Outlet profile

Montana Free Press

U.S. center-left

Owned byIndependent 501(c)(3) nonprofit; no corporate parent. Founded by journalist John S. Adams, governed by a nonprofit board.

FundingDonor-funded nonprofit; major funders have included the American Journalism Project, Emerson Collective, Arnold Ventures, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund, and the Wilburforce Foundation, plus smaller reader donations. No advertising revenue model.

On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Montana Free Press was founded in February 2016 by John S. Adams, who previously served as capital bureau chief for the Great Falls Tribune. Adams launched it from the basement of the Missoula Public Library, making it Montana's first nonprofit, digital-first statehouse news organization. Inspired by national nonprofit journalism models like ProPublica and the Texas Tribune, it was built as a response to the contraction of commercial local news in Montana. Early fundraising was difficult — the concept of nonprofit news was unfamiliar to Montana's philanthropic community — and the outlet survived its first years on small donations and goodwill. Growth accelerated after a major $875,000 grant from the American Journalism Project in 2020, allowing MTFP to expand staff and coverage. Subsequent grants from Emerson Collective, Arnold Ventures, and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation have continued to support operations; the Wilburforce Foundation has also funded its environmental reporting specifically. The outlet does not publish editorials, op-eds, or endorsements, but independent rating services consistently place its news coverage in the left-center range, noting moderately progressive framing on topics like climate change and public lands. Its reporting is generally considered factually reliable and well-sourced.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-08-02; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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