The Whitefish Community Foundation’s annual Community Grant Program has awarded over $1.5 million to local nonprofits since the program was established in 2000. The 2017 Grant cycle awarded 32 local nonprofit organizations $76,000 in funding at this year’s Community Grant Awards Ceremony, held at the Whitefish Lake Lodge on Thursday, May 18. Three special awards accompanied by a $2,500 grant were presented at the beginning of the evening: Project Whitefish Kids (PWK) received the Doris Schumm Community Spirit Award for their work to build a new playground and pavilion at the Smith Fields Sports Complex, Whitefish Lake Institute (WLI) received the Russ and Mary Jane Street Community Service Award for their dedication to protecting Whitefish Lake from aquatic invasive species, and Halt Cancer at X, a program of Montana Equestrian Events received the Jean Howard Memorial Award to continue their work supporting cancer outreach and research. Special Award recipients are selected annually by the grants committee and are not part of an application process.
You can find the list of this year’s recipients and their use of funds HERE.
The Community Grant Program was previously the major granting program of Whitefish Community Foundation. In 2016, the Community Grant Program was re-designed to complement the Great Fish Community Challenge, which has raised over $2.5 M in two years to benefit local charitable organizations. The Whitefish Community Foundation Grants Committee is currently reviewing 53 applications from nonprofits interested in participating in the 2017 Great Fish Challenge. The Foundation will increase the Challenge to benefit 45 nonprofits this year.
Board Member Linda Maetzold presents the Doris Schumm Community Spirit Award to Katie Ward and Gloria Nelson, representing Project Whitefish Kids.
Board Member Mike Jenson presents the Russ and Mary Jane Street Community Service Award to Mike Koopal and Lori Curtis, of Whitefish Lake Institute.
Sarah Broussard of Halt Cancer at X, a Montana Equestrian Events program, accepts the Jean Howard Memorial Award from Bill Howard.