LOR Foundation

LOR Foundation LOR works with people in rural places to improve quality of life. I'm Tabitha, the LOR community officer. Sometimes that help is funding.

LOR is a private foundation that works with individuals and organizations to kick-start projects that benefit rural places in the Mountain West. Our name shares our values:

Livability
Opportunity
Responsibility

We believe that many small actions can create lasting change, and we support solutions to problems the community has identified as priorities. And sometimes it’s simply connecting peopl

e and organizations with resources—and to each other. LOR Social Media Comment Guidelines

The LOR Foundation uses social networking platforms to share news and connect with our audiences. LOR requests that all comments posted on our social media channels be respectful and courteous. This Social Media Comment Guidelines sets forth an understanding of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable regarding posting of comments on LOR's social media channels. We encourage all users to engage and participate in discussions on our social media channels. However, this does not imply that LOR agrees with or accepts the content, opinions, or views stated in comments posted by users. Users are fully responsible for the content of their own comments and messages; LOR accepts no responsibility for any content posted by users. By posting content to any LOR social media channel, users understand and acknowledge that this information is available to the public, and that others may use posted information without LOR knowledge or control. LOR regularly reviews comments posted and messages sent by users to LOR's social media channels. Although social media is a 24/7 medium, our moderation capabilities are not. Moderating and reviewing comments and messages should only be expected to occur during normal business hours. LOR reserves the right to remove any comment from LOR social media channels if LOR believes, in its sole discretion, that such comment:
- Uses profane, vulgar, obscene, racist, threatening, harassing, bullying, violent, sexually explicit or abusive language, images, graphics, or video
- Incites hatred or violence, or uses hate speech
- Is inappropriate or offensive
- Is suggestive or encouraging of illegal activity
- Is libelous or contains personal attacks of any kind, including use of offensive terms that target particular people or groups of people
- Includes personally identifiable information, such as an email address or phone number
- Is irrelevant or off topic to the original post
- Distributes false or misleading information or makes unsupported accusations
- Includes privileged, personal, proprietary, or other confidential information
- Infringes copyright or trademark laws
- Posts spam or advertisements, promotes products or services, or engages in coordinated inauthentic behavior
- Engages in political campaigning or lobbying
- Duplicates or repeats previous posts
- Engages in deliberate impersonation or trolling
- Includes personal attacks of any kind

LOR will also remove comments that violate Facebook's Terms of Service and Community Standards. We expect the use of our social media platforms as a place where ideas and information are shared in a respectful manner. If a user repeatedly violates the LOR comment guidelines in their comments or messages, or engages in other disruptive behavior, LOR reserves the right to block them from all of our social media channels. AI Transparency

The LOR Foundation may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with content creation, research, data analysis, and administrative tasks. AI-generated content is reviewed by staff before publication. AI-generated and AI-assisted information may contain errors or omissions. Users should not rely solely on AI-generated and AI-assisted content when making important decisions.

With training from Libby High School  CTE Programs, local young adults have secured internships at area businesses. Work...
09/03/2026

With training from Libby High School CTE Programs, local young adults have secured internships at area businesses. Working within their high school-driven trades, they are making an impact on the local economy supported by local employers. Learn more in our recent story about how Libby educators are working with area employers to support Career and Technical Education.
https://lorfoundation.org/stories/career-pathways-create-opportunity-for-libby-youth-and-businesses/
(Photos by Hunter D'Antuono)

09/03/2026
We have a winner!! Amber Ruhter   was the first to correctly comment on our "Where in Libby Wednesday!" Thanks to all of...
09/02/2026

We have a winner!! Amber Ruhter was the first to correctly comment on our "Where in Libby Wednesday!" Thanks to all of you for playing along this summer.

As summer turns to fall, it's time for our last  "Where in Libby, Wednesday" of 2026.  Haven't played yet? That's okay; ...
09/02/2026

As summer turns to fall, it's time for our last "Where in Libby, Wednesday" of 2026. Haven't played yet? That's okay; I will explain how it works; I upload a partial picture of a Libby landmark, and you guess where it is- the winner gets bragging rights till next year's series. Don’t recognize the clue? That's okay too; it's a great excuse to get out and enjoy our little community while having fun. Good luck!

For Lincoln County adults in recovery from substance use and trauma, the Lincoln County Recovery First Drop-In Center pr...
08/31/2026

For Lincoln County adults in recovery from substance use and trauma, the Lincoln County Recovery First Drop-In Center provides free peer support, wellness programming, and crisis drop-in services—but a one-month funding gap threatened to temporarily close the center before incoming grant funding takes effect. Since opening, the center has served numerous unique individuals across more than 1,600 participant visits and 144 groups, workshops, and activities, and even a short closure risks disengagement and relapse for a population where continuity of care matters most. When Alisha Barrows, Program Coordinator for Libby's Recovery First Drop-In Center, recognized the threat this gap posed, she reached out to LOR for support. LOR's funding will help the Recovery First Drop-In Center cover staff wages and phone service for the remaining month of the gap, allowing the center to maintain regular hours, continue peer support and wellness programming, and serve participants each month until new grant funding takes effect in October 2026. The investment will protect the relationships, routines, and support that Lincoln County residents in recovery depend on, ensuring the center remains a stable, accessible resource without interruption. For more information on the Drop In Center, contact Alisha at 406-283-2318.
If you have ideas to support the Libby community, contact Tabitha at [email protected].

Come grab your FREE nachos and learn about LOR Foundation
08/27/2026

Come grab your FREE nachos and learn about LOR Foundation

Don't miss Tabitha this afternoon at The Farmers Market at Libby. She will be handing out free nachos and talking with y...
08/27/2026

Don't miss Tabitha this afternoon at The Farmers Market at Libby. She will be handing out free nachos and talking with you about your community solutions!
Your Town. Your Ideas. Our Support.

Got the ingredients for a community project? Let’s add one more: funding.Come see Tabitha  from 3- 6 p.m. tomorrow at Th...
08/26/2026

Got the ingredients for a community project? Let’s add one more: funding.
Come see Tabitha from 3- 6 p.m. tomorrow at The Farmers Market at Libby and learn how LOR can help make funding your ideas "NACHO PROBLEM"

We have a winner!! Brian Zimmerman  was the first to correctly comment on our "Where in Libby Wednesday!" Didn't win? Th...
08/26/2026

We have a winner!! Brian Zimmerman was the first to correctly comment on our "Where in Libby Wednesday!" Didn't win? That is okay; we will have another chance next Wednesday. Follow the page and keep an eye out for next week's clue.

It's time once again for "Where in Libby, Wednesday." Haven't played yet? That's okay; I will explain how it works; I up...
08/26/2026

It's time once again for "Where in Libby, Wednesday." Haven't played yet? That's okay; I will explain how it works; I upload a partial picture of a Libby landmark, and you guess where it is- the winner gets bragging rights and a LOR water bottle. Don’t recognize the clue? That's okay too; it's a great excuse to get out and enjoy our little community while having fun. Good luck!

After six years, 500 community projects, and more than $3.5 million of investment, the LOR Foundation ended grantmaking ...
08/04/2026

After six years, 500 community projects, and more than $3.5 million of investment, the LOR Foundation ended grantmaking in Lander, Wyoming, in June and moved on to Buffalo. We learned a lot in those six years. Some of the learning confirmed our hunches. For example, if you make funding easy to access—no formal applications, no deadlines, and quick turn-around times so folks have the money they need in a couple of weeks—regular people will make things happen for their community. Lander did; close to 300 locals stepped forward to lead projects that made Lander even better than it already was. And that’s to say nothing of the hundreds of friends, relatives, and volunteers who helped each project become a reality. Meet some of them in this short film, which celebrates the incredible work we got to do with the Lander community.

https://lorfoundation.org/stories/lander-and-lor-six-years-of-community-work/

📹 Kyle Duba

After six years, nearly 500 community projects, and roughly $3.5 million of investment, the LOR Foundation is leaving the incredible community of Lander in June 2026. We’ve learned a lot in those six years. Some of the learning confirmed our hunches. For example, if you make funding easy to access...

Over the last three decades, rural counties across the U.S. have lost on average 10% to 20% of 15- to 29-year-olds due t...
07/23/2026

Over the last three decades, rural counties across the U.S. have lost on average 10% to 20% of 15- to 29-year-olds due to migration. Libby, Montana, struggled to retain its young people, too, but investment in a series of local career and technical education (CTE) efforts has started to turn that tide. Over the last four years, Libby residents have launched more than a dozen CTE projects with funding from LOR Foundation. Now homegrown talent is staying local and businesses are tapping into a skilled workforce. Read about what the innovative residents of Libby are doing to change the trend at https://lorfoundation.org/stories/career-pathways-create-opportunity-for-libby-youth-and-businesses/.

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: Wheelchair ramps are essential pieces of equipment for Weiser, Idaho, residents who use mobility d...
07/13/2026

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: Wheelchair ramps are essential pieces of equipment for Weiser, Idaho, residents who use mobility devices to access their homes or other buildings. But they also cost as much as $20,000 each and are rarely covered by insurance, limiting access and freedom of movement for those with mobility challenges.

Fortunately, a Weiser nonprofit had a plan: Secure several temporary ramps and lend them out as needed. Recently, The Daily Yonder explored how Love INC of Washington County is providing this critical resource, a project the LOR Foundation was proud to support.

When Melinda Nelson moved to Weiser, Idaho, in 2019, she bought a house with her mother and sister that has three steps leading to the entrance. Nelson

Love seeing Lander, Wyoming's innovative local farming community celebrated in WyoFile and the The Daily Yonder. LOR has...
07/01/2026

Love seeing Lander, Wyoming's innovative local farming community celebrated in WyoFile and the The Daily Yonder. LOR has been proud to support several of the groups and initiatives mentioned in Katie Klingsporn's insightful piece. Keep on growin', Lander!

This story is co-published with Wyofile. A meadowlark fills the air with its melody, singing above the rumble of the nearby Popo Agie River, in central

06/22/2026

The LOR Foundation is excited to support a new grant opportunity with the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable for rural communities across the Mountain West.

The Mountain West Rural Outdoor Health and Recreation Grants support locally led outdoor recreation projects that improve community health, quality of life, and access to the outdoors, from building and improving trails and recreation assets to launching outdoor wellness programs and forging partnerships with local clinics, schools, parks, public health organizations, outdoor businesses, and more.

Applications are open now and close July 10, with selected communities announced in early August.

Learn more and apply on ORR's grant application page:

The Daily Yonder 's Ilana Newman provides a fascinating look at how rye is having something of a renaissance in the San ...
05/27/2026

The Daily Yonder 's Ilana Newman provides a fascinating look at how rye is having something of a renaissance in the San Luis Valley, thanks to its remarkable drought-tolerance, and two women behind the Rye Resurgence Project: https://dailyyonder.com/rye-resurgence-colorado/2026/05/12/

LOR is happy to support the Yonder's expanded coverage of coverage of rural communities in the Mountain West.

Rye uses less water than barley, potatoes, or alfalfa, other common crops in the San Luis Valley. A local group is helping farmers sell rye.

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: For years, Weiser, Idaho, locals have been clamoring for a central place to gather outside of thei...
05/20/2026

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: For years, Weiser, Idaho, locals have been clamoring for a central place to gather outside of their homes and work—a “third space.” With support from LOR, Weiser Public Library director Timbra Long has delivered that space. The library now hosts a variety of classes and workshops for the entire community—digital literacy, adult bookclub, teen takeover nights, among them—and has seen thousands more visitors each year.

“We hear a lot that libraries are just places that have books," Long said. "But they’re really community hubs."

Learn more about this unique rural Idaho project at

Over the last five years, the Weiser Public Library has added computer classes, teen nights, a book club, and other programs, bringing residents together to talk, laugh, and learn. (Photo by Sarah Miller)

“As an organization dedicated to helping local people improve quality of life across all kinds of issues, LOR regularly ...
05/12/2026

“As an organization dedicated to helping local people improve quality of life across all kinds of issues, LOR regularly sees the critical role local news outlets play in rural communities. Supporting them means ensuring the people who live in rural places… have access to the essential information they need and deserve.” —Gary Wilmot, LOR executive director

We appreciate Martha Ramirez's thorough reporting on the need for rural media funding in Inside Philanthropy. Thank you for including us!

Support for nonprofit local news is on the rise, but there's still vast need in underserved rural areas. Here's how several funding efforts are shaping up.

How can people in rural towns overcome barriers and transform their communities? LOR spoke with Wyoming mom and voluntee...
05/02/2026

How can people in rural towns overcome barriers and transform their communities? LOR spoke with Wyoming mom and volunteer Amber Peckham-Jones about how she launched several projects supporting individuals with disabilities and their families in Lander.

Amber Peckham-Jones, a Lander mom and advocate, has made it her mission to make life better for those with disabilities in Lander. With LOR's support, she has led three community projects, becoming a dedicated champion and leader. (Photo by Kristy Cardinal)

Thrilled to see Phil Henderson's Full Circle Rural Repair initiative profiled in Outside Magazine. This cool Cortez, Col...
04/22/2026

Thrilled to see Phil Henderson's Full Circle Rural Repair initiative profiled in Outside Magazine. This cool Cortez, Colorado, project teaches local residents, especially young people, how to repair outdoor gear—providing them with valuable skills while helping keep gear out of landfills.

Phil's program is precisely the kind of thoughtful, locally led project the LOR Foundation is excited to support.

Learn more:

Philip Henderson, the director of Full Circle Everest, continues to tell the mission’s story to outdoor groups and schools

Address

417 Mineral Avenue , Suite 6
Libby, MT
59923

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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