North Yellowstone Education Foundation

Our mission is to work with the community to build sustainable support and enhance innovative educational opportunities for students, teachers, and community members in partnership with Gardiner Public Schools. Our core programming includes Connect! Grants classroom grants program, mental health initiatives, and providing affordable housing for teachers.

The North Yellowstone Education Foundation (NYEF) is committed to supporting Gardiner Public Schools (GPS) and enhancing the Gardiner, Montana community. Founded in 2016 amid declining enrollment and loss of funding, NYEF strives to preserve the rich history, unique culture, and vibrant community of Gardiner, which is located at the entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

The school is a crucial element of Gardiner's identity and serves as a community anchor and gathering place. It is a nexus of kinship, a cornerstone of stability, and fundamental to the well-being of the community. However, with enrollment at an all-time low, real estate prices soaring, and mental and behavioral health needs on the rise, Gardiner is at a critical juncture.

To address these challenges, NYEF has developed three program areas: Connect! Grants, Teacher Housing Initiatives, and Mental and Behavioral Health Efforts.

Testimonials

"NYEF has made things possible for Gardiner Schools that we would never have dreamed of providing without their help. Those gifts include Connect Grants given to classrooms for innovate units of study and field trips, funding for a comprehensive K-12 Place Based Education program (including teacher training), a sustainable and community involved garden program in partnership with Farm to School, and unparalleled support in grant writing and networking on behalf of the school for various other projects. In addition to all of this, NYEF has been able to pay for and provide fantastic housing opportunities for our teachers and staff who need it." Jeannette Bray Ed.D, Gardiner, Superintendent