What's New

The American Council on Gift Annuities recently announced new increased rate guidelines.  Now senior donors can benefit from payout rates as high as 9.1%!

A Yellowstone Gift Annuity is a secure source of lifetime fixed income that’s backed by all of Yellowstone Foundation’s unrestricted assets, including our Annuity Reserve Account as required by law.

The first Yellowstone Gift Annuity was written back in 1972.  Since that time, Yellowstone Foundation has written hundreds of gift annuity contracts and paid out millions in annuity income to our donors.

A Yellowstone Gift Annuity provides a lifetime fixed income stream, generates an immediate federal income tax deduction, can bypass upfront capital gains tax when funded with appreciated assets, and qualifies for the Montana 40% Endowment Tax Credit.

Call us today and find out what a Yellowstone Charitable Gift Annuity can do for you!

It is expected that 235 low-income children enrolled in YBGR Residential Treatment and Day School Programs at Yellowstone Academy will need assistance in purchasing school supplies in the coming year.

YBGR Back-To-School Drive has started off with a helpful jump-start this year with a $5,000 Challenge Match.  Every dollar giving for back-to-school supplies on or before September 3rd will be matched up to $5,000 for a total of $10,000!

Learn more about the 2022 Back-to-School Drive and help special needs children succeed in the classroom!

Thanks to some staff ingenuity, large sheets of plastic, 5-gallon buckets, a fire hose and a perfectly sloped hill, the kids at YBGR have been beating the recent heat wave with wild rides down a giant Slip-N-Slide.

Youth from both the YA Day School Program and the YBGR Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility get to ride the slide with an occasional staff slipping into the line. There is no better sound than children’s laughter ringing through the air as the YBGR youth, just for a little while, get to just be kids.

Thanks to a generous donor, a group of YBGR kids got to go out to the ball game!

Rewarded for good behavior and progress in their program, Yellowstone students got to attend a Billings Mustangs home game.

A memory-making trip to Dehler Park, a great game, and the requisite ballpark snacks – what a great summer experience!

“Working with the animals has made all the difference for her,” says Mia’s father. “They unlocked something inside of her that allowed her to open up in therapy, and with her mom and me.”

Mia had never been anywhere near livestock, never even had a pet, prior to her arrival at YBGR.  Mia quickly became acquainted with therapy dogs Emmy Lou and Cooper.  Then with the pheasants during Vo-Ag class.  Next it was joining a work crew in the calving barn this past spring and seeing a newborn calf come into the world.  Mia also participated in the equine assisted therapy program and started helping care for the horses.

After struggling and falling behind at school, Mia is back on track academically.  She is looking forward to her Senior year back home and looking for college programs where she can continue to work with animals. 

Read Mia’s Story in full here.

One of the original Yellowstone Boys Ranch buildings, the Carl Orth Family Life Center provides lodging for families visiting their children in YBGR’s Residential Treatment Program.

In 2019, the Orth building underwent extensive interior and exterior updates, including a new roof, new paint, new flooring, new appliances and furniture.  Just as the Orth Center was ready to welcome families again, the 2020 pandemic hit and Orth’s six apartments stood empty due to the campus-wide lockdown.  Even when campus re-opened in July of 2021, family visits were slow to return.

However, the spring of 2022 has seen the Carl Orth Family Life Center at full capacity, providing free lodging to families visiting their children as well as a comfortable environment for family therapy.   The on-going maintenance and operation of the Orth Center is made possible by our generous donors.  Thank-you!

Mackenzie Martinson has been the Equestrian Specialist at YBGR since 2019. 

Mackenzie has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Dallas Baptist University and studied Equine Therapy for two years at Rocky Mountain College in Billings.  Mackenzie is certified in the EAGALA therapy model.

The EAGALA therapy model uses horses to provide healing and support to emotionally troubled youth.  EAGALA therapy helps youth use their own instincts to engage the horses in various activities or challenges.  

The goal of the program is to help children problem solve and find solutions to the challenges they are facing in their young lives.

Mackenzie also oversees recreational riding at the Equestrian Center which allows YBGR youth to experience the simple joy of riding a horse.  Boys and girls learn about the basic care and handling of the horses which offers yet another skill they can use even after leaving the Ranch.