Whitefish Community Foundation awards $75,000 grant to NeighborWorks Montana to preserve affordable housing in Kalispell

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 the 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. “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. “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.”  

Community members who would like to support the Twin Willows acquisition can make a tax-deductible contribution to NeighborWorks Montana.  

To learn more about resident ownership or make a donation to support the preservation of Twin Willows by July 31, visit nwmt.org.