Terry Chute and Jane Kollmeyer founded the Nate Chute Foundation in 1999 to promote mental wellness and reduce suicide. The nonprofit organization received its first grant from Whitefish Community Foundation in 2003 to provide mental health services to children in the Whitefish School District not covered by insurance or Medicaid. Since then, Nate Chute Foundation has proven itself as a leader in delivering impactful preventative services and educational programs in schools and workplaces throughout the Flathead Valley. Whitefish Community Foundation is proud to support the work of Nate Chute Foundation through our various grant programs, including the Great Fish Community Challenge, Community Grants, and Kids Fund.
Since you applied for that very first grant from Whitefish Community Foundation in 2003, how has your engagement with the Foundation evolved?
When Jane’s mother passed, we used some of her inheritance to open a Donor Advised Fund at Whitefish Community Foundation. Over the years we have used our Donor Advised Fund to direct charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations throughout Montana. We subsequently joined the Circle of Giving, established a Legacy Fund, and worked with Whitefish Community Foundation to establish an endowment for the Nate Chute Foundation utilizing the Montana Endowment Tax Credit.
As a nonprofit founder and leader, what do you value most about working with Whitefish Community Foundation?
First and foremost, we appreciate Whitefish Community Foundation’s dedication to helping our nonprofit be the best that we can be. Many local nonprofits would not exist today if it were not for financial support, mentoring, and training that Whitefish Community Foundation provides. Both individual nonprofits and the entire nonprofit community are stronger and more effective due to the leadership and support provided by Whitefish Community Foundation.
As a donor, what do you value most about working with Whitefish Community Foundation?
Whitefish Community Foundation makes it easy and rewarding for us to support local nonprofits in several ways. We appreciate the relationship we have with Whitefish Community Foundation— the staff knows us personally and helps us to achieve our goals for charitable giving, both now and in the future. Each of Whitefish Community Foundation’s giving programs is cost effective and uncomplicated.
-Terry Chute
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