Nonprofits selected for Great Fish Community Challenge
Eighty Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations will participate in the 10th annual Great Fish Community Challenge hosted by Whitefish Community Foundation Aug. 8 to Sept. 13.
The Great Fish Community Challenge is a charitable giving campaign in which donors can choose to give to multiple nonprofit organizations with a single transaction. At the campaign's end, Whitefish Community Foundation will award a percentage match on the first $25,000 raised by each participating organization. The match is made possible by Whitefish Community Foundation’s Circle of Giving donors and donors who designate their gift to the Great Fish Match Fund.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Great Fish Community Challenge, Whitefish Community Foundation will award more than $100,000 in incentive grants to nonprofits throughout the campaign. Donors will have numerous opportunities to help their favorite nonprofits win an incentive grant ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.
“We are excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Challenge with some big incentive grants that will inspire the Flathead Valley to give,” Whitefish Community Foundation President/CEO Alan Davis said. “Whether you live in Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Whitefish or Bigfork, there is a nonprofit participating in this year’s Challenge that impacts your life. Make a gift to support their work and watch the impact of your gift multiply with a percentage match from Whitefish Community Foundation.”
Nonprofits interested in participating in the 2024 Challenge applied through a comprehensive application process this spring. Of the 80 nonprofits invited to participate, five are new to the campaign. They are Bigfork ACES, Bigfork Food Bank, Flathead Valley United, My Glacier Village and Writing Coaches of Montana.
Since 2015, the Great Fish Community Challenge has raised over $28 million for Flathead Valley nonprofits, including $6.2 million raised for 77 nonprofits in 2023.
There is no cost for nonprofits to participate in the Challenge. Whitefish Community Foundation underwrites the cost of hosting the campaign with support from title sponsor BNSF and additional sponsors First Interstate Bank, Glacier Bank, Glacier Guides, Harris Financial, Iron Horse Foundation, JCCS, Park Side Credit Union, Stockman Bank, Summit Beverage, Three Rivers Bank and Whitefish Credit Union.
This year’s campaign will kick off with the Great Fish Launch Party on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at Three Rivers Bank in Whitefish. Donors who make a gift of $100 or more at the Launch Party to one participating nonprofit will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of 11 $1,000 matching grants for their designated organization. From Aug. 8 to Sept. 13, there will be many opportunities for donors to give to the campaign and help their favorite charities earn more incentive grants.
The Great Fish Fun Run & Community Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7 in Depot Park in Whitefish. The event will include 5K, Para 5K and one-mile races, free barbecue lunch, a nonprofit fair and the presentation of awards and prizes. Registration for the Great Fish Fun Run is open at runsignup.com/great-fish-fun-run.
For more information about the Great Fish Community Challenge, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/great-fish or call (406) 863-1781.
The following nonprofits will participate in this year’s Great Fish Community Challenge:
Abbie Shelter
Alpine Theatre Project
Amazing Place Music
Backpack Assistance Program
Big Brothers Big Sisters NW Montana
Bigfork ACES
Bigfork Art and Cultural Center
Bigfork Food Bank
Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation
Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country
CASA for Kids
Center for Restorative Youth Justice
Child Bridge
Children's House Montessori School
Code Girls United
Conrad Mansion Museum
Creston Firefighters Association
DREAM Adaptive Recreation
Flathead Area Mountain Bikers
Flathead Audubon Society
Flathead County Sheriff's Posse
Flathead Food Bank
Flathead Industries
Flathead Land Trust
Flathead Rapids
Flathead Rivers Alliance
Flathead Valley Community College Foundation
Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation
Flathead Valley United
Flathead Warming Center
Flathead Youth Home
Foy's to Blacktail Trails
Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center
Gateway to Glacier Trails
Glacier Hockey Association
Glacier Institute
Glacier National Park Conservancy
Glacier Nordic Club
Glacier Skate Academy
Glacier Symphony, Orchestra & Chorale
Good Grief Camp
Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley
Hockaday Museum of Art
Housing Whitefish
Humane Society of Northwest Montana
ImagineIF Library Foundation
Immanuel Foundation
Kalispell Education Foundation
Land to Hand
Lighthouse Christian Home & Services
Logan Health Foundation
Montana Conservation Corps
Montana Kayak Academy
Montana Youth Diabetes Alliance
My Glacier Village
Nate Chute Foundation
North Valley Food Bank
North Valley Music School
North West Montana Veterans Stand Down
Northwest Montana Community Land Trust
Northwest Montana History Museum
Project Whitefish Kids
Samaritan House
Shepherd's Hand
Sparrow's Nest of NW MT
Stumptown Art Studio
Tamarack Grief Resource Center
Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center
Whitefish Community Center
Whitefish Community Foundation
Whitefish Dog Park
Whitefish Firefighters Association
Whitefish Lake Institute
Whitefish Legacy Partners
Whitefish Review
Whitefish Education Foundation
Whitefish Theatre Co.
Whitefish Veterans Support Team
Wings Regional Cancer Support
Writing Coaches of Montana