BOZEMAN, Mont. — After serving the community for more than two decades, the Montana Science Center in Bozeman closed its doors for good on Tuesday.
The nonprofit offered a variety of children’s programming in the city over the years, including preschool science workshops and kids camps, with the goal of instilling a love for science in children at a young age.
But financial challenges have made staying open infeasible. Board chair and president Lauri Moss said the organization has been dealing with these challenges for some time, as the cost of operating in the city has gone up.
“(The) cost of employees, cost of goods, all costs are going up,” said Moss. “We’re not the only people experiencing this in the valley, that is just a fact of what’s going on around here.”
The Montana Science Center relies heavily on regular donations, which decreased significantly as competition between the area’s nonprofits has heated up.
Montana has more nonprofits per capita than any other state in the country according to data from the Tax Foundation, and Moss said in Bozeman, the sector has grown significantly in recent years. That poses a challenge, as more organizations compete for limited corporate sponsorships and grants.
Moreover, as the cost of living in the area rises, attracting and retaining staff on a restricted budget has been tough for the organization.
“We can’t afford to pay very much,” said Moss. “We can’t afford to offer great benefits, and that makes it really tough for people who will join us for a short time, but eventually they move on to try to get an opportunity that is better for them and their families.”
Moss said when the Montana Science Center fell into a tight financial spot last year, they hired consultants and worked to streamline their operations, cutting hours and leaving staff positions unfilled. They even held an emergency fundraising drive which kept the organization afloat for the past year.
But those measures have not been enough to keep the lights on, as they strived to maintain their affordably priced programming.
“The way that we’ve priced our programs, we’ve priced them so everything is totally accessible to the community here,” said Moss. “We don’t want anyone to not be able to afford to come and use our services. The challenge with that is it doesn’t cover our costs.”
Though disappointed and saddened by the decision to dissolve the organization, Moss said she is grateful to all the volunteers, staff and community members who supported them over the years. She hopes in the future the city will look toward public-private partnerships to fill the hole left behind by the closing of the science center.
“My deepest hope is that there are a lot of smart people in this town and that they come together and really think about how to deliver science and STEM education in a way that is sustainable and is better suited for where we are today,” said Moss.
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