Nonprofits invited to Great Fish info meeting

Nonprofit organizations that plan to apply for the 2017 Great Fish Community Challenge are invited to a breakfast meeting on Tuesday, March 21, at the Whitefish Community Library.

The meeting will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. for any nonprofit interested in applying to participate in the Great Fish Community Challenge. Important dates will be discussed and questions answered about the third annual campaign.

All nonprofits, new organizations in particular, are encouraged to attend the breakfast meeting that will include a 30-minute section on bookkeeping basics for nonprofits. Capacity for this meeting is limited so please RSVP before March 17 by calling the Whitefish Community Foundation office at 406-863-1781.

The Great Fish Community Challenge, organized by the foundation, raised more than $1.4 million for local nonprofits in 2016 and offered a 55 percent match on the first $15,000 raised by each of the 40 participating nonprofits. The foundation again is dedicating $200,000 to the Great Fish match fund to start off the campaign and it will increase as individuals give to the Great Fish match.

The foundation plans to select approximately 45 organizations, up from the 40 selected last year, to participate in this year’s campaign. The selection will be done by application and applications will be accepted through an online process from April 3 to April 28. The Whitefish Community Foundation offers this campaign free of charge to the participating nonprofits.

Again this year, 100 percent of the costs will be covered by the foundation, including advertising, administration, credit-card fees, marketing and the community celebration.

The campaign giving period will launch July 20 and run through Sept. 15. The Great Fish 5K Color Run and Community Fair will be held Sept. 9 in Depot Park.

For more information about the Great Fish Challenge or the Whitefish Community Foundation, visit www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org or call 406-863-1781.