Helena Area Habitat for Humanity

What Helena Area Habitat for Humanity does

Helena Area Habitat for Humanity is a 501c3 nonprofit (EIN 81-0476317) founded in 1992 and headquartered in Helena, Montana, operating as an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. The organization delivers affordable homeownership primarily through a USDA Rural Development-certified Mutual Self-Help Housing program, in which qualifying families (household income below 80% of Area Median Income, 1+ year residency in Lewis and Clark County, 640+ credit score for third-party financing) contribute approximately 65% of construction labor on their own homes and those of their build-group neighbors, completing financial education coursework before purchasing the finished home via a low-interest, income-based mortgage. The ReStore, located at 1320 Market Avenue, is a non-profit home improvement and furnishings retail operation that sells donated new and gently used furniture, building materials, and appliances — diverting more than 40 tons of material annually from landfills and channeling proceeds into housing programs.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: ReStore retail sales (transaction-based), individual and institutional donations including the Housing Heroes monthly giving program and planned giving vehicles (donations/contributions), and mortgage repayments from Mutual Self-Help program graduates (transaction-based). The organization is also developing Rose Hills Neighborhood, a master-planned, community land trust-governed community of 1,500 homes on 250 acres in East Helena featuring townhomes, cottages, family homes, apartments, 46 acres of parks and open space, and a planned town center. The geographic footprint covers Lewis and Clark County with a pilot rural housing program in Red Lodge, MT and stated intent to expand into additional rural Montana communities where no local Habitat affiliate exists. Strategic production targets are 30 homes per year by 2030 (versus 16 homes in the next 12 months currently), inclusive of single-family homes, condos, and townhouses.

The organization is supported by named corporate and foundation partners (Wells Fargo, Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Power Townsend/Wall Family Foundation, StockmanBank, McCall Homes, 406 Electric, Rodriguez Painting, Energy Share of Montana, NeighborWorks Montana), holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and Charity Navigator rating, and earned a 2025 Phoenix Award for brownfield redevelopment of the former East Helena ASARCO smelter site. Leadership is led by Executive Director Jacob Kuntz, supported by a board including Susan Good-Geise (Chair), Lee Flasnick (Vice-Chair), Heather Lay (Secretary), and Nancy Everson (Treasurer), and a roughly 10-person staff spanning construction, development, finance, volunteer coordination, and ReStore operations.

Name

Helena Area Habitat for Humanity

Legal name

Helena Area Habitat for Humanity

Website

https://helenahabitat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Helena Area Habitat for Humanity is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 1992 that builds affordable homes in Helena and rural Montana through a USDA-certified Mutual Self-Help sweat-equity program, funds operations via a ReStore retail store and donations, and is developing the 1,500-home Rose Hills community land trust in East Helena.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing & Community Development

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural, Tribal & Special-Population Housing Programs (FSALAKAL), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Affordable housing services
• Nonprofit homebuilding
• Mutual self-help housing
• Community land trust development
• Recycled home furnishings retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Helena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. ReStore Sales: Non-profit home improvement and furnishings store selling new and gently used furniture, building materials, and appliances. All proceeds fund housing programs. Saves more than 40 tons of material annually from landfills.
2. Donations: Individual donations, monthly giving program (Housing Heroes), honorary and memorial gifts, and legacy/planned giving options.
3. Stock Donations: Appreciated stock donations accepted as tax-friendly way to support affordable housing.
4. Homeownership Program: Families purchase homes they helped build with low-interest, income-based mortgages.
5. Planned Giving: Legacy giving options including gifts in wills/trusts, appreciated securities, IRA gifts, real estate gifts, and beneficiary designations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Helena Area Habitat for Humanity is a 501c3 nonprofit that partners with USDA Rural Development to operate a Mutual Self-Help Homeownership Program, in which qualifying working families contribute 65% of the labor to build their own homes alongside volunteers and then purchase the homes with low-interest, income-based mortgages. The organization supplements this with a non-profit ReStore home improvement retail store whose proceeds fund housing programs, and is developing the Rose Hills Neighborhood, a planned 1,500-home mixed-income community on 250 acres in East Helena structured under a community land trust.

Product overview

Helena Area Habitat for Humanity operates a unified non-profit homebuilding and retail operation consisting of three core offerings: the Mutual Self-Help Homeownership Program (the primary service, partnering with USDA Rural Development to help families build and purchase affordable homes through sweat equity and financial education), the ReStore (a retail outlet selling donated home improvement materials that funds housing programs while diverting 40+ tons from landfills annually), and the Rose Hills Neighborhood development (a 1,500-home planned community using a land trust model). Supporting services include volunteer programs (build site, ReStore, team building, ambassador), advocacy initiatives, and planned giving/monthly donor programs. The organization serves Lewis and Clark County and rural Montana communities, with a goal of building 30 homes annually by 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rose Hills Neighborhood: A 46-acre planned neighborhood development in East Helena featuring various housing options including townhomes, cottages, family homes, and apartments, with parks, trails, open space, and a town center, built using a community land trust model for long-term affordability.

Products and services

• Mutual Self-Help Homeownership Program
• Helena ReStore
• Rose Hills Neighborhood

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• USDA Rural DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with USDA Rural Development for Mutual Self-Help Housing program certification. Families partner with USDA-RD through Habitat to achieve affordable homeownership through sweat equity building.
• 406 ElectricsupportingOthersLocal electrical contractor that donated services for new home construction in East Helena.
• Rodriguez PaintingsupportingOthersLocal painting contractor that donated services for new home construction.
• Energy Share of MontanasupportingOthersNonprofit providing energy assistance that contributed to Habitat builds.
• NeighborWorks MontanasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization represented on Habitat board, providing housing development expertise and community development resources.
• McCall HomessupportingOthersLocal home builder listed as sponsor supporting Habitat construction.
• Red Lodge Community FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for rural housing program in Red Lodge, MT, helping connect families with Habitat opportunities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that develops and preserves affordable housing, including through community land trust models similar to Rose Hills. Operates at far greater scale and capital access across multiple states.
• Habitat for Humanity International: The parent organization and national brand under which Helena Area Habitat operates. Provides branding, training, advocacy, and access to global funding that the local affiliate leverages, while operating a much broader international scope.

Others

• USDA Rural Development: Federal agency partner providing Section 502 Direct Loans and the Mutual Self-Help Housing certification underpinning Helena's program. Not a competitor but an enabling infrastructure provider central to the affiliate's financing model.
• Energy Share of Montana: Montana nonprofit that provides energy assistance and contributes to Habitat builds through in-kind support. Adjacent social-service nonprofit with shared low-income customer base and partnership model in the same geography.

Direct peers

• NeighborWorks Montana: Statewide network of community housing development organizations and NeighborWorks affiliates. Already a strategic partner of Helena Area Habitat (board representation), it operates overlapping affordable housing, homebuyer education, and community development programs across Montana.
• Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley: Northwest Montana Habitat affiliate running the standard affiliate homeownership and ReStore model in a similar rural-Western context. Comparable in target customer, partnership-driven funding, and small-staff operating profile.
• Homeword: Montana-based nonprofit providing affordable rental housing development, homebuyer education, and financial coaching. Operates a similar nonprofit affordable-housing mission in the same regional geography with overlapping customer base (low- and moderate-income families).
• Habitat for Humanity of Gallatin Valley: Gallatin County, MT Habitat affiliate providing affordable homeownership through sweat-equity builds and a ReStore retail operation. Closely comparable scale, geography, and program structure to Helena Area Habitat for Humanity.
• Habitat for Humanity of Missoula Area: Another Montana-based Habitat for Humanity affiliate operating a Mutual Self-Help homeownership program and ReStore in the Missoula region. Directly comparable in mission, operating model, funding sources, and customer segment (sub-80% AMI working families).
• Habitat for Humanity of Ravalli County: Southwest Montana Habitat affiliate delivering affordable homeownership and ReStore operations in a comparable rural-Western geography. Mirrors Helena Area Habitat's product, customer, and operational model at similar scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HelenaAreaHabitatforHumanity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helena-area-habitat-for-humanity
• Instagraminstagram.com/helena_habitat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helena Area Habitat for Humanity