WHITEFISH - The Whitefish Community Foundation held its annual Community Grant Awards presentation this week awarding $187,000 to local nonprofits.
A total of 41 nonprofits received community grants of up to $10,000 in Flathead and Lincoln counties. The grant programs are made possible by the Circle of Giving, a core group of donors making an annual donation of $5,000 or more to the foundation.
Whitefish Community Foundation President Linda Engh-Grady said grants were given to a variety of nonprofits and programs.
“Helped the North Valley Food Bank purchase a new generator, we also helped the Creston Fire Department purchase the Jaws of Life which they really needed for some of the accidents they’re seeing and such, and then we helped the Whitefish Fire Department purchase a new boat,” added Engh-Grady.
Since 2000, Whitefish Community Foundation has awarded more than $52 million in cumulative grants to nonprofit organizations.
The foundation presented $172,458 in Community Grant awards to these 41 organizations:
- Amazing Place Music, $2,500 for “Artist Chat” programs and master classes with visiting concert artists
- Bigfork ACES, $5,000 for a summer education program for underserved children
- Bigfork Art and Cultural Center, $4,000 for an exhibit and educational project in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
- CASA for Kids, $5,000 for training of court-appointed advocates serving children in need in Lincoln County
- Casting for Recovery, $1,350 for local women with Stage IV breast cancer to attend a fly-fishing retreat
- CF-WF High School Swim Teams, $3,000 for the self-funded Whitefish High School swim team
- Children's House Montessori School, $3,000 for a community garden and safety upgrades to the playground
- City of Whitefish Fire Department, $10,000 for an air boat to conduct rescue operations on frozen water, rivers, marsh and land
- City of Whitefish Parks and Recreation, $5,000 for youth scholarships to attend the Stumptown Summer Camp
- Code Girls United, $5,000 for a summer camp pilot program in collaboration with Kalispell Parks and Recreation
- Columbia Falls Bookmobile, $5,000 for a teacher-led literacy and food security project during the summer in the Columbia Falls School District
- Creative Arts Council, $5,000 for repairs to the community building in Eureka and program scholarships
- Creston Firefighter's Association, $10,000 for a battery-operated extrication systemEvergreen School District, $5,000 for the Evergreen Fitness Team serving disadvantaged students during extended school breaks
- Flathead County Sheriff's Posse; $3,823 for trauma kits
- Flathead Lakers, $3,000 to develop a “Living in the Flathead” guide
- Flathead Rapids Youth Soccer, $4,350 to relocate and secure a storage shed in Columbia Falls
- Flathead STEAM Alliance, $3,000 to develop the STEAM Power Your Future program
- Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation, $5,000 to improve nighttime lighting on the youth training course
- Glacier Hockey Association, $5,000 for youth hockey programs
- Glacier Nordic Club, $5,000 to help purchase a snowmobile to groom at Meadow Lake in Columbia Falls
- Immanuel Foundation, $3,000 to upgrade common spaces in Immanuel Skilled Care Center
- Montana State Parks Foundation, $5,000 for the preservation of the Somers Beach public access point on Flathead Lake
- Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center, $2,000 for educational programs and the care of injured birds
- Montana Youth Diabetes Alliance, $2,000 for a summer camp for youth with Type 1 diabetes
- My Glacier Village, $2,500 for services helping seniors to remain living in their own homes
- Nate Chute Foundation, $5,000 to launch the Youth Empowerment Program
- North Valley Food Bank, $10,000 for a back-up generator to ensure food safety during power outages
- Northwest Montana Lookout Association, $3,175 for meals for volunteers on six restoration projects this summer
- Postpartum Resource Group, $2,400 for resources for local mothers in need of postpartum support
- Riding on Insulin, $2,000 for a ski and snowboard camp for youth with Type I diabetes
- Senior Mobile Home Repair Program, $5,000 for projects assisting seniors in need
- Stumptown Art Studio, $2,500 for the second phase of the Baker Street Underpass art project
- Tamarack Grief Resource Center, $5,000 for a grief symposium for Flathead Valley counselors and teachers
- The Patrol Fund, $3,000 for launching the Whitefish Avalanche Rescue Dogs program at Whitefish Mountain Resort
- The Vital Ground Foundation, $2,500 to conserve grizzly habitat in the Grave Creek area
- Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center, $2,360 for sensory trail stations on a therapeutic riding trail
- Whitefish Freestyle, $5,000 for financial need-based scholarships for youth
- Whitefish Lake Institute, $4,000 for the collection and analysis of sediment core in Whitefish Lake
- Whitefish Legacy Partners, $5,000 to launch Outside Kind, a trail etiquette educational project in collaboration with other Flathead Valley trail organizations
- Whitefish Safe Grad Night, $3,000 for an all-night graduation event at The Wave.
