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The Gianforte Family Foundation formed in 2004 as the charitable outlet for the amassing wealth of Bozeman tech entrepreneurs Susan and Greg Gianforte, who grew the nonprofit into Montana's second largest foundation behind only the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, according to a Gazette State Bureau analysis of federal nonprofit records.

In 2005, the Gianforte Foundation made eight gifts totaling $150,384. In 2013, the latest year for which public records are available, they issued 80 grants totaling almost $6 million leaving the foundation with $133 million in assets. The next largest trust, The Bair Ranch Foundation of Billings, held $91 million in assets and gifted $2 million that same year.

Gianforte, now seeking to become Montana governor in this fall's election, has talked little about his social stances, insisting that his campaign is focused on economic development. In the silence, his Democrat opponents have started to point to the foundation's giving as proof of an “out of the mainstream” agenda. Political scientists have described the donations as typical for a socially conservative Republican.

In an interview with the Gazette State Bureau, Gianforte discussed some details of his family’s giving but largely disagreed that it was relevant to his campaign to become governor.