GOOD DEEDS

BY JENNIFER CLANCEY

BIG SKY—In Big Sky, no good deed goes unnoticed. After exhausting the Good Deeds program budget halfway through its inaugural fiscal year, the Big Sky Community Housing Trust knew that the local workforce would be interested in owning affordable Big Sky homes.

Good Deeds started in the spring of 2022 and aims to preserve existing housing for working residents, provide grants for down payments and place permanent deed restrictions on properties for people serving the Big Sky community. The program takes after efforts in similar towns, like Vail’s InDeed program.

On June 22, Elevate Big Sky provided Good Deeds with a collaborative grant totaling to $1.39 million: $800,000 from Resort Tax and $560,000 from Elevate Big Sky’s board.

Ruthi Solari, director of community impact at the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, discussed the grant’s significance to Elevate Big Sky: “When we first formed Elevate Big Sky in 2022, there was 100% consensus that affordable housing was the number one issue that has been most urgent to the funding partners, our corporate leaders as well as the community,” she said.