Whitefish Community Foundation held its annual Community Grant Awards on April 28, awarding $524,500 in grants and special awards to 79 nonprofit organizations serving Bigfork, Browning, Columbia Falls, Evergreen, Kalispell, Lakeside, Libby, and Whitefish.
WCF awarded $494,500 in Community and Youth Sports grants and $30,000 in special awards.
“Every one of these grants will impact Flathead Valley families, kids, and neighbors. Our community’s generosity makes that possible, and we’re honored to help bring these important projects to life,” Whitefish Community Foundation President/CEO Alan Davis said.
The Community Grant program was created in 2000 and is Whitefish Community Foundation’s longest running grant program. Since its inception, the program has awarded nearly $3.5 million to local nonprofits. Nonprofits may apply for up to $10,000 for programs or projects benefiting residents of Flathead County or for health and human service programs benefiting residents of Lincoln and Glacier counties.
The following organizations received a Community Grant or a Youth Sports Grant:
- Abbie Shelter, $6,000 for emergency hotel stays for victims of domestic abuse
- Alano Club of Kalispell, $7,000 for new entryway doors
- Bear Grass Performing Arts, $6,000 for the Flathead Valley Youth Chorus
- Bigfork ACES, $8,500 for after school and summer programs at the Bigfork Youth Center
- Bigfork Soccer Club, $5,000 for youth soccer programs
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Glacier Country, $8,000 for a new library at the Columbia Falls clubhouse
- Braveheart Chaplain Ministry, $6,500 for therapeutic services for first responders and citizens facing trauma
- CASA of Lincoln County, $8,000 to support court-appointed advocates for children who have suffered abuse or neglect
- CF-WF High School Swim Teams, $5,000 for the self-funded Whitefish High School swim team
- Children’s House Montessori School, $10,000 for a mold mitigation project at their childcare center
- City of Whitefish Parks and Recreation, $8,500 for youth scholarships to attend after-school and summer programs
- Climate Smart Glacier Country, $6,000 to expand fire and rain climate resilience partnerships
- Code Girls United, $7,000 for the Flathead Girls Leadership Program
- Columbia Falls Academic Foundation, $8,000 for Columbia Falls Junior High and High School classroom grants
- Columbia Falls Community Market, $2,500 for a generator for music performances
- Columbia Falls Kids Foundation, $10,000 for roof repairs
- Columbia Falls School District, $7,800 for the Bookmobile summer program delivering books and food to rural youth
- Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork, $7,000 for an electric gate at Swan River Nature Trailhead
- Crown Gravity Collective, $5,000 for competitive mountain biking programs
- Discovery Developmental Center, $7,000 to improve the outdoor play area for children ages 15-30 months
- Evergreen School District, $8,500 for the Evergreen Fitness Team after-school and summer program
- Flathead 4-H Foundation, $7,000 for utility trailers for 4-H Dog and Western Heritage projects
- Flathead Association of Senior Citizens, $5,000 for the “Warm it Up” knitting program
- Flathead Industries, $8,000 for a backup generator for their residential group home
- Flathead K9 Foundation, $8,000 for canine equipment and supplies
- Flathead Lakers, $5,500 for a collaborative river stewards volunteer network
- Flathead Library Foundation, $10,000 for Library Without Walls to provide 24/7 access to library materials
- Flathead Rapids Youth Soccer, $5,000 for futsal equipment
- Flathead Respite Care, $7,000 for a respite program for caregivers of individuals with dementia
- Flathead Rivers Alliance, $7,000 to expand stewardship, monitoring and public education along the Flathead River
- Flathead Shelter Friends, $8,000 for Flathead County Animal Shelter programs
- Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation, $7,000 to design a new team room
- Friends of Ferndale Montana Fire, $7,000 for a new brush fire truck
- Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center, $8,500 for education materials and purchase a snowmobile rack
- Gateway to Early Learning, $8,500 for preschool and childcare programs
- Girls on the Run Western Montana, $7,000 for running and youth development programs
- Glacier Art Museum, $6,000 for the Traveling Medicine show
- Glacier Institute, $5,000 to upgrade the kitchen at Field Camp
- Glacier Montessori, $3,000 for preschool and childcare programs
- Glacier Symphony, Orchestra and Chorale, $7,500 to replace the roof
- Glacier Twins American Legion Baseball, $5,000 for youth baseball programs
- Graceful Days End of Life Home, $2,000 to train hospice volunteers
- Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley, $7,000 for green space in a new Columbia Falls subdivision
- Kalispell Aquatic Swim Team Club, $5,000 for youth competitive swim programs
- Kalispell Legion Baseball Association, $5,000 for youth baseball programs
- Land to Hand, $10,000 for summer food access programs for children
- Miracle League of Northwest Montana, $5,000 for baseball programs for people with disabilities
- Montana Kayak Academy, $5,500 to upgrade a roof rack and build a custom gear trailer
- Montana Legal Services Association, $7,000 for civil legal aid for low-income Flathead Valley residents
- Montana World Affairs Council, $6,500 for the Distinguished Speaker Program
- New Agrarian School, $4,000 for summer blacksmithing classes
- North Valley Food Bank, $10,000 for a forklift
- North Valley Music School, $5,000 for an outdoor musical playground
- Northwest Lacrosse Association, $5,000 for youth lacrosse programs
- Northwest Montana Community Land Trust, $10,000 to purchase five additional homes in the Trailview subdivision
- Outdoor Community Partners, $10,000 for a high-resolution map for the River Lakes Area Park and Trails concept plan in Whitefish
- People and Carnivores, $5,000 to purchase and distribute bear-resistant garbage containers
- Powdered Soul, $6,000 for a community service and winter sports scholarship program
- Serious JuJu Skate Works, $6,000 for a free indoor skatepark, daily skate lessons and meals for youth
- Tamarack Grief Resource Center, $7,000 for grief resource programs in the Blackfeet Nation
- The Big Sky Astronomy Club, $6,000 for a customized storage facility for astronomy equipment
- The Making Place, $6,500 for a shared workspace, classes, and tool library for creative projects
- The Skola, $5,500 for summer camp scholarships
- University of Montana Foundation, $5,200 for Flathead Lake Biological Station aquatic education programs in the Flathead
- Whitefish Adult Ice Hockey Association, $4,000 for adult hockey programs
- Whitefish Community School, $8,500 for preschool programs
- Whitefish Education Foundation, $6,000 for the Whitefish Middle School 8th grade history trip
- Whitefish Freestyle, $5,000 for freestyle ski and snowboard team scholarships
- Whitefish High School Baseball, $5,000 for the self-funded high school baseball program
- Whitefish Lake Institute, $5,000 for near-shore lake sampling and river contaminant testing
- Whitefish Safe Grad Night, $5,000 for the Whitefish Safe Grad celebration at The Wave
- Whitefish School District #44, $10,000 to replace Performing Arts Center computer
- Whitefish Songwriter Festival, $7,000 for the Whitefish Songwriter Festival
- Whitefish Theatre Company, $10,000 to replace the O’Shaughnessy Center projector
- Wildtorium, $6,500 for an outdoor play space at the new Kalispell children’s museum
- WorkshopMT, $6,000 for mobile classroom programs
The foundation also presented the following special awards and accompanying grants:
DREAM Adaptive Recreation Executive Director Julie Tickle received the Linda Engh-Grady Award for Nonprofit Excellence and an accompanying $10,000 grant to support the organization’s adaptive sports programs.
Ken Wessels received the WCF Board and Founders Leadership Award for his history of exemplary service and leadership to Flathead nonprofits, including Whitefish Community Foundation. Wessels, an emeritus board member, served on the foundation’s board of directors for 11 years, including two years as chair. A $5,000 grant accompanied the award, which Wessels directed to the Kalispell School District HEART Program.
Whitefish Theatre Co. received the Russ and Mary Jane Street Community Service Award and an accompanying $5,000 grant.
Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center received the Doris Schumm Community Spirit Award and an accompanying $5,000 grant.
Center for Restorative Youth Justice received the Jean and Bill Howard Memorial Award and an accompanying $5,000 grant.
Whitefish Community Foundation’s grant programs are funded by their Circle of Giving, a core group of donors who give $5,000 or more annually to support the grant programs and mission of the foundation. To learn more about the Circle of Giving and the foundation’s work, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org.
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