By Mario Carr EBS CONTRIBUTOR
The Big Sky Real Estate Collective committed in June to donate $50,000 to the local nonprofit Big Sky Community Organization, and $29,720 to the regional nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation.
The REC is a collection of 11 brokers and agents that have teamed up to donate 1% of their revenue to Big Sky community initiatives, and founder Ania Bulis is hopeful that more members of the Big Sky real estate community will join.
“As a 20-plus year member of the Big Sky real estate community, it is both my pleasure and privilege to participate in helping shape the future of the Big Sky community through the Real Estate Collective,” stated REC member Will Littman in an Aug. 29 press release. “I’m encouraged by our current impact as a fledgling organization and look forward to helping grow the collective in the years to come.”
The organization has donated roughly $200,000 since its inception in November 2022, and the three pillars of their support initiatives are sustainability, affordability and behavioral health. The Yellowstone Club Community Foundation has acted as the nonprofit administrator for the REC since 2022, managing and distributing the money raised by the REC at no cost to the collective.
“[YCCF’s] ability to help us make this happen has been exceptional,” Bulis said in an interview with EBS. She believes it’s very important that members of the Big Sky real estate community make an effort to donate to community projects.
“This year, one of our goals is that for every member that currently exists we can get one other member to contribute,” Bulis said.
The CLLC has been making strides in its project to build two wildlife crossings on U.S. Highway 191. In an attempt to receive federal funding for the two crossings from the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, the CLLC has launched a feasibility study that will conclude in December. The REC’s donation of $29,720 helped fund that study. The CLLC is working with the Montana Department of Transportation to provide an update on how that study is progressing in the near future.
“The Real Estate Collective and BSRAD have allowed us to provide the right kind of information at the right time,” said Deb Davidson, CLLC chief strategy officer in an interview with EBS. In June, the Big Sky Resort Area District granted $179,000 to CLLC’s feasibility study, and $50,000 for action plan implementation.
The BSCO, which received $50,000, has allocated all of the funds to its All Out for Parks and Trails campaign. The money will specifically support the relocation of Camp Big Sky yurts, and the addition of two more yurts that have been donated by the Spanish Peaks Community Foundation. BSCO leaders are hopeful that this campaign will allow Camp Big Sky to accept more children and provide ADA accessibility.
“The Big Sky Community Organization is deeply grateful for the generous support from our local realtors,” wrote Madeleine Feher, BSCO director of operations, in an email to EBS. “Their contribution will have a meaningful impact on our community by helping to enhance the programming and facilities at Camp Big Sky. These funds will allow us to create better experiences for our youth and ensure that our camp continues to be a place of learning, growth, and outdoor adventure.”
