The Billings Community Foundation is an innovative community foundation promoting philanthropy and charitable giving in the Greater Yellowstone Valley. As a ‘regional community foundation’, our service encompasses many highly rural communities of south-central and south eastern Montana located in Yellowstone, Musselshell, Rosebud, Custer, Treasure, Bighorn, Carbon, Stillwater, and Fergus County. Our clients include community funds throughout this service area, as well as numerous nonprofits and philanthropic minded individuals.
The predecessor to the Billings Community Foundation was the Greater Yellowstone Region Committee (GYR) of the Montana Community Foundation (MCF). When the MCF board reorganized its regional structure and closed its Billings office in 2006, it was agreed that members of the GYR committee would form a separate Foundation to promote philanthropy and distribute grants from the MCF Matthews Dousman Endowment. This endowment, with a value close to $400,000, came from a unitrust previously established at the MCF for the benefit of the Greater Yellowstone Region.
Since its inception 10 years ago, the Billings Community Foundation has distributed over $431,000 in grants to more than 90 non-profits in the Yellowstone Valley area region, and the number of grants funded into the community by new BCF assets continues to grow! In 2018, BCF awarded more than $96,000 to 22 different non-profits in our region to support their mission, programming, and services!
In addition to grant making activities, the Billings Community Foundation partners with area non-profits to provide workshops, help clients utilize the MT Charitable Income Tax Credit, establishes endowments, manages Donor Advised Funds, Community Funds, and much more while offering consultations upon request!