Great Fish ready to launch

Whitefish Community Foundation kicks off the sixth annual Great Fish Community Challenge with a Virtual Launch event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 30.

The Great Fish Community Challenge since 2015 has raised over $9 million for Flathead Valley nonprofits. This year’s campaign includes 56 organizations, each of them providing important and often critical services to valley residents.

Visit www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org on July 30 beginning at 10 a.m. to join the launch, hear about the great work these organizations are doing, and learn how to assist them.

Donors can start making gifts on July 30 by giving online, or sending a check accompanied by an official donor form to Whitefish Community Foundation. Donors wishing to make gifts using appreciated securities or an IRA distribution are encouraged to contact the Community Foundation.

Official donor forms will be mailed to everyone who has given through the campaign in the past, and will be available in newspapers, at local businesses throughout the valley, from participating nonprofits, and downloadable on the Whitefish Community Foundation website.

Drop by the Donation Station in the community foundation parking lot on July 30, and give during the Launch event. In celebration of the beginning of this year’s challenge, $2,000 in Incentive Grants will be awarded, and every gift of $25 or more per organization, donated at the Donation Station between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., or given online by 2 p.m. will be entered for the chance to win an additional Incentive Grant.

Whitefish Community Foundation will launch this year’s campaign with $200,000 in the Great Fish Match Fund. The campaign is designed to make it easy for donors to make one gift and divide their gift in any proportion between multiple charities. Donors may also choose to include a gift to the Match Fund. Donations to the Match Fund benefit all 56 participating charities. At the end of the campaign, all proceeds in the match are granted to participating nonprofits as a percentage match on the first $20,000 raised by each organization.

In 2019, the Great Fish Match Fund grew to over $485,000, awarding a 49% match, or a maximum grant of $9,800 on the first $20,000 raised by each nonprofit.

Whitefish Community Foundation will award over $32,000 in additional Incentive Grants during the campaign, encouraging organizations to mobilize, and donors to help their favorite charities reach their goals.

Watch for the bright orange Great Fish Pop-Up Donation Station every Thursday on busy streets throughout the Flathead. Drop by any Donation Station, donate, and enter your favorite charity to win an additional $500. Only one entry per household during the campaign, and entries will remain eligible every week until they are drawn as a winner.

For a complete list of Incentive Grants and Great Fish Donation Station locations, visit https://whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/incentive-grants/.

Whitefish Community Foundation covers the cost of the Great Fish Community Challenge and passes on 100% of every donation to the designated charity (minus credit card fees for online gifts). Gifts must be made out to Whitefish Community Foundation, and may be given via credit card, check, appreciated securities, or IRA distributions.

For more information about the Whitefish Community Foundation and the Great Fish Community Challenge visit the foundation website at www.whitefishcommunityfoundation.org or call 406-863-1781. The Whitefish Community Foundation is dedicated to fostering philanthropy, building endowments and helping donors and nonprofits benefit the community.