Big Brothers Big Sisters of Montana encompasses multiple local affiliates serving communities across the Big Sky State. The largest is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Yellowstone County (BBBSYC) in Billings, Montana's largest city, at 504 B North 20th, Billings MT 59101, phone 406-248-2229, website bbbsyc.org. BBBSYC serves ages 5 through young adults throughout Yellowstone County and is described as the only prevention program in Montana proven to affect a broad spectrum of risk factors including delinquency, alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, teen pregnancy, and school dropout while simultaneously helping children reach their highest potential. Other Montana BBBS affiliates include BBBS of Missoula (1520 S Russell, Missoula MT 59801, 406-721-2380, bbbsmissoula.org), BBBS of Flathead County (Kalispell, 406-752-0092, bbbsfc.org), BBBS of Big Sky Country (Bozeman, serving Gallatin County since 1973), BBBS of Park and Sweet Grass Counties (Livingston, 406-222-1930, bbbsparkcounty.org), and BBBS of Lake County and Flathead Reservation (Polson, 406-883-2150, serving Native American tribal communities).
Across Montana's vast geography, Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates work to connect youth with caring adult mentors in communities from Billings to Missoula to Kalispell to Bozeman to Polson. The core model is consistent: meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers and children in communities across Montana, developing positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven by independent research to improve children's odds of succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and breaking negative cycles.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Yellowstone County (BBBSYC) is the largest BBBS affiliate in Montana, based in Billings, the state's largest city. The organization serves ages 5 through young adults throughout Yellowstone County. BBBSYC describes itself as the only prevention program in Montana proven to affect a broad spectrum of risk factors simultaneously, including delinquency, alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, teen pregnancy, and school dropout, while helping children reach their highest potential. The return on investment is higher across the board than dollars invested in single-issue prevention programs.
The youth challenges in Yellowstone County are substantial. BBBSYC reports that in Yellowstone County, 37,000 or more children live in poverty, 10,400 or more live in non-traditional homes, 37 percent of high school students do not graduate college or career ready, 61 percent of third-grade students read below their grade level, and 41 percent of high school students report being depressed. Each of these risk factors is addressed by BBBSYC's evidence-based mentoring model.
BBBSYC has integrated justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) values into its mission, recognizing, affirming, and celebrating the diverse backgrounds, lives, and experiences of all stakeholders including youth, families, donors, volunteers, and staff. The organization affirms that every person has the opportunity to reach their full potential and strives to ensure that all voices and perspectives are heard and honored.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Missoula is based at 1520 S Russell in Missoula, Montana, phone 406-721-2380, website bbbsmissoula.org. Missoula is home to the University of Montana, which provides potential Big volunteer pipeline among college students and university staff. Former CEO Danette Rector served as CEO of BBBS of Missoula and was appointed by Governor Steve Bullock to the Governor's Commission on Community Service, reflecting the organization's statewide policy influence alongside its direct service work.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flathead County is based at 137 Main in Kalispell, Montana, phone 406-752-0092, website bbbsfc.org. Flathead County encompasses the Flathead Lake region and the communities around Glacier National Park, including Kalispell, Whitefish, and Columbia Falls. The Flathead County service area has experienced substantial population growth driven by remote workers, outdoor recreation industry growth, and migration from higher-cost western states.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Big Sky Country has served thousands of local children in Southwestern Montana since its founding in 1973 by a dedicated group of Gallatin County residents. In its first year, the organization served a handful of children; it has since grown substantially, serving hundreds of children annually. The Bozeman agency serves Gallatin County and surrounding communities. Bozeman has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States over the past decade, driven by Montana State University, technology industry migration, and the outdoor recreation and outdoor-oriented technology sector.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Park and Sweet Grass Counties is based at 105 South 2nd Street in Livingston, Montana, phone 406-222-1930, website bbbsparkcounty.org. Livingston sits at the north entrance to Paradise Valley and Yellowstone National Park. Park County's proximity to Yellowstone National Park shapes both the local economy (hospitality and outdoor recreation) and the community demographics (seasonal workers, outdoor enthusiasts, rural ranching families).
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lake County and Flathead Reservation is based at 49518 US Highway 93 in Polson, Montana, phone 406-883-2150. Polson is on the southern shore of Flathead Lake. The organization specifically serves youth in Lake County and on the Flathead Indian Reservation, the homeland of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The Flathead Reservation coverage makes this one of the BBBSA affiliates explicitly serving a tribal community alongside the broader county population.
Serving Native American youth on tribal reservations requires particular cultural competency, community trust, and sensitivity to tribal sovereignty. The BBBS Polson affiliate's explicit reservation coverage reflects a commitment to serving Montana's Indigenous youth communities.
Contact the BBBS agency nearest your community. For Billings and Yellowstone County: bbbsyc.org or 406-248-2229. For Missoula: bbbsmissoula.org or 406-721-2380. For Kalispell and Flathead County: bbbsfc.org or 406-752-0092. For Bozeman and Gallatin County: contact the Big Sky Country affiliate. For Livingston and Park and Sweet Grass Counties: bbbsparkcounty.org or 406-222-1930. For Polson and Lake County and Flathead Reservation: 406-883-2150. The Montana BBBS network invites community members to become Dream Makers in the life of a child in their community.
Donate through the BBBS agency serving your community. Donations support the full mentoring match process: background checks, volunteer screening, match orientation, and ongoing Match Support Specialist case management throughout the relationship. Individual agencies operate as separate 501(c)(3) organizations and file their own Form 990s. The multi-agency Montana structure means donations support the specific community of your choice.
For pure scale of youth-serving nonprofit infrastructure in Montana, the YMCA of Montana communities and Boys and Girls Clubs of Montana reach more children through after-school programming. For one-to-one structured mentoring specifically, the BBBS Montana network is the largest organized one-to-one mentoring infrastructure in the state. BBBSYC's claim as the only prevention program in Montana proven to address a broad spectrum of risk factors simultaneously gives Yellowstone County's program a distinctive evidence-based positioning compared with single-issue prevention programs.
Last updated May 2026. BBBS Montana network including BBBS Yellowstone County (504 B North 20th Billings MT 59101 406-248-2229 bbbsyc.org ages 5 through young adults serving throughout Yellowstone County as the only prevention program in Montana proven to affect broad spectrum of risk factors including delinquency alcohol tobacco and drug use teen pregnancy and school dropout while helping children reach highest potential, return on investment higher than single-issue prevention programs), BBBS of Missoula (1520 S Russell Missoula MT 59801 406-721-2380 bbbsmissoula.org), BBBS of Flathead County (137 Main Kalispell MT 59901 406-752-0092 bbbsfc.org), BBBS of Big Sky Country (Bozeman Gallatin County founded 1973 by dedicated group of Gallatin County residents serving from handful of children to hundreds annually), BBBS of Park and Sweet Grass Counties (105 South 2nd Street Livingston MT 59047 406-222-1930 bbbsparkcounty.org), BBBS of Lake County and Flathead Reservation (49518 US Hwy 93 Polson MT 59860 406-883-2150), from the Montana BBBS state network blogspot page and the Idealist BBBSYC and BBBS Big Sky Country profiles. Yellowstone County youth challenges (37,000+ children in poverty, 10,400+ in non-traditional homes, 37 percent HS students not graduating college or career ready, 61 percent 3rd-grade students reading below grade level, 41 percent HS students reporting depression), JEDI values including recognizing affirming and celebrating diverse backgrounds lives and experiences of all stakeholders, from the Idealist BBBSYC profile. Former BBBS Missoula CEO Danette Rector appointed by Governor Bullock to Governor's Commission on Community Service from the MT Governor's November 2014 appointments press release. We are not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Montana and receive no compensation for this listing. Errors: [email protected]
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