2025 Sponsors

Billings Public Schools Community strives to INSPIRE, EDUCATE, and EMPOWER students to be responsible and innovative global citizens who achieve their full potential.

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is a philanthropy founded to help transform lives and communities by uniting people across differences to find common cause. Started in 1995 by Arthur M. Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot, the foundation has granted more than $1 billion to charitable causes. Our collective giving areas are Atlanta’s Westside, Democracy, Environment, Mental Health and Well-Being, and Youth Development. Across these areas, we take on tough challenges by uniting the courage and compassion of our communities so we can all thrive together.

In addition to these areas of giving, the foundation maintains a significant portfolio of founder-led giving based on the chairman’s personal interests and will continue its enduring commitment to the issues and relationships he cares deeply about, including the support of Atlanta and Montana nonprofit institutions, veterans and the military, and stuttering, among others. The foundation also leads giving areas for each of the for-profit businesses in Blank’s portfolio, including a unique associate-led giving program, serving as an example of how philanthropy and business can combine for social good.

The B.W. Bastian Foundation was founded in 1997 by tech entrepreneur Bruce Bastian, co-founder of WordPerfect. Bastian’s philanthropy has centered on cultural arts and LGBTQ equality. The B.W. Bastian Foundation strives to build community and understanding by supporting local and national institutions. Financial support is directed to the Arts through educational outreach. A strong commitment is placed on programs and organizations that benefit, encourage, and preserve the rights of individuals, promote equality for the LGBTQ+ community and HIV/AIDS programs.

Pioneer Technical Services, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned, full-service engineering and environmental services firm. Our corporate office is located in Butte, Montana, with 5 branch offices in Montana, and 1 branch office each in Idaho and Colorado. Pioneer was founded in 1991 as an environmental science and general engineering firm. We have continuously expanded our service lines to become a premier western region environmental, civil and geotechnical engineering, construction management, land surveying, and materials testing firm. We provide innovative and comprehensive start-to-finish solutions for our customers. We embrace state-of-the art technology and strive to deliver high quality work products as efficiently as possible. This strategy has resulted in a very large percentage of repeat customers. As our world changes, we continue to stand ready to solve problems and deliver superior work products to all our customers.

Marsh McLennan Agency is a full-service insurance broker focusing on all personal and business insurance products. Focused on our clients, colleagues and communities, Marsh McLennan Agency also manages the Montana Schools Property and Liability Insurance Plan, (MSPLIP). MSPLIP is the largest and longest standing property and liability insurer of Montana schools, commencing operations in 1995. MSPLIP is a leader in the scholastic public entity space and provides insurance and risk management assistance to public school districts throughout Montana.

The Office of Public Instruction is one of Montana’s five constitutionally recognized offices headed by a statewide elected official. Every four years, Montanans elect a Superintendent of Public Instruction to manage the OPI. The OPI serves as Montana’s state education agency. Montana is a ‘local control in education state’ so much of the decision-making in education happens in our state’s over 400 local school districts by a locally elected board of trustees. The OPI exists to serve students, parents, and local schools.

NorthWestern Corporation, d/b/a NorthWestern Energy, is an investor-owned utility and one of the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the northern tier states. We serve approximately 775,500 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Classified as a “mid-sized” utility by most industry standards, our service territory size is one of the largest in the country. The foundation of NorthWestern’s energy business dates back to 1923, with the start of the utility operations in a few communities in South Dakota and Nebraska. Our electric system serves 337 communities and surrounding rural areas covering two-thirds of Montana, eastern South Dakota, and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Our natural gas system serves 202 communities and surrounding rural areas in Montana, South Dakota and central Nebraska. NorthWestern Energy has approximately 1,600 full-time employees. Our corporate headquarters is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with operational headquarters in Butte, Montana, and Huron, South Dakota. We are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NWE.

The Town Pump Charitable Foundation was established in 1999 with the mission of providing financial support to Montana charitable or governmental organizations with a priority of supporting/meeting basic needs and education for Montana citizens.

The Montana Healthcare Foundation is a 501(c)3 private foundation that makes strategic investments to improve health in Montana. It provides funding, leadership, and expertise to help communities tackle Montana’s most important health problems. It conducts policy analysis so that Montanans can be well-informed and engaged in decisions that impact their health. It prioritizes supporting the health and well-being of people and communities at increased risk for poor health outcomes because of income, geographic barriers, the availability and accessibility of health and social services, and health disparities.

Architecture, Planning, Interior Design

Since 1981, SMA Architecture + Design has been a leading provider of architectural services across the intermountain west. With offices in Helena and Bozeman, we specialize in educational, civic, institutional, and commercial projects.

SMA’s education portfolio includes projects of all scales, ranging from K-12 public education to higher education and early learning centers, prioritizing client visions and future-proof design. Our approach balances functionality with budget considerations, ensuring long-term success. As active members of organizations like the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), SMA stays abreast of the latest trends in educational design innovation, as well as safety and security, pedagogical trends, and technological advancements.

Our commitment to creatively designing functional facilities extends to balancing future requirements with feasible budgets. Through long-term needs assessments, including cost estimation, utilization studies, facility condition assessments, enrollment projections, programming, and bond campaign support, we ensure the sustainability and success of public projects, resulting in enduring educational institutions.

Montana State Fund is the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurance company, protecting approximately 24,000 businesses, organizations and their workers. In addition to providing injured workers the care they need to return to work, Montana State Fund is committed to making a positive impact on Montana’s workplace safety culture. We believe workers deserve a safe and healthy workplace so they can safely return home to their families at the end of each day in the same condition as when they arrived. It is our vision to be an indispensable partner in achieving a safer, healthier and more prosperous Montana.

Our mission is to cultivate collaborative partnerships, systems and practices to enhance physical and emotional safety and well-being of Montana school communities through training and technical assistance, research and resources, and tele-mental health support to schools and communities across Montana. Through partnerships with schools, districts, families and community stakeholders, we assist in the adaptation of systems and practices to improve students’ physical and emotional safety and school climate. We believe that training, resources, and support contribute to school’s ability to sustain safe and healthy school environments.

The combined Jeremy Bullock Memorial Trust and Charities Through Jeremy were established in memory of Jeremy Bullock in 1994 following his tragic death at Margaret Leary Elementary School in Butte, Montana. Jeremy was the unintended victim of a school shooting on April 12, 1994. The trust and foundation were established initially to construct and maintain a sports complex adjacent to the Margaret Leary school, as well as to provide funding for local organizations in support of student safety – both in memory of Jeremy and to aid students of Montana.