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Outlet profile

Montana Free Press

U.S. center-left (Montana nonprofit news)

Owned byIndependent 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Helena, Montana. It has no corporate or individual owner and is run by a board and a CEO. It was founded by John S. Adams, who has said he plans to step down as CEO on June 1, 2027. It was incubated under the fiscal sponsorship of the Institute for Nonprofit News.
FundingDonations from individuals, foundations and businesses. Named funders include the American Journalism Project, Simon and Trench Coxe, and Arnold Ventures. It also publishes a donor-transparency page.
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

Montana Free Press was founded on February 26, 2016, by journalist John S. Adams and a small group of board members and advisers. They started it in Missoula as a nonprofit to fill gaps left by shrinking daily newspaper coverage of state government. It operated under the Institute for Nonprofit News as fiscal sponsor and later became a 501(c)(3) of its own, headquartered in Helena. Wikidata lists its 2019 revenue at about $377,000, and it has grown since. In December 2020 it received a grant from the American Journalism Project, and other funders include Simon and Trench Coxe and Arnold Ventures. Critics such as InfluenceWatch point to these left-leaning funders, but the outlet says funders do not direct its coverage. Its output is mostly news reporting, with some opinion material kept separate, and it republishes some stories through partnerships with other Montana outlets. Its reporting on Montana politics and policy generally gets a fair reception, though some conservatives view it as left-leaning. This profile is based on a limited set of sources and did not confirm detailed editorial track records or its coverage of the second Trump administration. The 'mostly neutral' stance is an inference from its Montana-focused, news-driven model.

Sources

  1. About MTFP
  2. Montana Free Press – Wikipedia
  3. American Journalism Project awards grant to MTFP
  4. Montana Free Press – American Journalism Project
  5. Montana Free Press (MFP) – InfluenceWatch
  6. Donor Transparency – Montana Free Press
  7. Once on the verge of leaving journalism, a Montana reporter launches a nonprofit news outlet – Columbia Journalism Review

Profile compiled 2026-11-01; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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