Our History
The Helena Area Community Foundation was started in December 1994 under the under the legal and administrative umbrella of the Montana Community Foundation (MCF) as the Lewis and Clark County Community Foundation serving residents of Lewis and Clark County. MCF was established in the late 1980s and its formative years generated energy in local communities all over Montana. Ultimately, that energy resulted in the formation of nearly 90 local community foundations that virtually cover the map of Montana. MCFs volunteers and staff, supported by significant grants from the Ford Foundation and other national foundations, worked to create and nurture many of those local community foundations.
In 2001, HACF was restructured to incorporate as a Montana nonprofit corporation and obtain its own tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Since then, HACF has been awarding grants to local nonprofits and engaging in other community-building activities. As the Foundation grew, it became clear in 2013 that the residents who call this area home extend beyond the reaches of Lewis and Clark County and include Northern Jefferson County and Western Broadwater County. Thus, the Foundation became the Helena Area Community Foundation.
HACF Innovators, Advisors, and Leaders:
The Helena Area Community Foundation owes its beginnings to Steve Browning and a group of visionary community leaders who believed that a local community foundation could create a permanent source of charitable support for the organizations serving the people of the Helena area. Their vision was simple but powerful: to build a lasting resource that would strengthen our community for generations to come.
Before his passing in 2018, Steve graciously recorded a video sharing the story of HACF’s early years—when the organization was known as the Lewis and Clark County Community Foundation. His reflections offer a firsthand look at the passion, foresight, and community spirit that shaped our foundation and continue to guide our work today.
