MJF_AnnualReport_2025_8-5x11_FINAL_Digital-Pages

2025

YOU STEPPED UP FOR JUSTICE:

A Message from Our Board President & Executive Director

We are living in a challenging time – the kind that strains not only families and communities, but also the systems we rely upon to uphold fairness and the rule of law. This year, the safety net for low-income Montanans was stretched to the breaking point as federal funding cuts, the end of pandemic relief, and rising costs of living converged. Already operating on shoestring budgets, nonprofits across the state were asked to do more with less.

Times like these require courage and this year, our Montana Justice Foundation (MJF) community chose courage. With your help, we awarded the largest single-year investment in access to justice in our history, giving over $1.6 million in grants to 22 nonprofit organizations serving every corner of our state. These grants provide critical help to survivors of domestic violence, veterans, seniors, foster youth, and families facing homelessness. Your generosity also fuels hope for the next generation – supporting civic education and empowering young Montanans to understand and uphold justice.

It is an honor to be part of such resolve. Yet, as we look ahead, the need remains staggering. We invite you to stay engaged in this work by:

1. Moving your IOLTA account to a Leadership Bank.

2. Designating a cy pres award to MJF.

3. Donating to MJF or another justice-related charity, volunteering, or taking a pro bono case.

Thank you all for joining us in this critical time to build a Montana where access to justice is real for everyone.

With our sincere respect and gratitude,

Alissa Chambers Executive Director

With your help, we awarded the largest single-year investment in access to justice in our history,

GIVING OVER $1.6 MILLION in grants to 22 NONPROFIT organizations serving every corner of our state.

The impact of this funding is almost impossible to quantify. The ripples wave through this generation of survivors to create buoyancy for the next, and the next – until they are victims no more.”

Gayle Seratt Executive Director Sanders County Coalition for Families

Carlo Canty Board President

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:

Bill Bronson: A Lifetime of Service, A Commitment to Justice

The roots of Bill Bronson’s dedication to civil legal aid advocacy started in Sunday School. His parents continued these lessons, reminding him that “there but for fortune” could be any one of us. Bill explains, “Reading the good deeds and adventures of DC and Marvel Comics superheroes, always reinforced these values.”

Board Vice President

Bill served for over forty years in the courtroom, but his real love is public service. Serving as a planning board chairman, Great Falls City Commissioner, and now a school board trustee has deepened his conviction that our society is best when we live up to the last four words of the Pledge of Allegiance – “and justice for all.”

Although mostly retired, Bill continues to give back. Since 2017, Bill has served as part-time executive director of the Cascade County Law Clinic in Great Falls, where local attorneys contribute their time and talents, representing at no charge those who would otherwise lack legal counsel. They assist people in navigating housing disputes, consumer issues, and family law matters. The Clinic has offered a lifeline to hundreds of residents who would have otherwise had no hope.

Serving on the Montana Justice Foundation Board is a natural extension of that mission, and he currently serves as vice president. “MJF plays a critical role in funding and strengthening legal aid across our state, work that has never been more necessary. Our state provides no direct funding for civil legal services. Without organizations like MJF and its donors, thousands would face legal crises alone.”

(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cascade_County_Courthouse_July_2020.jpg)

BY THE NUMBERS

$1,744,937 in grants, loan repayment assistance, and law education funding in 2025.

$12,292,433 in total MJF giving since 1985.

30+ participating financial institutions 22 nonprofit grantees in 2025

$25K granted in loan repayment assistance for law students since 2002

184 donors in 2025

MJF is proud to have reached the important milestone of exceeding $12 million in awards to individuals and organizations addressing access to justice in Montana. Years of more substantial grantmaking are often due to generous cy pres awards, and years of lower grant making are the result of volatile IOLTA interest rates. Since 2002, MJF has worked to diversify revenue sources and establish reserve accounts to stabilize funding for our grantees.

$1,800,000 $800,000 $600,000 $400,000

$200,000 YEARLY CUMULATIVE

** The increase in grants in 2017-2019 resulted from 1.5 million secured through a national mortgage-related settlement agreement between Bank of America and the US Department of Justice. $14,000,000 $11,000,000 $8,000,000 $5,000,000 $2,000,000

* Due to the near leveling of interest rates in the early 2000s and the need to dip into MJF reserves to fund grants for 2001, the MJF board made the difficult decision not to award any grants in 2002.

2025 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2025 marked the biggest year for grant making in the history of the Montana Justice Foundation.

This is nearly double the awards from 2024.

2025 - 2026 Access to Justice Grants Key Focus Areas

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ORGANIZATIONS

• Abbie Shelter (Kalispell)

• Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (Carbon and Stillwater Counties)

• HAVEN (Bozeman)

• Sanders County Coalition for Families’ RAISE Project (Sanders, Mineral, Flathead, Lincoln, Lake, Missoula, and Ravalli Counties, and the Flathead Reservation)

• Safe Harbor (Lake County and Flathead Reservation)

• YWCA Billings, YWCA Helena, and YWCA Missoula

COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES OR YOUTH SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS

• CASA of Lake and Sanders Counties

• CASA of Missoula

• CASA of Yellowstone County

• Eastern Montana CASA GAL

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country (Gallatin, Park, Sweet Grass, Madison, and Beaverhead Counties)

TRIBAL LEGAL AND ADVOCACY SERVICES

• Bear Paw Development Corporation (Rocky Boy Reservation)

• Partners for Justice (partnering with the Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe)

MEDIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

• Billings Mediation Center

• Community Dispute Resolution Center (Missoula)

• Center for Restorative Youth Justice (Flathead and Missoula Counties)

DIRECT CIVIL LEGAL AID FOR LOW-INCOME MONTANANS

• Cascade County Law Clinic (Great Falls)

• MLSA Consumer Protection Project (statewide)

• Montana Legal Services Association (statewide)

• Montana Innocence Project

LAW-RELATED EDUCATION AND LAW STUDENT

LOAN REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE

• American Legion/Boys and Girls State

• Mock Trial Team Competition

• We the People (statewide)

PROTECTING MONTANANS FROM PREDATORY DEBT COLLECTION

In 2024, Montana Legal Services Association assisted

760 MONTANANS AND THEIR FAMILIES in fighting ABUSIVE DEBT COLLECTION, unlawful garnishment, and other predatory practices, resulting in MORE THAN $430,000 in direct economic benefits through debt relief and RECOVERED PROPERTY.

When debt buyers file lawsuits without proof of debt, many low-income Montanans lose by default, sometimes paying debts they don’t owe. Through the Montana Consumer Protection Project, funded by the Montana Justice Foundation, Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) is helping families across the state regain financial stability.

Debt collection lawsuits are now some of the most common civil cases. Over 70% result in default judgments, often because people lack notice or don’t understand the legal process. Judges rarely check whether the claims are valid or the collector owns the debt. Added fees and interest can quickly exceed the original amount of the debt, with devastating consequences for families already struggling to get by.

In 2024, MLSA assisted over 760 Montanans and their families in fighting abusive debt collection, unlawful garnishment, and other predatory practices, resulting in more than $430,000 in direct economic benefits through debt relief and recovered property. To expand this impact, MLSA launched the Montana Debt Options Tool. This free online resource helps anyone determine if a debt collector is acting illegally, whether their income or property is protected, and what defenses they might have in a debt lawsuit. You can learn more at montanadebtoptions.org.

When attorneys challenge debt collectors in court, they not only defend one client –they help establish precedents that protect countless others from similar harm. In one case, MLSA attorney Beth Hayes defeated a debt buyer’s motion for summary judgment when the company couldn’t prove it owned the debt – creating a roadmap for future consumer defenses. In another, she safeguarded an elderly client’s Montana Elderly Homeowner Tax Credit refund from garnishment. Securing a court order confirmed these funds are exempt from collection and protects other seniors.

CY PRES GRATITUDE

Cy pres awards are residual funds in class action cases that are unclaimed or cannot be distributed. Under the cy pres doctrine and Montana law, courts can distribute these residual funds to appropriate charitable causes.

The Montana Justice Foundation’s mission, to improve access to justice for all Montanans, regardless of income, makes it an ideal candidate for class action cy pres awards, as a core principle of class actions is to ensure access to justice for people who would not otherwise have it.

Cy pres awards have funded several innovative projects and initiatives in the state and enabled the Montana Justice Foundation to provide ongoing support for these efforts.

This year’s record-breaking investments were made possible through the extraordinary generosity of Montana’s legal community and financial institutions. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to these attorneys for directing cy pres awards to the Montana Justice Foundation in 2025.

$900,000

$140,000

$44,000

John Heenan and David Paoli directed a $900,000 cy pres award, enabling the Montana Consumer Protection Project to continue defending Montanans from predatory debt collection and restoring financial stability for vulnerable families.

Allan McGarvey, Judah Gersh, Brian Joos, and Alan Lerner’s $140,000 cy pres designations expanded essential legal services statewide.

Attorneys John Heenan, Tucker Gannett, Dave Legare, and Amanda Sowden directed a cy pres award of more than $44,000 to MFJ from a settlement involving undisclosed home condition issues in a residential neighborhood.

The leadership of these attorneys exemplifies the opportunity to transform legal victories into lasting change for thousands of Montanans.

In 2024, DSVS supported 152 SURVIVORS and responded to 600 HELPLINE CALLS,

to help obtain protective orders, navigate divorce or custody cases, and resolve housing and financial disputes.

GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT:

Building Safety and Hope in Rural Montana

For more than 25 years, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) in Red Lodge has been a lifeline for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. With 20,000 residents spread across 4,000 square miles, DSVS provides holistic, trauma-informed services to survivors and their children in Carbon and Stillwater Counties, centering each client’s safety, dignity, and long-term independence.

In 2024, DSVS supported 152 survivors and responded to 600 helpline calls to help obtain protective orders, navigate divorce or custody cases, and resolve housing and financial disputes.

Montana Justice Foundation funding covers attorney retainers and fees for low-income clients and supports advocates who offer emotional support and accompany survivors during law enforcement and prosecution interviews. This ensures survivors do not have to navigate complex legal systems alone. It helps remove barriers of financial abuse, builds confidence, and supports long-term self-sufficiency.

For survivors who have faced financial control and abuse, access to an attorney is often the key factor in escaping violence and rebuilding their lives. However, there is only one civil legal aid attorney for every 7,879 Montanans living in poverty.

With federal funding uncertain, the Montana Justice Foundation is proud to support DSVS and other domestic violence prevention organizations to help survivors and their children build safe, healthy, and independent lives free from violence.

There is only one civil legal aid attorney for every 7,879 Montanans living in poverty.

INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION:

Montana Mock Trial Team Goes to Nationals

Investing in young people is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen the future of our justice system. That’s why we were excited to help send eight students from Helena High School to represent Montana at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, in May.

After months of preparation, the Helena team won the 2025 Montana State Championship. This victory allowed them to compete at the national competition against 48 teams in over four days of rigorous courtroom competition, ending with a championship round before a panel of judges and attorneys from across the country.

“Almost all of these students have part-time jobs, play sports, and participate in other clubs,” said Niki Zupanic, team coach and former executive director of the Montana Justice Foundation. “They’re developing skills, from persuasive advocacy to collaborative problem solving, to serve them throughout their lives. We were proud to watch them represent Montana with intelligence, preparation, and grace on the national stage.”

Students gained experience with the law and courtroom procedures, conducted examinations, delivered arguments, presented evidence, thought critically, and communicated effectively.

The Montana Justice Foundation was proud to partner with the State Bar of Montana and the American Board of Trial Advocates to help make the team’s participation possible. Together, we funded airfare, lodging, and meals, ensuring that financial barriers did not hinder this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

They’re developing skills, from persuasive advocacy to collaborative problem solving, to serve them throughout their lives.”

Niki Zupanic Team Coach and Former Executive Director of MJF

Senior Gray Gildroy shared that the mock trial helped them “come out of [their] shell” and overcome social anxiety, while teammate Mia Taylor described the experience as “a pride point for Helena High School.”

Supporting opportunities like the Montana High School Mock Trial is part of MJF’s commitment to building a more just future. By investing in youth education and engagement, we help cultivate the next generation of attorneys, judges, and civic leaders.

GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT:

Partners for Justice and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Defenders Office

Since 2021, Partners for Justice (PFJ) and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ Tribal Defenders Office (TDO) have partnered to transform public defense into a tool for health, healing, and opportunity on the Flathead Reservation. With funding from the Montana Justice Foundation, this partnership demonstrates how public defense can reduce incarceration, strengthen families, and promote culturally informed justice for Indigenous communities.

Over the past four years, PFJ has embedded five Mental Health Client Advocate Fellows (Advocates) to increase TDO’s capacity to serve its clients. To date, the Advocates have provided wrap-around support to more than 200 clients, providing an average of two services per person – from securing housing, healthcare, and benefits to supporting family reunification and legal case outcomes.

An Advocate recently helped five clients get new Tribal ID cards in a single day, giving them immediate access to housing, healthcare, and benefits that would otherwise take weeks. That same Advocate worked with the Department of Corrections to conduct DNA testing for incarcerated Tribal members, allowing their children to access Tribal enrollment and benefits that strengthen family and cultural ties.

In a 2024 internal study, TDO clients served by Advocates avoided an average of

216 DAYS OF INCARCERATION per person, demonstrating how

HOLISTIC ADVOCACY can turn COMPASSION and COLLABORATION into measurable justice.

Advocates also play a critical role in securing reduced or no-jail outcomes for clients. Working alongside TDO’s attorneys, service professionals, and community partners, Advocates help clients share their achievements, challenges, and goals with judges and prosecutors – humanizing each individual’s story and supporting fairer case resolutions. In a 2024 internal study, TDO clients served by Advocates avoided an average of 216 days of incarceration per person, demonstrating how holistic advocacy can turn compassion and collaboration into measurable justice.

With increased support from MJF in 2025, TDO is expanding its holistic model, hiring a clinical psychologist to assess and treat conditions related to cognitive or brain injury, ensuring that legal advocacy reflects each client’s mental health and medical reality. The psychologist will collect outcome data to measure TDO’s clientdirected and service-focused services, demonstrating how these methods contribute to community health and safety.

Because of the Montana Justice Foundation’s support, we’re able to meet our clients where they are – with empathy, understanding, and real solutions. Partners for Justice has been by our side as a true collaborator, helping us refine our work and deepen our impact. Together, we’re building a stronger path to justice for the Flathead Reservation.”

Ann Miller Managing Attorney Tribal Defenders Office

TOGETHER WE PROTECTED IOLTA AND LEGAL AID FUNDING

For the second legislative session in a row, attacks on Montana’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program were intense. Thanks to your advocacy, IOLTA was preserved, and access to justice funding in our state remains protected.

Every year, IOLTA helps ensure that seniors, veterans, children in foster care, and survivors of domestic violence can get access to the legal help they need – all at no cost to lawyers, clients, or taxpayers.

Unfortunately, recent efforts have sought to mischaracterize IOLTA as a tax, which it is not. IOLTA programs exist in all 50 states and enjoy broad bipartisan support, including in Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah.

During the 2025 session, SB 31 proposed to dismantle the IOLTA structure in Montana, threatening critical funding for legal aid programs. In response, lawyers, bankers, bar leaders, and advocates came together to educate lawmakers and protect IOLTA.

As we look towards the next session, the Montana Justice Foundation will continue leading the conversation, helping Montanans understand IOLTA’s value in sustaining access to justice across our state.

We sincerely thank everyone who testified, contacted legislators, and spoke up for justice. We couldn’t have done it without you.

For over 30 years, the IOLTA program has safeguarded client funds while complying with Montana’s ethical rules governing lawyers, complex federal banking laws, and IRS revenue rulings. Through IOLTA, small or short-term client deposits are pooled into interest-bearing accounts. Individually, these balances are too minimal to earn interest, but together, they leverage economies of scale to secure preferential interest rates from Montana’s financial institutions, generating essential funding for civil legal aid services.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS CAN POWER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

Every attorney in Montana holds the power to strengthen access to justice – simply by choosing where their IOTLA funds are held.

Over 30 financial institutions in Montana offer IOLTA accounts, but six stand out. As a Montana Justice Foundation Leadership Bank, these institutions voluntarily provide higher interest rates—often up to 20 times more than standard accounts –and keep administrative fees low. That extra interest earns thousands of additional dollars each year for civil legal aid and legal education efforts across Montana.

Every dollar counts. When attorneys choose a Leadership Bank, their IOLTA funds help survivors of domestic violence find safety, seniors access essential benefits, and families avoid wrongful eviction. It’s one of the simplest – and most impactful – ways to make a difference.

If you’re opening an IOLTA account, consider choosing a Leadership Bank or encourage your bank to take that extra step and become one. Leadership Banks see IOLTA participation as an opportunity to serve the public good. Together, we can turn IOLTA accounts into engines for justice in every Montana community.

I’m proud to have my IOLTA account with Stockman Bank. Its participation as a Leadership Bank demonstrates a real commitment to Montana communities. As attorneys, we have the opportunity for our retainer funds to become tools for justice.”

Juli Pierce

LP Law PC in Billings, Montana

Access to Justice Commission Member

Montana Justice Foundation Leadership Banks

Stockman Bank

Wells Fargo

Yellowstone Bank

Valley Bank of Helena

Opportunity Bank of Montana

FUNDING FOR LEGAL SERVICES IS CRITICAL

Dealing with the legal system can be stressful, even for a traffic ticket. However, if you are the victim of domestic violence, a former foster kid facing eviction, or a veteran trying to access benefits, the stakes are high. These can be life-altering issues, impacting someone’s safety, housing, health, and financial stability for years to come.

Unlike criminal cases, people aren’t guaranteed a lawyer for civil cases, and civil legal assistance in Montana remains highly limited even for those who can afford to pay. As of October 2025, twenty-one counties have fewer than five lawyers. Meanwhile, 90% of low-income Montanans do not receive any legal help for civil cases. This means going to court alone and facing property management companies, abusers, and out-of-state debt collectors with lawyers on their side.

The Montana Justice Foundation is proud to support our grantees who are critical to expanding access to civil legal services in Montana.

We all benefit when people get the legal help they need because survivors find safety and stability, children do better in school, workplaces become more productive, and communities spend less on emergency services and public assistance. Access to justice should not be a luxury. It is a cornerstone of a fair society.

Access to legal help in Montana is highly limited.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Carlo Canty // President

Retired Attorney, Helena

Bill Bronson // Vice President

Cascade County Law Clinic, Great Falls

Tara Rice // Secretary

Parsons Behle & Latimer, Helena

Robert Minto // Treasurer

Retired ALPS Corporation, Missoula

Kyle Nelson // Past President

Goetz, Geddes & Gardner, PC, Bozeman

Ashley Burleson

Crowley Fleck, Bozeman

Mike Lamb

Lamb Law Office, Helena

Don Murray

Hash, O’Brien, Biby & Murray, PLLP, Kalispell

John Heenan

Heenan & Cook, PLLC, Billings

Katherine Huso

Matovich, Keller & Huso, P.C., Billings

Hon. David Rice

Retired Judge, Missoula

W. Ryan Jones

First Interstate Bank, Missoula

Lexie Bass

Trost Wealth Management, a service of DA Davidson, Helena

Molly Kelly

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Helena

Maggie Weamer

Tarlow, Stonecipher, Weamer & Kelly, PLLC, Bozeman

Hon. Beth Baker

BOARD MEMBERS

Montana Supreme Court, Helena

John Mudd State Bar of Montana

Gillian Ellison

UM School of Law Student Member (3L)

Hon. Olivia Rieger

7th Judicial District Court

EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS

Hon. Patricia Cotter

Molly Shepherd

STAFF

Alissa Chambers Executive Director

Becky Schupp Watson Chief Administrative Officer