Sign up for the free Helena This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Helena city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
5/26/2025
“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to [email protected].
Groups say staff and programs are at risk
Local nonprofits that provide services to families, children and women throughout Helena are facing federal funding uncertainties, putting staff and programs at risk and leaving officials to prioritize alternative revenue sources.
Helena organizations, including Florence Crittenton and The Friendship Center, are preparing to adjust their staffing, budgets and programs while waiting to learn the effects of federal budget cuts.
Florence Crittenton, a residential and social services provider for mothers and children in Helena, receives between 30% and 40% of its funds from private donations, according to executive director Carrie Krepps.
However, Florence Crittenton receives about $850,000 worth of grants and contracts annually that are passed from the federal government to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services and the Montana Board of Crime Control, an arrangement that Krepp said is important to maintain.
“ There’s a possibility for sure that we may need to rely more on private funding, but what we’re really trying to focus on right now is making sure we’re being good and close partners with the state,” Krepps told Montana Free Press.
Krepps continued that maintaining clear communication is necessary to assure private donors’ confidence in Florence Crittenton’s mission.
“ Should we need to go out and look for private funding, we really can have those answers in place of ‘How are we working with the state,’ because if a private funder is gonna help … we really need to have those answers in place,” Krepps said.
Federal dollars fund Florence Crittenton’s efforts, such as support for crime victims, substance abuse programs, and a transitional living program for pregnant and parenting women. The nonprofit also administers Medicaid programs, including its recovery-at-home program and other therapeutic services.
The nonprofit currently employs 64 people in the Helena area, and although Krepps doesn’t think it is at the point of considering a staff reduction, much remains unknown.
“ That’s scary to me sometimes to think about,” Krepps said. “ That there’s an additional concern that you don’t ever want anyone to lose their job and I don’t feel that right now…, but we don’t have enough information yet.”
For Krepps, any impacts to staffing could ultimately affect the quality of care and services Florence Crittenton provides for some of Helena’s most vulnerable residents.
“Our humans are our work,” said Krepps. “ I’ve always said that you can have a building and you can do all of that, but if you don’t have the humans in human services, it doesn’t work.”
The Friendship Center, another local nonprofit that provides services to victims of violence, shares Florence Crittenton’s concerns about threats to its staff and funding.
According to the Friendship Center’s development director, Kim Patterson, the nonprofit estimates that 70% of its funding for the next fiscal year will come from federal dollars passed through the Montana Board of Crime Control, including grants from the Violence Against Women Act and the Victims of Crime Act.
Patterson said that while the center is in the middle of some of the multi-year grant cycles and expects to continue receiving funding, delays are possible. She also added that some changes at the federal level have affected how Board of Crime Control grants can be spent.
“Within this program, it includes some new unallowables that will be very problematic,” Patterson wrote in an email to MTFP.
Those “unallowables” instituted by the Trump administration include providing services to immigrants that may have experienced abuse or offering gender ideology or diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Patterson said.
“If we can’t comply with these funding parameters the grants have in place, then we will have to make adjustments,” Patterson said.
The Friendship Center provides a 24/7 crisis hotline, which received about 3,200 calls last year. Patterson said it is the only avenue for victims to reach out for help besides calling 911.
The program, which relies on grants to support its around-the-clock staffing, could see a reduction in operational hours if funding is interrupted.
“ Violence doesn’t just happen between 8 [a.m.] and 5 [p.m.],” Patterson said. “So what does that mean for our clients? Not everybody feels safe calling law enforcement for one reason or another.”
However, seeking alternative funding through private sources has proven difficult, Patterson said.
“ The reality is [that] there are very few private foundations interested in funding our service area as well as our mission specific to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking,” Patterson said. “Even private foundations that I had some luck with have changed the way that they are making grants and their priorities.”
Patterson added that some donors are being bombarded with a high volume of funding requests.
Ultimately, without guaranteed funding, the women who rely on The Friendship Center’s services will be the most at risk, she said.
“ It’s our clients who are doing the hard work and navigating these dangerous, violent situations and to be here and available to ensure that they don’t have to do it alone is something that we all just feel is critical for our community,” Patterson said.
The Friendship Center and Florence Crittenton are not isolated as nonprofits facing federal funding confusion.
The Montana Nonprofit Association released a report in March detailing potential impacts on the state economy and nonprofit employees from federal funding cuts.
The report stated that Montana’s nonprofit sector is the state’s third-largest employer, providing about 60,100 jobs.
Montana has 667 nonprofits that receive local, state and federal government grants, putting over half of those organizations at financial risk if they lost funding, according to the report. Nonprofits within Lewis and Clark County alone received almost $31 million in federal awards from fiscal years 2021 to 2024.
“ Not that all of that money is currently at risk or frozen or cut, but we’re just trying to get our arms wrapped around what is the possible number that could be at risk, and what the impacts are,” MNA executive director Adam Jespersen told MTFP. “From that report, I think the impact would be huge and broad sweeping and incomprehensible if a significant portion of those funds were to be cut. It would affect everyone and everything.”
Public Notice
Gregory Thomas, the vice chair of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority’s government partners program, will host two open houses to discuss an update on the Big Sky North Coast Corridor project, which could bring a passenger rail route through Helena. The first open house will be at Ten Mile Creek Brewery, 48 N. Last Chance Gulch, at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 27. The second open house will be Monday, June 16, at 6 p.m. at Brothers Tapworks, 40 S. Last Chance Gulch.
5 Things to Know in Helena
Transfer station fee update: During last week’s city commission meeting, commissioners approved a resolution to increase garbage disposal fees at the city’s transfer station. The transfer station, shared by the county and the city, is set to increase fees by $4 from $54.75 to $58.75 per ton. The increase will help build the public works department’s cash reserves, according to city staff. The city will hold a public hearing on the resolution on Monday, June 16, before official changes occur.
Transportation alternative program: The city of Helena is accepting applications for its transportation alternatives program. In the program, local entities can apply for funding for small-scale transportation projects within the Greater Helena Metropolitan Planning Organization area. Eligible projects include non-motorized infrastructure, community improvement activities, recreational trails and safe routes to schools. Applications are due Friday, Aug. 1. Visit the city website for more information about the program and eligible projects.
Candidate filing changes: The deadline to file for the fall municipal elections has changed to Wednesday, June 11, due to a new law recently signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte, according to Lewis and Clark County election staff. While the law also changes the opening date for when candidates can begin to file, election staff said they will still accept applications that were filed on the former April 17 opening date. For further information regarding the deadline change, contact the county elections office at 406-447-8339.
Tax bills due: Lewis and Clark County property owners are expected to pay their bills by Monday, June 2, by 5 p.m., or have their payment postmarked by June 2. Residents can look up their property tax bill information on the county website and pay their bill using the county’s online portal or by mailing payments to the county treasurer’s office, 316 N Park Ave., Room 113. For more information, contact the county property tax department at 406-447-8329. Note: The county has not yet sent out mobile home property tax bills.
Speech & drama needs $10K: Seven students from Helena and Capital High schools have qualified to compete at the 2025 National Speech and Debate Association Tournament, held in Des Moines, Iowa, the week of June 15. Speech and debate coach Jen Hermanson, along with a few team members, were recognized during last Monday’s city commission meeting. Hermanson said the students are still working to raise about $10,000 for travel expenses. Hermanson told MTFP that the district can’t pay for out-of-state competitions due to a school policy. Local businesses have donated goods for raffles, and on June 2, the Windbag Saloon will donate part of its proceeds from sales to the team. Visit the school district website to make a direct donation.
“These students have the opportunity to build relationships with people from different walks of life,” Hermanson said. “These students are our future community leaders, and having that experience of interacting and developing relationships with students from other backgrounds is vital to their success.”
Might Be Fun
Alive @ Five returns: Helena’s annual free summer concert series is back with the band Ronnie and the Redwoods kicking off the season on Wednesday, June 18, at the Lewis & Clark Tap Room, 1535 Dodge Ave., from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Accessibility improvements in the works for Montana’s new executive residence, state says
The Gianfortes pledged to donate the Hauser mansion to the state of Montana so the building can serve as the official governor’s residence for future elected officials. That donation is now complete, making the building a public asset. But the state’s acquisition of the historic, multi-floor residence raised a specific question for a recent Montana Free Press reader: Does the building comply with the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act that requires public buildings to be physically accessible?
