax code. See the list »

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