89 nonprofits selected for Great Fish Challenge

Eighty-nine Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations will raise funds in Whitefish Community Foundation’s Great Fish Community Challenge Aug. 11 to Sept. 11, the highest number of nonprofits to participate in the 12-year history of the campaign.

Whitefish Community Foundation’s Great Fish Community Challenge is a charitable giving campaign in which donors can choose to give to multiple Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations with a single transaction. At the conclusion of the campaign, Whitefish Community Foundation will award a percentage match on $25,000 raised by each participating organization. The match is made possible by Whitefish Community Foundation’s Circle of Giving donors, the core group of donors who give $5,000 or more annually to support the grant programs and mission of the Foundation, as well as donors who designate their gift to the Great Fish Match Fund.

Since 2015, the Great Fish Community Challenge has raised over $43 million for Flathead Valley nonprofits. $8.1 million was raised for 85 nonprofits in 2025, a 21% increase over the previous year.

“Year after year, the Great Fish Community Challenge highlights just how deeply our community cares,” Whitefish Community Foundation President and CEO Alan Davis said. “Nonprofits are woven into the fabric of life in the Flathead Valley, and the Great Fish Match allows donors to stretch their gifts even further.”

This year’s campaign will kick off with the Great Fish Launch Party on Tuesday, August 11 at 5 p.m. at Glacier Bank Park, home of the Glacier Range Riders. Everyone is invited to this free event, featuring free food and beverages, family-friendly activities and the opportunity to learn about the nonprofits raising funds in this year’s Challenge. All attendees will be entered into a raffle drawing for the chance to win one of five $1,000 incentive grants for the participating nonprofit of their choice.

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 & Montana Raft, Harris Financial, Iron Horse Foundation, JCCS, Park Side Credit Union, Stockman Bank, Summit Beverage, Three Rivers Bank and Whitefish Credit Union.

Whitefish Community Foundation will award 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 $2,500 between August 11 and September 11.

Nonprofits interested in participating in the 2026 Challenge applied through a comprehensive application process this spring. Of the 89 nonprofits invited to participate, six are new to the campaign. They are Bear Grass Performing Arts, Columbia Falls Academic Foundation, Girls on the Run Western Montana, Glacier Aquatic Club, Whitefish Community School, and Whitefish Songwriter Festival.

The following nonprofits will participate in this year’s Great Fish Community Challenge:

• Abbie Shelter

• Alano Club of Kalispell

• Alpine Theatre Project

• Amazing Place Music

• Backpack Assistance Program

• Bear Grass Performing Arts

• Big Brothers Big Sisters NW Montana

• Bigfork ACES

• Bigfork Art and Cultural Center

• Bigfork Food Bank

• Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation 

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Glacier Country

• CASA for Kids

• Center for Restorative Youth Justice

• Child Bridge

• Children's House Montessori School

• Code Girls United

• Columbia Falls Academic Foundation

• Conrad Mansion Museum

• Creston Firefighters Association

• DREAM Adaptive Recreation

• Driving Hope

• Flathead 4-H Foundation

• Flathead Area Mountain Bikers

• Flathead Audubon Society

• Flathead County Sheriff's Posse

• Flathead Food Bank

• Flathead Industries

• Flathead Land Trust

• Flathead Library Foundation

• Flathead Rapids Youth Soccer

• Flathead Rivers Alliance

• Flathead Valley Community College Foundation

• Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation

• Flathead Valley United

• Flathead Warming Center

• Flathead Youth Home

• Foys to Blacktail Trails

• Friends of the Flathead Avalanche Center

• Gateway to Glacier Trails

• Girls on the Run Western Montana

• Glacier Aquatic Club

• Glacier Art Museum

• Glacier Institute

• Glacier National Park Conservancy

• Glacier Nordic Club

• Glacier Skate Academy

• Glacier Symphony, Orchestra and Chorale

• Good Grief Group

• Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley

• Housing Whitefish

• Humane Society of Northwest Montana

• 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

• 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

• The Nurturing Center

• Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center

• West Shore Food Bank

• Whitefish Community Center

• Whitefish Community Foundation

• Whitefish Community School

• Whitefish Dog Park

• Whitefish Education Foundation

• Whitefish Firefighters Association

• Whitefish Lake Institute

• Whitefish Legacy Partners

• Whitefish Review

• Whitefish Songwriter Festival

• Whitefish Theatre Company

• Whitefish Veterans Support Team

• Wings Regional Cancer Support

• Writing Coaches of Montana

For more information about Whitefish Community Foundation and the Great Fish Community Challenge, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org.