Feathered Pipe Foundation - Feathered Pipe 'Good Works': Our Ongoing Projects

Feathered Pipe ‘Good Works’: Goals, projects & how you can help

We invite you to support our vision of a healthy and sustainable world through inspiring individuals to live a more healthy and conscious life. We provide the Feathered Pipe Ranch as a magical place for transformation, inspiration, and growth. Learn more here about our ‘good works’, how we plan to make it happen, and how you can help. There are many ways to contribute to the Feathered Pipe and help us thrive long into the future.

.

Goals, Needs & Dreams

.

Feathered Pipe ‘Good Works’: Our Ongoing Projects - Non-Profit FundraisingProviding Life-Changing Educational Programs

Great teachers and word of mouth are the main reasons people initially come to the Ranch. Once here, guests experience nature, love, and healing as they learn. Their healing and education serves not only their highest good, but humanity’s as they embody both their own personal mission and an enhanced commitment to community. That’s how more good ripples into the world. To help us with this, please let us know about your favorite true teachers, teach a workshop at the Ranch, register to attend a retreat, and/or tell your friends about the Ranch and Feathered Pipe Foundation.

Explore our current Feathered Pipe Health, Wellness and Yoga Retreat schedule here.

Building and Serving a Wide Community

At the heart of our work is cultivating a community, platform, and space to teach and learn compassion and higher consciousness.

Through our podcast The Dandelion Effect  we open up inspirational teachings to the world and give you a taste of what we do in our educational programs at Feathered Pipe. With the podcast and networking, we support local Montana-based and worldwide organizations and people doing work complementary to our mission.

Our  Scholarship Fund makes our programs accessible to a wide audience. We aim to provide scholarships to at least 15% of our hosted-program attendants with the intention of making it possible for people from diverse social and economic backgrounds to come to the Ranch.

Being and feeling a part of the Feathered Pipe Family comes naturally when at the Ranch as you enjoy the hospitality and soak in the positive energy of the people and place. Many people make lifelong friends as deep connections are made. We foster these connections (when we can’t be together in person) through our online events and social media.

Sustaining and Growing Humanitarian Service and Educational Projects

Whenever possible, we use income from successful retreats to seed new initiatives that are not immediately self-supporting and to host pro-bono retreats. These initiatives typically help us expand our circle to address and understand emerging challenges to human wellbeing, and sometimes even lead to the formation of new, independent organizations such as the Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation and Veterans Yoga Project. We’d like to continue to build our Mindful Unplug Experience, hosting free retreats for worthy causes, and work with other organizations for a better world.

Continuous Conscious Caretaking

Our ongoing and concerted efforts as caretakers are aimed at maintaining and improving the facilities in keeping with our environmental values while enhancing the experience for guests, teachers, and staff at the Feathered Pipe Ranch. This includes upgrading the facilities with projects such as new lodging options and general repairs, refurbishing essential supplies like linens, beds, and yoga props, and also creating a socially supportive (work, play, and learn) environment that offers a chance for all to grow and be the best humans they can be.

Cultivating Environmental Sustainability

Since our inception in 1975, caring for our environment and conducting our business in a sustainable fashion with a focus on health has remained a pillar encompassing everything from the food we eat to our energy usage.

We’ve redoubled our long-term commitment  to organically-grown, locally-sourced food. In addition to serving gourmet, organic food at the Ranch, we also regularly promote and educate about sustainable agriculture and clean energy through our podcast, online content, and networking.

Our aim is to become net zero within the next few years and we are exploring the options for solar power, as well as looking at buildings that can serve as a model of efficiency and beauty.

Feeding the Feathered Pipe Dream Financially

The longevity and realization of the “Feathered Pipe Dream” comes from maintaining long-term financial stability for the Feathered Pipe Foundation by having inspiring teachers, full workshops, sustainable budgeting, disciplined revenue management, grant writing, and active and engaging fundraising campaigns. Within our sustainable budgeting we focus on holistic financial stability that includes the advancement and support of our staff.

.

DONATE

.

Feathered Pipe 'Good Works': Our Ongoing Projects - Feathered Pipe FoundationMany Ways to Contribute

.

1. Register for a Workshop at the Ranch
2. General fund donation
3. Sponsor a project
4. Donate stock
5. Leave a legacy gift
6. Help us network
7. Volunteer your time doing what you do best

.

Register for a Workshop

One of the most fun ways to help us and yourself is to come to the Feathered Pipe Ranch. Spend a week learning from a world-class teacher in a nurturing environment while taking a step back from your busy life and focusing on the moment. Read about upcoming workshops.

General Donation

Employer Matching Donations

Did you know many employers will match donations that their employees make to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations? If you are planning on making a donation to Feathered Pipe Foundation, consider checking in with your employer to see if they will match it to double the power of your donation.

Sponsor a Project

Each project contributes to our goals, needs and/or dreams.

Scholarship Program

Timeline: Ongoing
Needs: $40,000+ per year in Monetary Donations

Description: We continue to work hard to raise funds for our scholarship program, which assists those who have the intention and heart but may not have the financial ability to afford participating in a Feathered Pipe retreat. Currently we offer scholarships that cover 25-70% of tuition and accommodation for our hosted workshops. Awards are typically $500-$1500.  Donate here.

Native Plants and Pollinator Project

Timeline: Ongoing
Needs: $5000 per year

Description: With the help of a grant from DNRC and Lewis & Clark Conservation District, in 2023 we launched the Native Plants and Pollinator Project to continue our work to improve the habitat (and lives) of pollinators and increase biodiversity at and around Feathered Pipe Ranch. This will be an ongoing project in our commitment doing our part for a quality environment. We renew landscaping around the buildings by planting and/or seeding pollinator-friendly plants, remove invasive species and seed native pollinator-friendly plants around the property to better integrate developed areas into the surrounding nature, provide a mini outdoor curated library with nature and wellbeing related books, build bird houses, and have an educational component.

Tech Infrastructure: Website and Database Development

Timeline: 2023-2024
Cost: $40,000 ($15,000 already funded, need $25,000)

Description: We are modernizing and improving our website and database facilities. This includes client portal development, improved methods of staying in touch with and collecting information from clients from registration through workshop attendance, and website enhancements.

Kitchen Renovation Project

Timeline: 2024 and beyond
Cost: $40,000

Description: We plan to get a new commercial range and oven and name it “Wellsie” in honor of our dear friend Mike Wells, as well as other much needed kitchen-related improvements.

Marissa-Kanduri Helping Hands Initiative

Timeline: Ongoing
Needs: $10,000 per year

Description: Made possible in 2023 thanks to generous support from Sudhanshu Kar (“Sudz”), Marissa-Kanduri Helping Hands Initiative provides financial support to core members of our hardworking and passionate team in education-related endeavors and self-initiated projects that align with and enhance the Foundation’s values and needs. This ongoing initiative makes scholarship available to qualifying seasonal employees to help them explore their creativity and pursue continuing education.

Path to Net Zero: Solar and/or Hydro-Electric Power

Timeline: Open
Needs: $350,000- 500,000 in grants and funding. We are getting estimated costs and plan.

Description: We’d like to become net zero the Ranch and we have potential for solar and/or hydropower. By far, most of our electric use is during the summer when we also fortunate enough to have a lot of sun. If you have connections at a solar company or expertise in this field, please contact us.

Archival Multimedia & Book Project

Timeline: Ongoing 3-5 years
Needs: $500-$2500 per month as a writer and interviewer’s retainer. Volunteer work from skilled writers and archivists, filmmakers, people to scan in the archives and money to enable us to hire people to do this. We don’t have a budget for the whole project yet as it is still taking shape, but as we create each part we can already use it in our promotion and is immediately useful to us.

Description: We hope to have this ready, at least in part, by the 50th anniversary. We will archive all the photos, brochures and stories of the Feathered Pipe to turn into an online multimedia adventure with videos, audio recordings, interviews, stories and photos and hopefully into a printed book. Inquire here.

Healing Peace Garden

Timeline: Ongoing
Needs: Sponsor a gardener for $10,000 per year (any portion is great), volunteer gardeners, Sponsor yearly annuals $2000.
In-kind donations: flowers (check with us first as to specific needs), tools, volunteers

Description: We are working towards making part of the garden into a kitchen garden from which we can harvest herbs and food to use in our delicious recipes. The garden at the Ranch is a special place with a beautiful Stonehenge-like gate made by local artist and friend Bruce Bunger. The garden serves as a healing place for the gardeners and visitors alike. Working with the earth and being among plants can help us process our grief, breathe in the fresh air and get immersed in the joy of the moment with the flowers and strawberries. The garden also takes a lot of upkeep and we’d like to call out to all of garden fans to help us maintain our healing garden.

Yurts and Tiny Houses

Timeline: Open
Needs: $30,000 per yurt with platform and supplies, Looking for expertise and information in tiny houses or sustainable buildings for other options.

Description: Yurts are a fun place to stay. We love our yurts and would like to have more for our guests and staff. We are also looking in to building tiny houses or some type of micro-cabin that can function as comfortable upgraded accommodation while serving as a model of efficiency and beauty. If this is your area of expertise or you know someone who can help, please contact us.

Wildfire Protection System

Timeline: 2024-2025
Needs: Details to come.

Description: The Ranch is located right in the middle of thousands of acres of virtually untouched forest. To help protect us in case of wildfire, we are working on creating a water truck system to be on grounds.

Roof Repairs & Replacements

Timeline: 2021 and beyond – COMPLETED
Cost: $41,000 ($15,000 already funded, need $26,000)

Description: In the past few years, we’ve already replaced roofs on several of the structures. However, there are still many that are in need of repair or replacement in the not too distant future. We plan to install metal roofs on three buildings in October 2023.

The Dandelion Effect Podcast

Timeline: 2020-2023 – COMPLETED

Description: The Dandelion Effect podcast is a space for organic conversation about the magic of living a connected life. Just like the natural world around us, we are all linked through an intricate web, a never-ending ripple that spans across the globe. Here, we explore the ideas that our guests carry through the world, remember who and what inspired them along the way, and uncover the seeds that helped them blossom into their unique version of this human experience. The talented Andy Vantrease interviews some of the amazing teachers who have taught or worked at the Ranch and beyond. Listen to The Dandelion Effect Podcast 

Cistern Repairs & Updates

Timeline: 2021-2022 – COMPLETED
Projected Cost: $33,000-$40,000

Description: Our water cistern, built in 2017, has recently had to go through some repairs and updates.

Floor Refurbishing and Refinishing

Timeline: 2022 – COMPLETED
Projected Cost: $12,000

Description: The beautiful (and soft) pine floors are in need of sanding, filling the cracks, and refinishing.

Road & Parking Lot Leveling and Maintenance

Timeline: 2022 – COMPLETED
Projected Cost: $25,000

Description: Due to our wild weather conditions and erosion, our dirt road and our parking lot are in need of leveling, grading, and reinforcement.

Dam and Spillway Improvement

Timeline: 2022 – COMPLETED
Projected Cost: $65,000

Description: We had an engineer preemptively inspect the dam of at our gorgeous lake. The good news is that the earth dam is after so many years in pretty solid shape. Based on his suggestions for longevity and safety (not to mention peace of mind for neighbors who live downhill from us), we are undertaking preventative maintenance and improvement to raise and resurface the dam and add another spillway to aid in flood mitigation.

Sound Absorption System and Chillax Corner for Dining Hall

Timeline: 2022 COMPLETED
Cost: $8000

Description: We have improved the overall comfort in the Dining Hall by adding a sound absorption system with acoustic panels, curtains, and “chillax” corner with a couch and chairs.

Yoga Supplies

Timeline: Ongoing
Needs: In-kind or monetary donation: about $5000 per year

Description: Yoga mats, wool blankets, foam blocks and other supplies are in need of upgrade and replacement on an ongoing basis so we can keep supplies clean and fresh. We like to buy these from small businesses when at all possible.

General Supplies

Timeline: Ongoing
Needs: In-kind or monetary donations: about $20,000 per year

Description: Mattresses, lanterns, bed sheets, comforters, shower curtains, towels, etc.

New Bathhouse

Description: Details to come

Donate stock

You can transfer stock directly to our brokerage account. Donations of appreciated stock can be a tax-deduction for you, you don’t pay capital gains and neither does Feathered Pipe if it sells the stocks. Genius!

How to donate stock to Feathered Pipe Foundation

Ask your broker or check on the website where you have your brokerage account about how give shares or securities to an organization. We will give your our DTC number and you can transfer the stock. Please let us know when you are planning to donate the stock so we can send you a receipt. Stock donations arrive anonymously. Instructions and details on how to donate stock.

Long-term investment stock (i.e. you’ve owned for more than 1 year) that has appreciated in value

You get to the deduct the fair market value as a donation, you don’t have to pay the capital gains tax (which can range between 15 and 20 percent), the Foundation gets the full value and is not liable for the tax either.

Example: You bought shares of your favorite company 10 years ago for a total of $1000, but it has gone up and is now worth $5,000. You donate those shares directly to Feathered Pipe Foundation and get to write off the fair market value at the time of transfer, $5000. Feathered Pipe Foundation is a non-profit organization and doesn’t have to pay capital gains if it sells the stock. You avoid having to pay long-term capital gains tax – if you assume a capital gains tax of 15 percent ($600 tax on the $4000 profit) instead of donating $4400, you can donate the full $5000 and also write off that full amount as a charitable contribution. Wins all around.

With stock that has depreciated in value since you bought it, it is better for you to sell, get the deduction for the loss, and donate the cash. Please email us with any questions.

Leave a legacy gift

Legacy gifts are anything that you leave at your passing to benefit an organization. After all, how much do your kids and cats really need?

Legacy gifts can be made through beneficiary designations, a trust, or a will. Ask your estate planning attorney about the best way give a legacy gift to the Feathered Pipe Foundation.

Beneficiary designations enable you to specify directly with your bank or brokerage firm to whom you’d like the account to go when you die. This simplifies the estate planning process by bypassing the probate process and the personal representative of your estate does not have to do anything, rather it goes directly to the beneficiary. You may also specify more than one beneficiary in varying percentages, so your cats, kids, and favorite charity will be properly taken care of. Types of assets that may have beneficiary designations are: brokerage accounts, mutual funds, bank accounts, certificate of deposit, bonds, retirement accounts (like IRAs and 401k), life insurance, and even real estate. Retirement accounts are especially attractive to give to a charity because they are tax-exempt while a family member would end up paying deferred income tax.

If you’d like to help further Feathered Pipe Foundation’s work through a legacy gift, inquire here.

Help us network.

Do you have connections who can help us in any way? Put us in touch. Do you know the editor of or writer for a magazine or newspaper, for example? Tell them about Feathered Pipe for a good story.

Volunteer your time doing what you do best.

Right now, for example, one person is finding and writing some grants for us and another is offering free business consulting. These are highly skilled people who are volunteering their time and it is heartwarming and helpful!

We invite you to support our efforts to usher in a new season of humanity through a financial donation.

Feel free to call us at (406) 442-8196 if you’d like to learn more about the specifics of our projects and how you can be a part of our seva yoga. As well if you desire that your tax-deductible donation go to support specific projects, please contact Executive Director, Crystal Water, at crystal@featheredpipe.com.

.

DONATE

.

You can also help the Feathered Pipe by designating Feathered Pipe Foundation when you purchase items at over 3,000 online stores through Giving Assistant. We also maintain a WishList on Amazon for those who like to help the Feathered Pipe by purchasing supplies we need for the Ranch.

.
How can we help?