EBS STAFF
Boyne Resorts, parent company of Big Sky Resort, has announced its vision for the Boyne Forever Foundation, a new 501(c)(3) charity launched in late 2025.
Locals first learned of the new foundation in November when Big Sky Resort organized an auction to ride the first Explorer Gondola cabins at the lift’s Dec. 20 grand opening. The auction ultimately raised $11,200 as one of the foundation’s first fundraisers.
In a Jan. 21 press release, the company shared more details about the foundation’s goal to unite all 13 of Boyne’s properties under a shared mission to safeguard the environment, invest in surrounding communities and empower staff. The “strategic philanthropic initiative” aims to amplify all 13 resorts’ collective impact and support year-over-year support for local and national causes, marking “a historic milestone for the company,” according to the release.
Stephen Kircher, Boyne CEO and BFF board president, noted that the foundation helps organize and strengthen Boyne’s commitment to its community values held by the family-run business since 1948.
“For nearly eight decades, our family has understood that stewarding these mountain communities, the land, and our people is both a privilege and a responsibility,” Kircher stated in the release. “Through this independent foundation, we are formalizing and reinforcing those commitments: profound respect for the environment, advocacy for the communities that host our resorts, and gratitude to the employees and guests who carry this legacy forward.”
The foundation will operate as an independent public charity with funding through corporate sponsorships, employee donations and community donations. Funding requests for environmental initiatives, community projects and scholarship grants will be reviewed on an annual basis, beginning in spring 2026 with awards announced on June 30.
“Hardship grants” for employees and requests for in-kind donations will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year, according to the release.
Michelle Wein, assistant ski patrol director at Boyne Mountain in Michigan, will serve as the foundation’s executive director.
Wein, a Michigan native, grew up skiing at Boyne Mountain and believes it has shaped her character. Boyne views Wein as an embodiment of the “authentic relationship” between the resorts and their surrounding communities, according to the release.
“The Boyne Forever Foundation is about honoring the legacy of both the places and the people that have shaped the Boyne Resorts family for decades,” Wein stated in the release. “Each resort is unique, but we all share the same values and respect for the heritage sports, natural places and mountain communities that have endured for generations—and ensuring they endure for generations to come.”
Professional snowboarder Zoe Kalapos will serve as an ambassador, and expressed support for the foundation’s goal to ensure future athletes have access to life-changing winter sports. The foundation also announced a partnership with snow grooming machinery company PistenBully, “whose decades-long relationship with Boyne Resorts now extends beyond business as they formally align with the Foundation’s mission,” the release explained. PistenBully reps noted that Boyne operates one of the largest PistenBully fleets in North America.
Grants awarded by the foundation will not be divided equally across Boyne communities, but the foundation “aims for equitable impact” based on community needs, program alignment and available resources, according to the website.
The foundation’s three core pillars provide more detail on the grant categories: environmental, community and staff. The pillars, and the portal to apply for grants, are visible on BFF’s website.
