New community foundation readies its first grants

The fledgling Flathead Community Foundation plans to hand out its first disbursements by late December.

The initial disbursements will likely total $2,000 to $4,000 and probably will be allocated in segments of close to $100 to a large number of recipients across Flathead County, according to foundation board president Alan Satterlee. The recipients have not yet been selected.

The foundation has raised $43,500 in donations and pledges so far from Glacier Bank, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, Avodah Publishing, the Montana Community Foundation and two families who want to remain anonymous.

The initial donations will be split between operating costs and an endowment fund. December's disbursements are designed to get the foundation known in the community.

"Our goal is to get maximum exposure,'' Satterlee said.

The foundation was created early this year to set up a community endowment fund for charitable grants. The foundation is trying to avoid duplicating the United Way's efforts and also is trying to avoid tapping into the United Way's donor base, Satterlee said.

The foundation focuses more on one-time grants rather than annual allocations, he said.

Like the United Way, donors to the foundation can pick a nonprofit organization to receive the donation or request that the foundation put it into its endowment to be eventually given to several recipients.

The foundation hopes to eventually create a $5 million endowment fund. But it realizes that its early years will be lean, Satterlee said. No specific donation goal has been set for 2006, although the foundation hopes to allocate at least $5,000 in grants.

The foundation also is looking for additional volunteer board members with business, finance and nonprofit experience. Current board members are Satterlee, Joe Unterreiner, Nancy Davis and Snuff Frisbee of Kalispell, Jeff Lewis and Muffie Thomson of Lakeside, Andrea Goff of Bigfork and Sue Rolfing of Columbia Falls.

For information, people can go to the foundation's office at 15 Depot Park in Kalispell (in the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce building). Or they can call 758-2800.