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