Clearwater & HRDC Partner to Expand Financial Opportunity in Bozeman

Stronger Communities Start Together

When Clearwater Credit Union began exploring how to serve the Bozeman community, it started by listening.

Through conversations with local organizations, Clearwater worked to understand the community’s most pressing needs and where it could make a meaningful difference.

Those conversations helped build a partnership with HRDC, a community action organization serving Bozeman and communities throughout southwest Montana.

One need quickly became clear: greater access to financial services, particularly for Bozeman’s Spanish-speaking and unbanked communities.

Together, Clearwater and HRDC developed an approach designed around that need. A Clearwater employee works directly from HRDC’s Bozeman location, giving people convenient access to financial guidance and services in a place they already know and trust.

That access can have a lasting impact. Establishing an account and building credit can help people work toward goals like securing housing, financing reliable transportation, and eventually becoming homeowners.

The partnership is already making a difference. During the partial 2025 reporting period discussed by HRDC, 22 accounts were opened and more than $38,000 in loans originated. Nine of those account holders did not have Social Security numbers, demonstrating the importance of creating more inclusive pathways to financial services.

For HRDC President and Clearwater Credit Union Board Member, Heather Grenier, Clearwater’s willingness to listen and develop solutions around Bozeman’s specific needs is what makes the partnership meaningful.

Grenier described the partnership as innovative, responsive and impactful, one focused not on what either organization can accomplish alone, but on what they can achieve together.

“Partnerships like this help us meet people where they are and create real pathways towards stability and opportunity,” Grenier said.

As the partnership continues to grow, Clearwater and HRDC Bozeman are exploring new ways to reduce financial barriers and expand opportunities for the people and communities they serve.