Ever since the first Grand Targhee Bluegrass Camp (now, Targhee Music Camp) was held in August of 2005, countless volunteer hours and incredible amounts of personal time and dedication have always been a big part of organizing and running the Music Camp successfully. The dedication and donation of time was commendable, but burnout was starting to take its toll on the organizers and volunteers.
Seeing that this level of unpaid volunteering may become an issue for the sustainability of the camp, two campers, Rick Johnson and David Susong, came up with the idea of creating a 501(c)(3) Non-profit to subsidize the camp and assist with general expenses.
In December of 2014, former camper and volunteer Rob Williams established a non-profit corporation in the state of Wyoming, and began to put together the necessary documents to apply to the IRS for tax-exempt status. A board was established with Rick and David becoming the President and Vice-President (respectively) and former camper Diane Davis assuming duties of Treasurer/Secretary. An initial board meeting was held and initial plans and budgets were reviewed and organized. In May of 2015, the paperwork was filed and in just six short weeks, the Targhee Music Foundation became an official 501(c)(3) organization just before the start of the 10th Annual Targhee Music Camp.