Grant Making
Grantmaking is one of the cornerstones that sets a community foundation apart from other nonprofit organizations. As the nonprofit that takes a comprehensive view of the issues facing the Gallatin Valley, One Valley Community Foundation provides grants to local nonprofits with the intent of making the largest impact and addressing the greatest needs. For over 20 years, One Valley Community Foundation has galvanized and distributed more than $7.7 million to over 250 local nonprofit organizations.
Youth Giving Project
Youth Giving Project is a youth-led grant program that empowers young people to take on active philanthropic leadership roles in their communities. Participants run a grant cycle and are involved at every stage, creating criteria, reviewing applications, and determining which applications to fund.
Gallatin County Nonprofit Vitality Grant
In early 2022, the Gallatin County Commission granted $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding through One Valley Community Foundation to area nonprofits to bolster organizational resiliency and revitalization from the Covid-19 pandemic. Gallatin County Nonprofit Vitality Funds were used by 18 grantees in a variety of ways, including retaining and hiring critical staff, engaging in sustainability planning, and maintaining or expanding programming or service delivery.
Southwest Montana Covid-19 Response Fund
One Valley Community Foundation partnered with the Greater Gallatin United Way to co-host the Southwest Montana COVID-19 Response Fund to provide flexible resources to organizations working with individuals and populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the health and economic consequences of the pandemic. Local funds raised totaled more than $721,000 and were distributed across two phases of grantmaking to 60 organizations.
Bridger Foothills Fire Relief Fund
In 2020, when the Bridger Foothills fire consumed more than 7,000 acres, the greater Bozeman community responded. In total, more than $405,000 was raised locally to assist those impacted by the fire through direct community donations, branded product sales, art auctions and other community-driven efforts. More than 860 donations to the Bridger Foothills Fire Relief Fund were deployed to support 105 individuals from 42 households, plus 6 organizations that responded to the fire and post-fire needs.
Our Grant Funding Impact
Since 1998, One Valley Community Foundation has granted more than $7.7 million to over 250 local nonprofits. These funds have helped young families access much-needed resources, given voice to stories of the Gallatin Valley’s past, provided materials to plant a community garden, increased trail access, and so much more. Read more about the impacts of some of these grants below.
Thrive
Thrive’s mission is for all children to have the opportunity to grow, succeed, and become valuable members of our community. Its programs serve families with children of all ages, providing resources, opportunities, professional services, and one-on-one help to help them reach their goals. A grant from One Valley helped fund Thrive’s Partnership Project which provides young families, those with children ages 5 years old and younger, with the support they need to be successful. That could mean help navigating food assistance programs, finding quality child care, or gaining access to mental health systems.
Extreme History Project
As a nonprofit that tells stories of our area’s history that may otherwise go untold, the Extreme History Project hosts monthly lectures at Museum of the Rockies, leads historic walking tours, and other programs. As a small organization, it can be difficult to operate on project-based funds alone. A general support grant from One Valley helped the Extreme History Project to support its day-to-day work and the success of its programs. This grant made it possible connect the past to the present and bring these stories to the public as a way to better understand our world through the lens of history.
Gallatin Valley Land Trust
Included in its work to connect people, communities, and open lands through conservation and trail creation in the Montana headwaters of the Missouri and Upper Yellowstone Rivers, Gallatin Valley Land Trust facilitates the Main Street to the Mountains trail system. A grant from One Valley helped GVLT build a spur trail that gives residents and staff at the Gallatin Mental Health Center easy access to the existing trail system in the area of Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital. The project came to life after a staff member noticed that connecting the Highland Glen Trail to the mental health center would facilitate increased outdoor recreation opportunities.
Reach Inc.
Reach is a private, nonprofit organization that serves adults in the Gallatin Valley with developmental or other disabilities and empowers them to attain individual goals and aspirations. With the help of a grant from One Valley, Reach purchased soil, plants, and materials to install a raised garden bed at one of its supported living locations, the Willow Townhouse. The garden bed allows clients to contribute to the house by providing fresh produce, reduce the cost of groceries, learn new skills, and experiencing a new independence through the hobby of gardening.
“One Valley Community Foundation is a leader among leaders in fundraising for local nonprofits through Give Big Gallatin Valley and establishing endowments for small organizations while supporting the people who run them. Our nonprofit is the benefactor of their praiseworthy work, and value the opportunities they bring to us!”