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.

“If we are kind and polite, the world will be right.” Paddington Bear 🐻🍊 This community has shown so much kindness and h...
05/27/2026

“If we are kind and polite, the world will be right.” Paddington Bear 🐻🍊 This community has shown so much kindness and heart over the past four years, and I’m so excited to invite all of you to LOR’s 4th Anniversary Celebration at Riverfront Park on July 11! We’ll have BBQ, cake, community thank-you gifts, and an outdoor screening of Paddington under the stars.

Bring a blanket, bring your people, and come celebrate with us! 🎉 View the official trailer here: https://youtu.be/CxeBdrGGU8U?si=Ewox41XXQVXl06Ow

Tabitha is stepping away from the office this week and next week to attend training in order to better serve the Libby c...
05/26/2026

Tabitha is stepping away from the office this week and next week to attend training in order to better serve the Libby community. While our office may be closed, if you need to reach out, feel free to email [email protected], and we will respond as time allows.

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)

The LOR Office will be closed, Friday, May 22, 2026, through Monday, May 25, 2026.On this day, we pause not just our wor...
05/19/2026

The LOR Office will be closed, Friday, May 22, 2026, through Monday, May 25, 2026.
On this day, we pause not just our work — but our hearts — to honor the men and women who gave everything in service to this country.
We are grateful. We remember. We do not take it for granted.
The LOR Office will reopen Tuesday, May 26th. Wishing you a meaningful and reflective holiday. 🇺🇸

Libby youth have few creative youth-led outlets for theater and the performing arts, leaving many young people without o...
05/13/2026

Libby youth have few creative youth-led outlets for theater and the performing arts, leaving many young people without opportunities to develop artistic skills or express themselves. Two local residents decided to fill this gap and set out to create a youth-led performing arts group. LOR's funding helped them establish Voices Unfolding Theater, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, secure venue rentals, purchase costumes, and launch promotional campaigns for recruitment and performances. The new nonprofit will provide Libby youth with dedicated opportunities in theater and spoken word, fostering creativity, confidence, and connection among participants.

Don't miss out on Voices Unfolding's 1st Annual Bell Awards next week at the Maki Theater!

This project is fiscally sponsored by Libby Area Community Advancement.

“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

Although the LOR Foundation  will be closed tomorrow, Tabitha will be available to meet at the LOR table during the Rura...
04/22/2026

Although the LOR Foundation will be closed tomorrow, Tabitha will be available to meet at the LOR table during the Rural NW Montana Workforce Expo at the Kootenai Heritage Council - Libby Memorial Events Center between 8 am and 2 pm. Come out, visit all the booths, and see what employment opportunities are available

Sometimes, the best things in life are simple and inexpensive. That was the case when Members of Student Voice, the scho...
04/16/2026

Sometimes, the best things in life are simple and inexpensive. That was the case when Members of Student Voice, the school’s student body group, noticed that some of their classmates felt excluded because they couldn’t or didn’t want to use the playground equipment. Libby Elementary’s playground offers great equipment for active play, but students who preferred quieter activities during recess had nowhere to sit except on the ground. So, they came up with a solution. LOR’s $450 in funding helped Student Voice purchase wooden picnic tables for the Libby Elementary School playground, giving students who prefer drawing, games, or quiet conversation a designated place to enjoy their break time.
If you have a community solution, no matter how small the need, reach out to Tabitha at [email protected] and see how LOR may be able to help.

Photo Credit: The Western News

Happy 406 Day! They say Montana is the Last Best Place — and if you've ever spent time in Libby, you know exactly why. I...
04/06/2026

Happy 406 Day!
They say Montana is the Last Best Place — and if you've ever spent time in Libby, you know exactly why. It's not just the mountains, the rivers, or the miles of open sky. It's the people. The volunteers, the coaches, the folks who wave from their trucks and mean it. The ones who make Libby feel like home — and the reason those who leave always find a way back.
Today, LOR wants to take a moment to celebrate YOU — the incredible people who make this corner of the 406 so special. We are proud to call this community home, and even prouder to serve it.

Hope you all had a very Happy Easter!
04/06/2026

Hope you all had a very Happy Easter!

Food insecurity has jumped by  more than 30% in recent years—and small communities in the Mountain West are doing someth...
02/10/2026

Food insecurity has jumped by more than 30% in recent years—and small communities in the Mountain West are doing something about it. Amid federal cuts, people in the rural Mountain West are finding ways to fill the gaps and feed their neighbors—whether that’s finding ways to distribute food to those who need it most or stretching a dollar to make food go just a little bit further. Underlying nearly every one of these efforts lies one idea: resourcefulness.

Learn more about the creative solutions rural communities like Questa and Taos, New Mexico, and Lander, Wyoming, are undertaking to tackle rising hunger:

✏️ Aedan Hannon
📸 Ryan Michelle Scavo

Volunteers with Taos' Shared Table Food Pantry load a car with boxes on Dec. 23, 2025. The food will be transported by family, friends, and community members to residents who can't visit the pantry on its biweekly distribution day. Photo by Ryan Michelle Scavo

For anyone who's counting (ahem LOR Foundation), Lander Lil just slid into second place in National Oceanic and Atmosphe...
02/03/2026

For anyone who's counting (ahem LOR Foundation), Lander Lil just slid into second place in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s rankings of most accurate "groundhog" prognosticators of spring. (Never mind that Lil is a prairie dog and a bronzed one at that.)

Seems to us that anyone looking for the best guess at when spring will arrive should skip Phil (who is only correct about a third of the time) and go with Lil, who is right 8 out of 10 times!

In honor of Groundhog Day and in the spirit of fun, we pitted groundhogs from all over the United States against each other — and data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information — to see who’s the most accurate.

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: In Taos, New Mexico, an innovative  electrical co-op is launching a home battery initiative to pro...
01/26/2026

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: In Taos, New Mexico, an innovative electrical co-op is launching a home battery initiative to protect medically vulnerable residents.

More than 4.5 million U.S. households that rely on electricity for medical devices report experiencing outages that put their health at risk. For these households, a power outage is not an inconvenience, but a medical emergency that can shut off oxygen concentrators and life-sustaining devices. This is especially true for residents of rural communities who typically lack easy access to backup options in the case of an emergency.

In Taos, New Mexico, between 2020 and 2024, unplanned power outages in Taos increased by 51%, jeopardizing the health of some of community’s most vulnerable residents, including those dependent on oxygen concentrators, dialysis machines, and other life-sustaining equipment. Recognizing the critical need, staff with Kit Carson Electric Cooperative came up with a plan to launch a pilot program that would install home battery backup systems for five households with medically vulnerable residents. The systems will provide up to eight hours of backup power during outages, while excess energy will be returned to the grid. If the model proves effective, Kit Carson hopes to scale their solution with additional funding, expanding protection for some of northern New Mexico’s most at-risk residents.

This kind of thoughtful, innovation is exactly the kind of project the LOR Foundation is excited to support. Learn more at https://lorfoundation.org/solutions/home-battery-systems-protect-taos-medically-vulnerable-residents/.

Between 2020 and 2024, unplanned power outages in Taos increased by 51%, jeopardizing the health of some of community’s most vulnerable residents, including those dependent on oxygen concentrators, dialysis machines, and other life-sustaining equipment. Recognizing the critical need, staff with Ki...

01/13/2026

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: In Questa, New Mexico, a youth internship program is preserving Questa's heritage and preparing the next generation of farmers.

In the town of 2,000, farmers and ranchers are, on average, among the oldest in the nation. As they begin to retire or leave the industry, very few young people are prepared to take their place—in part because of the cost of land and equipment but also because of a lack of training and knowledge.

Enter Cultivo. Launched in 2024 at Cerro Vista Farm as a training ground for youth interns, apprentices, and mentors, Cultivo is helping create Questa's next generation of farmers, and the produce grown through the program is sold at the Questa Farmers Market. “This really small experiment that we’re doing here can be part of a bigger solution,” says Gaea McGahee, Cultivo’s program director.

This kind of innovative program that can create an immediate impacts in a community is exactly the kind of project LOR is excited to support. Learn more about Cultivo’s efforts to preserve local agricultural knowledge and prepare the next generation of Questa farmers and ranchers at https://lorfoundation.org/stories/questas-cultivo-grows-knowledge-and-community-through-agricultural-education/.

12/23/2025
Are you—or someone you know—a 21- to 26-year-old living in a Western state who wants to make a difference? Get your appl...
12/01/2025

Are you—or someone you know—a 21- to 26-year-old living in a Western state who wants to make a difference? Get your application for the Western Governors' Association Leadership Institute 2026 Delegate Cohort in by Feb. 6.

western governors’ leadership institute Apply Here for the 2026 delegate cohortApplicants must submit their completed application by February 6, 2026, and ensure that both recommenders submit their letters by the same date for full consideration.Are you a recommender? Click here to submit your let...

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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