HELENA — The Montana Family Institute and Montana Family Foundation are closer to moving their headquarters from Laurel to Helena thanks to a major donation.
“Right now is one of the most exciting times in the history of our organization,” said Derek Oestreicher, Montana Family Institute chief legal counsel and director of government affairs.
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An anonymous donor will be transferring the title of the property on the corner of 11th Ave. and N. Robert's Street to the Montana Family Institute.
The institute is a 501c3 organization that provides research and education aimed at supporting Montana families. They're the non-profit counterpart of the Montana Family Foundation, a major conservative Christian advocacy organization in the state.
The organization has been based in Laurel for more than 20 years. Oestreicher says it was always the organization's goal to move to Helena, adding that a location across the street from the capital allows closer work with lawmakers and politicians.
“Having these Christian attorneys there to provide some oversight to your bylaws, your organizational documents, help you out with any legal hurdles that come your way, that's a huge benefit,” Oestreicher said.
The building plans call for a 10,000-square-foot, three-story, vertically integrated hub for Christian non-profits, faith-based attorneys, the Montana Family Institute and the Montana Family Foundation.
Currently, the institute employs six new people, and they are hopeful that with this new building, they can double their staff to better help the people and organizations they strive to support.
“That's the beauty of this building,” Oestreicher said. “It's built for folks that are supporters and donors who were gonna be able to have trainings and conferences in the building.”
Founded in 2002, Oestreicher says the organization’s goals are to strengthen and support Montana families with a faith-based approach. He says this new facility will foster collaboration with other non-profits and allow those goals to be achieved more effectively through legislation and litigation.
“There is just a synergy that you have when you work in an office space with like-minded individuals, and these smaller non-profit organizations that have really awesome missions will be able to do that in this building with the benefit of that sort of synergy,” Oestreicher said.
Oestreicher says they’ve already raised $2 million for the project, and they’re actively fundraising more to get the building completed.
They expect to break ground in March next year and be ready to move in next fall.
