Glacier Institute closes in on fundraising goal for Big Creek Center restoration

The official education partner of Glacier National Park and the Flathead National Forest received a grant that puts it just $200,000 shy of meeting the fundraising goal for the restoration of the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center. 

The Glacier Institute received a $250,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to be used for renovations to the home base of its outdoor camps and programs. The grant brings recent total fundraising near the $1.7 million total needed for the Restoration Big Creek capital campaign. 

The Murdock Trust invests in capacity-building projects at nonprofits across the Pacific Northwest. Grants are only awarded after a rigorous selection and vetting process. The Glacier Institute launched its campaign in 2022 to expand its programs and renovate the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center, a USDA Forest Service ranger station near the North Fork of the Flathead River. 

“We are so grateful to the Murdock Trust for the support and the belief in our work here at the  Glacier Institute,” said Institute Director Anthony Nelson said in the release. 

Based in Columbia Falls, the Glacier Institute offers programs for children, families and adults including guided day hikes, field courses, camps and field trips. Each year, over 1,500 local kids participate in programs like wolf tracking, naturalist sessions and orienteering, winter ecology and more. Since programs began in 1983, over 32,000 kids have taken part in the Glacier Institute’s camps, courses and school trips. 

The Glacier Institute has already started construction on key projects. Renovations are complete on the staff cabin and the camp dining hall and kitchen. Remaining funds and the Murdock Trust grant will pay for renovations to the camper cabins so that the institute can expand programs and offer courses in the winter. 

In addition to the Murdock Trust grant, the Glacier Institute has received numerous leadership gifts including $200,000 from Benji Griffith, $100,000 from Tim Cook and major gifts from Chris and Monica Graff, Bob and Pat Jepsen and Connie Lane. Major in-kind support came from Martel Construction, Thousand Hills Landworks, AlumaGlass, Hilliard Construction and Empire Building Materials, among others. 

Glacier Institute Director of Development Madyson Rigg said the organization has also recently received a $50,000 Major Gift from the Whitefish Community Foundation.

"Every gift is a testament to a broad-based belief in the Glacier Institute, and the life-changing experiences we are creating for kids at Big Creek," Nelson said. "We're honored to have the  support of so many individuals and organizations that recognize the importance of our work." 

For more information on Glacier Institute, visit https://glacierinstitute.org or call 406-755-1211.

This story has been updated to include a recent donation from the Whitefish Community Foundation.