Business Newsmakers

Grant awarded to Cancer Support Community Montana 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana recently awarded a prestigious $20,000 Blue Impact Grant to Cancer Support Community Montana to improve access to supportive cancer care throughout Montana.  

Each year, BCBSMT supports communities throughout the state with grants and sponsorships with the overarching goal of improving access to and affordability of health care. All community giving at BCBSMT is designed to build healthier communities as part of an ongoing commitment to invest in partner nonprofit organizations to reach Montanans.  

With more than 5,000 visits annually, CSCMT uplifts and strengthens people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care. CSCMT provides in-person and online individual and group counseling, nationally recognized education including the “Frankly Speaking about Cancer” series, travel assistance, resource navigation help, a wig program, cooking/nutrition and strength/exercise classes, and other healthy lifestyle and social opportunities, and, above all, Community and Hope. All programs and services are free of charge to participants across the state. 

GL Solutions selected to modernize North Dakota cosmetology system 

The North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology recently awarded GL Solutions, a leading provider of regulatory software, a contract to implement a cosmetology board licensing system, including case management and inspections.  

The board procured the software using the North Dakota statewide contract; the award designates GL Solutions as one of four authorized providers of licensing systems in the state.  

The North Dakota State Board of Cosmetology joins a growing list of cosmetology agencies partnering with GL Solutions to protect consumers and improve regulatory processes. Other GL Solutions’ cosmetology board clients include the Alabama Board of Cosmetology, the Arizona Barbering and Cosmetology Board, the Wyoming Board of Cosmetology and the Minnesota Board of Cosmetology. 

Stockman Bank donates $50,000 to Rural Health Care Fund 

Through the tremendous generosity of Stockman Bank, the Billings Clinic Foundation has received an additional $50,000 to the Stockman Bank Rural Health Care Endowment Fund, which supports health care in rural Montana communities. 

Established in 1999, the Stockman Bank Rural Health Care Endowment Fund helps protect the financial wellbeing of rural health care organizations within the Billings Clinic Health System and supports families in accessing care close to home. Previous contributions from Stockman Bank have helped purchase medical equipment for women’s health services and secure new fetal monitors for Billings Clinic Miles City, among other vital investments. 

Consider it Done earns accreditation 

Consider It Done has earned accreditation for its Home Watch services from the National Home Watch Association for the fifth year.  

The NHWA was formed in 2009 in order to establish and maintain the highest industry standards for Home Watch and absentee homeowner services throughout the United States and Canada. Home Watch is a visual inspection of a home or property, looking for obvious issues, which means that it is a service that “keeps an eye on things” at your vacation or primary home while you are not in residence. All principals of NHWA Accredited Member companies are background-checked, insured, and bonded. 

Owned by Matt and Alisha Linn, Consider It Done has been serving the Flathead Valley since 2014. Consider It Done addresses the growing need for non-tenant-based Home Watch services.   

Consider It Done serves Kalispell, Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Lakeside, and surrounding areas.  

First Interstate gives to nonprofits  

As part of First Interstate’s fourth annual Believe in Local program, 40 nonprofits across the bank’s footprint received a total of $1 million in donations, including nine organizations in Montana – accounting for $225,000 of total donations. 

The Believe in Local program is driven by employees who live and work in the communities they serve. This year, First Interstate employees submitted more than 615 nonprofit nominations, all grounded in personal stories and alignment with the bank’s goals. 

In Montana, the following nonprofits received $25,000 Believe in Local grants: Cole’s Pantry, Gratitude In Action, Flathead Food Bank, Alliance For Youth, Whitefish Community Foundation, Gardiner Food Pantry, The Harriet Anderson Memorial, YWCA Helena and Miles City Soup Kitchen. 

Fire departments in Montana receive grant  

State Farm and the National Volunteer Fire Council have teamed up for the second year to support local volunteer fire departments with funding to secure needed equipment to help keep their responders safe and protect their communities.  

Through this year’s Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, 150 departments in 44 states received a $10,000 grant, including three departments in Montana.  

In Montana, the following volunteer fire departments will receive grants: Paradise Valley Volunteer Fire Department (Emigrant), Park City Rural Fire District and West Kootenai Fire Protection Company (Rexford). 

Regenerative farming grants awarded  

Five recipients have earned the new Regenerative Farming Implementation Grants from Montana Farmers Union.  

The grants are each for $1,000 and are offered with the support of General Mills as part of Montana Farmers Union's first ever Regenerative Farming Cohort. The cohort, in its first year, includes roughly 40 individuals and farms who learn about regenerative farming practices and how to implement them through farm tours, interactive webinars, and access to professionals and resources. 

The new grants will be used to help recipients implement one of the six regenerative principles on which MFU's Regenerative Farming Cohort program focuses: cover the ground, limit the disruption of the soil, increase biodiversity, keep the living roots in the ground as much as possible, incorporate animals into the rotation, and know your context to adapt. 

Recipients are: John Ferrat, Toston: Interseeding multiple hay species; Pam Gerwe, Whitefish: Cover crop seed for distribution; Ellen Mering, Kalispell: Fencing for grazing sheep; Kayla Miller, Busby: Goats to graze and manage weeds; and Jodi Milton, Joliet: Aerator for improving moisture. 

Reach Higher Montana awarded grant  

Reach Higher Montana has been awarded a four-year grant totaling $1.1 million from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.  

This significant investment will support the continued growth and impact of the Montana Work-Based Learning Collaborative (WBLC), a statewide initiative aimed at expanding, enhancing, and improving work-based learning opportunities for students across Montana. 

The funding will enable RHM and its WBLC partners to strengthen partnerships with employers, educators, and communities, while expanding access to hands-on career-connected learning experiences for students in both rural and urban areas. Career-connected learning encompasses internships, job shadows, apprenticeships, teacher externships, and more — all designed to prepare students for real-world careers and help meet the state's workforce needs. The funding is from the Blank Family Foundation’s new Youth Development portfolio in Montana, which supports the scaling of alternative pathways to economic mobility for young people.