Program areas at Whitefish Community Foundation
Wcf grant programs: awarded grants totaling $526,701 to 52 local organizations that support arts & culture, health & human services, education, sports & recreation, conservation and civic activities, including 3 major grants totaling $120,000 which helped flathead audubon society permanently protect the owen sowerwine natural area, provided support to glacier institute in the restoration of the big creek outdoor education center, and aided Whitefish skatepark association in expanding the dave olseth memorial skatepark. Wcf also awarded an emergency grant of $10,000 to help north valley food bank repair their refrigerated truck. The kids fund, which funds impactful programs for flathead valley children who are or are at risk of becoming homeless awarded 3 grants totaling $125,000 to boys & girls club for afterschool programming; to center for restorative youth justice for a new youth program director; and to nate chute Foundation for mental health and suicide prevention programs in flathead valley schools.
Charitable funds: held and administered charitable funds including donor advised funds, designated funds, annuity funds and agency funds which paid out grants and scholarships totaling over $6.5m to charitable organizations and provided $223,000 in program support to the organization through administrative fees.
Great fish Community challenge: a six-week long fundraising campaign which helped 70 nonprofits raise over $5.3m and the Foundation awarded an additional $924,331 in matching grants plus $21,200 in incentive grants. The organization also processed all gifts and provided all printed materials, advertising, and marketing at an approximate cost to the organization of over $300,000.
Nonprofit endowment funds: held and administered 43 endowment funds totaling over $18m for local area nonprofits and paid out endowment distributions which provided $226,313 in operating support for the recipient organizations.
Nonprofit development partnership program (npdp): offered 11 free workshops and learning opportunities, reaching 185 participants from 102 local nonprofits, focused on key areas of nonprofit management to improve oversight, transparency, governance, operations and fundraising. Also hosted quarterly nonprofit executive director roundtables. Npdp implemented a technology program, providing grants to nonprofits to purchase and implement much needed software programs. In 2023 this program awarded 3 grants totaling $3,586 to kalispell education Foundation for scholarship software; and to both bigfork art and cultural center and housing Whitefish for donor database software.