Regional nonprofit Greater Gallatin United Way is taking on a “transformational” project to renovate unused medical lab space into a resource hub and office spaces for like-minded nonprofits in the Bozeman area.
Kim Hall, CEO of GGUW, said GGUW has been investing in the community and responding to the needs of working families and partner nonprofits since 1978.
“This is what our community needs now,” Hall told the Chronicle. “We’re listening, we’re responding, we’re bringing people together through collaboration because no organization can operate or solve challenges alone.”
GGUW is under contract to purchase the 7,100-square-foot building owned by Bozeman Health, currently used as a laboratory with much of its space sitting idle for the past four years. The building is located at 120 North 19th Avenue beside the Safeway grocery store.
GGUW envisions a nonprofit impact center featuring a handful of offices available for stable and below-market leases to nonprofits needing a home base, plus flexible space for up to 50 nonprofits needing occasional use for functions including board meetings and interviews.
The goal is to help nonprofits reduce overhead costs and to foster collaboration and cross-pollination between fellow tenants and users of the space.
Bozeman Mayor Joey Morrison voiced his support for the project, noting that the City of Bozeman and other entities have been trying to figure out a beneficial use of that property for a while.
“I hear from nonprofit community members often, looking for office space, coworking space, things like that,” Morrison told the Chronicle. “Having a purpose-built, purpose-designed facility I think is just going to be a huge asset.”
Many nonprofits in the area either cannot afford office leases or must dedicate significant budget toward paying rent, diverting resources away from their mission. Hall said GGUW strives to help identify local needs and convene solutions, and that problem is one worth solving.
“This project has a significant multiplier effect,” Hall said. “Organizations can collectively save hundreds of thousands of dollars on rent, meeting space, technology, training and other infrastructure over time, and those dollars can directly go back into services impacting our community.”
The project is expected to cost $4 million, including acquisition of the building, renovation, technology and furnishings. GGUW aims to raise $1.5 million by January, and the remaining $2.1 million in the 6 months to follow. Hall has begun conversations with community partners, donors and philanthropic foundations, and said GGUW plans to begin occupancy by June 2027.
“This project is being very thoughtfully curated to make sure we are stewarding funds appropriately... We’re not just asking the community to invest in GGUW, we’re asking the community to invest in the infrastructure of dozens of nonprofit organizations,” she said.
As a community service provider, GGUW recently celebrated 30 years of regional child care program kidsLINK and operates a second similar initiative called Child Connect. GGUW is also a regional administrator of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and hosts VolunteerMT.org, a centralized platform for volunteer opportunities.
GGUW also disburses annual grants to nonprofits and schools that satisfy one of four “Key Priorities” outlined in its mission: basic needs, early learning, youth success and mental health and wellbeing. These grants totaled $245,000 to 29 recipients in the most recent annual cycle, and over $5.7 million since 2009.
Hall said GGUW’s programs and grants bolster community resources including health care, clothing, food, education, financial assistance and “countless” more.
Bozeman Health on board
GGUW faces a similar challenge to the nonprofits it hopes to serve, having never operated out of its own property. {/span}Dr. Kathryn Bertany, Bozeman Health CEO, explained her support for the project.
“I think a lot of people in our community don’t even know what United Way does for our community,” said Bertany, who also serves as a GGUW board member. “... I just think it’s so great that they’re going to have a central location... our community is going to start to learn the great work that Greater Gallatin United Way does to lift up our community, in supporting families.”
Bertany said only about 15 to 20% of community health is handled inside a physician’s office — other health determinants are scattered through daily life. Programs like GGUW’s kidsLINK, for example, are closely aligned with Bozeman Health’s priorities because accessible child care helps improve families’ access to health care.
Similar benefits are offered by other nonprofits that will operate out of GGUW’s new hub.
“[GGUW is] doing a lot to help the community, and whatever Bozeman Health can do to help Greater Gallatin United Way, we are aligned,” Bertany told the Chronicle. “... We know we need partners, and this is a great partnership.”
Bertany took steps to avoid conflict of interest in her roles with both Bozeman Health and GGUW. When she learned of GGUW’s search for a property, she suggested the lab space and made introductions before recusing herself from all further discussions, she explained. Previously, Bozeman Health considered a separate partnership to develop mental health support in that space, but it did not materialize.
The medical lab will continue operating alongside nonprofits for three to five years as GGUW moves in, after which Bozeman Health plans to find a larger facility.
Bertany believes that GGUW’s plan will improve nonprofits’ efficiency and delivery of support for the community. She noted that when Bozeman Health considers nonprofits who apply for its community grant program, cost-saving resources are a major plus.
“Knowing that there’s a way that those nonprofits can reduce their overhead through efficient use of shared space is really nice for us,” Bertany said.
Hall said the project would not have been possible without Bozeman Health’s support.
Fellow nonprofit: ‘I commend United Way’
One nonprofit with plans to move into the United Way facility is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country, which provides mentorship by connecting children with adults and older students in the community.
When BBBS was forced to close its Bozeman office one year ago, many community members assumed BBBS had stopped operating in the region, according to CEO Stacie Martin.
“We essentially have been in this area in the Gallatin Valley for over 50 years, but we no longer had office space in the Bozeman area,” Martin told the Chronicle. “And ultimately, that really did come down to cost.”
It’s a small nonprofit with a staff of eight, including some part-time staff. The nonprofit’s in-person work spans the Gallatin Valley, Ennis, Big Sky, Livingston, Park County and Yellowstone County.
Even as staff and volunteers provide mentorship across southwest Montana, Martin said BBBS should still have a home base in Bozeman.
“I’m just really happy to hear that this is something the United Way is seeking to do,” Martin said. “It would definitely benefit my organization very substantially to have affordable office space in this area... Having that physical place where you can reliably meet with all kinds of stakeholders just lends itself to the organization being more sustainable as a whole, and operating at the professional level where we all want to be.”
She echoed Bertany: Donors want to support the mission, not the organization’s overhead costs. Affordable office space means more direct impact on the community by each nonprofit involved.
“An essential part of the fabric of Bozeman is the nonprofit infrastructure that provides a ton of services that the public sector just cannot fill,” said Morrison, listing a variety of different nonprofit types. “We know that those are important components to the fabric and place of Bozeman, and we know that when we have a community that... feels civic pride and connected to one another, a