Nonprofits selected for Great Fish Community Challenge

More than 60 Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations will participate in the seventh annual Great Fish Community Challenge hosted by the Whitefish Community Foundation Aug. 5 to Sept. 17.

The Great Fish Community Challenge is a six-week charitable giving campaign in which donors can choose to give to multiple nonprofit organizations with a single transaction. At the conclusion of the campaign, the Whitefish Community Foundation will award a percentage match on the first $20,000 raised by each participating organization.

To be eligible to participate in the Great Fish Community Challenge, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) charity serving the Flathead Valley, submit an application and demonstrate sufficient capacity to raise funds for their mission or capital project. Nonprofits had six weeks to apply.

Of the 61 organizations selected, eight are first-time participants. The list includes the Abbie Shelter; the Backpack Assistance Program; Big Brothers Big Sisters NW Montana; the Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country; the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation; the Braveheart Chaplain Ministry; CASA for Kids; the Center for Restorative Youth Justice; Child Bridge; DREAM Adaptive Recreation; Farm Hands — Nourish the Flathead; the Flathead Area Mountain Bikers; the Flathead Audubon Society; the Flathead County Sheriff's Posse; the Flathead Food Bank; the Flathead Land Trust; Flathead Rapids Youth Soccer; the Flathead Valley Community College Foundation; the Flathead Warming Center; the Flathead Youth Home; Foys to Blacktail Trails; the Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center; Gateway to Glacier Trail; the Glacier National Park Conservancy; the Glacier Nordic Club; Glacier Skate Academy; the Glacier Symphony and Chorale; the Humane Society of Northwest Montana; the Hockaday Museum of Art; the ImagineIF Library Foundation; Intermountain Children's Services; the Kalispell Education Foundation; Lighthouse Christian Home and Services; Montana Children's Medical Center Foundation; the Montana Conservation Corps; the Montana Kayak Academy; the Nate Chute Foundation; the North Valley Food Bank; the North Valley Hospital Foundation; the North Valley Music School; the North West Montana Veterans Food Pantry; Project Whitefish Kids; the Ravenwood Outdoor Learning Center; Samaritan House; Shepherd's Hand Free Clinic; Sparrow's Nest of NW Montana; the Stumptown Art Studio; the Tamarack Grief Resource Center; The Nurturing Center; The Wave; the Whitefish Community Center; the Whitefish Community Foundation; the Whitefish Dog Park; the Whitefish Firefighters Association; the Whitefish Lake Institute; Whitefish Legacy Partners; the Whitefish Review; the Whitefish School District Education Foundation; the Whitefish Theatre Co.; the Whitefish Veterans Support Team; and Wings Regional Cancer Support.

Since 2015, the Great Fish Community Challenge has raised more than $13 million for more than 70 local nonprofit organizations. In addition to awarding a percentage match on the first $20,000 raised by each organization, the Whitefish Community Foundation awards thousands of dollars in incentive grants throughout the campaign. The match is made possible by the foundation’s Circle of Giving donors, as well as donors who designate their gift to the Great Fish Match Fund. Last year' match exceeded $600,000.

The foundation will kick off this year's campaign with the Great Fish Launch Party at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 at Glacier Bank in downtown Whitefish. Donors will be able to make a gift in person or online and be entered into drawings to win incentive grants for their designated charities.

The Great Fish Fun Run and Community Celebration is scheduled for Sept. 11 in Whitefish's Depot Park. Registration for the run is open at runsignup.com.