The residents of Northern Rosebud county have been subject to a boom-and-bust economy for decades now. Despite the agricultural diversity, strong workforce, and solid community, local quality of life is, to an extent, dependent on the generosity of the coal companies. Though the charitable giving of the coal board to many local causes is good and well appreciated, self-reliance has been a Montana value for longer than the mines have been here.

A community foundation puts charitable giving back into the hands of the community. By allowing a local board of directors to decide what to do with funds generated by local donations, the Forsyth, Angela, Ingomar, Rosebud Community Foundation allows its members to invest in their communities and contribute to major decisions about the way the Foundation is run by voting in the annual meeting. By saving donations and using only the interest they generate, the Foundation becomes a permanent source of public funds for Northern Rosebud County.

The first community foundation was begun in 1914 by Frederick H. Goff in Cleveland. According to the Cleveland Foundation, “his vision was to pool the charitable resources of Cleveland's philanthropists, living and dead, into a single, great, and permanent endowment for the betterment of the city. Community leaders would then forever distribute the interest that the trust’s resources would accrue to fund 'such charitable purposes as will best make for the mental, moral, and physical improvement of the inhabitants of Cleveland.'” Today, about 700 community foundations collectively manage about 40 billion dollars and distribute 2 billion a year to the needs in their community.
The FAIR Foundation is an affiliate of the Montana Community Foundation, who lend us their financial expertise as well as training and guidance. Northern Rosebud County has demonstrated a commitment to the future by helping us to become one of the most successful community foundations in Montana. We hope to continue this precedent of leadership and help our communities attain their fullest potential in the coming generations.