Whitefish Community Foundation has awarded a $75,000 Major Community Project Grant to NeighborWorks Montana to support the purchase and preservation of Twin Willows, a mobile home community in Kalispell. The grant represents one of the largest philanthropic commitments to the project and reflects the Foundation’s commitment to preserving affordable housing opportunities for local families.
Twin Willows is home to 55 households in Kalispell, one of Montana’s fastest-growing housing markets. The community includes working families, seniors, veterans, and residents living with disabilities, many of whom have lived in the Flathead Valley for generations.
Through this acquisition, residents are organizing to purchase and permanently preserve the community as a resident-owned cooperative, a model that gives homeowners collective control over their neighborhood while protecting long-term affordability and preventing displacement.
The multimillion-dollar acquisition and preservation effort is being supported through a combination of financing from NeighborWorks Montana, philanthropic support, and a low-interest loan from the Montana Board of Investments and Clearwater Credit Union. The Montana Board of Investments is providing 75% of the project financing through its loan program for projects that serve the public interest.
Support from Whitefish Community Foundation will help reduce acquisition costs and long-term debt, allowing residents to keep monthly housing costs more affordable. The grant helps preserve stable housing for local families and protects one of the few remaining affordable homeownership opportunities in the Flathead Valley.
“Twin Willows represents what is possible when residents, local philanthropy, and mission-driven lenders come together to protect affordable housing before it is lost,” said Danielle Bundrock, Cooperative Housing Director at NeighborWorks Montana. “These 55 households are working to purchase their community, stabilize their housing costs, and create a resident-owned cooperative that will remain affordable for generations. Whitefish Community Foundation’s investment is a powerful vote of confidence in these families and in the importance of preserving workforce housing in the Flathead Valley.”
“Preserving existing affordable homes must be part of the solution to the housing challenges facing the Flathead Valley,” said Alan Davis, President and CEO of Whitefish Community Foundation. “When residents have the opportunity to own the land beneath their homes, they gain stability, security, and a meaningful voice in their future. We are proud to invest in a model that keeps local families in our community and helps prevent the kind of displacement we witnessed at Spring Creek.”
Whitefish Community Foundation’s Major Community Project Grant Program helps nonprofit organizations complete capital projects that create lasting benefits throughout the Flathead Valley. Established in 2010, the program has awarded nearly $1.5 million to community projects selected by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Funding for the program comes from the Circle of Giving, Whitefish Community Foundation’s core group of donors who contribute $5,000 or more annually to support the Foundation’s grant programs.
Community members who would like to support the Twin Willows acquisition can make a tax-deductible contribution to NeighborWorks Montana. Every dollar raised will help reduce debt, strengthen long-term affordability, and help ensure that 55 local households can remain in their homes for years to come. To learn more about resident ownership or make a donation to support the preservation of Twin Willows by July 31, visit www.nwmt.org.
About Whitefish Community Foundation
Whitefish Community Foundation fosters philanthropy, builds endowments, and helps donors and nonprofits benefit the Flathead Valley. Since 2000, the Foundation has granted more than $120 million to nonprofit organizations.
About NeighborWorks Montana
Established in 1998, NeighborWorks Montana is a leader in housing education and counseling, an innovator in single-family lending, a trusted source of gap financing for developers, and a champion of self-sufficiency for residents in manufactured home communities throughout Montana.
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