EBS STAFF
The Yellowstone Club Community Foundation announced its 15-year anniversary this month, celebrating its “transformational impact” through investments in education, housing, arts, health care, culture and community infrastructure in Big Sky, the Gallatin Valley and southwest Montana.
Created in 2010, YCCF has invested more than $46 million in community-led initiatives and forged more than 150 partnerships with regional nonprofits, according to a YCCF press release.
“As we look back on the past 15 years, we are filled with gratitude for the partners, donors, and community members who have made this work possible,” Ciara Wolfe, YCCF’s vice president of philanthropy, stated in the release. “Together, we’ve helped shape a more resilient, connected and livable community. And we’re just getting started.”
The organization focuses on providing “philanthropic leadership” through grants and sponsorships to regional nonprofits, scholarships to students, “capacity-building” community programs and “coordination of collaborative responses to the region’s complex needs,” the release explained. The foundation is funded by members and guests of the Yellowstone Club.
In Big Sky specifically, YCCF operates the Big Sky Thrift store, Volunteer Big Sky—an online hub for volunteer opportunities hosted by local nonprofits—and numerous targeted investments in the community’s livability. In the release, YCCF highlighted 15 projects that exemplify its mission.
Among them, YCCF has provided significant support for the Big Sky School District, Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center, BASE Community Center, Wellness in Action, Big Sky Community Housing Trust, Warren Miller Performing Arts Center and scholarships for Gallatin County high school graduates pursuing postsecondary education.
BSSD Superintendent Dr. Dustin Shipman shared a statement of gratitude to the years of support from YCCF.
“From pre-school funding to staff housing initiatives; and wellness programming for our staff to start-up funds for our International Baccalaureate program, the YCCF never fails to show up and support the public school. The school district has many accolades to their credit over the last 15 years, none of which would have been possible were it not for the year in, year-out support provided by the YCCF,” Shipman stated in the release.
The foundation will look to continue its impact moving forward, and will conduct a strategic impact plan in 2026 to align its future impact with priorities in the region.
