Dear Friends,
This week we celebrate National Community Foundation Week, a time to recognize the increasingly important role community foundations play in fostering local collaboration and innovation to address community problems.
At MCF, we are proud to work alongside 45 Local Community Foundations (LCFs), serving 38 counties, that are helping Montana communities thrive now and for future generations through the power of strategic philanthropy and community partnerships. This week, and year-round, we celebrate the amazing work they do in their communities.
This year, the Darby Town Endowment Fund was able to award $8,400 in grants to benefit three organizations in Darby. This includes a grant to Sapphire Community Health to provide books to Darby families with young children through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ravalli County.
In July, the Elkhorn Community Foundation awarded more than $5,000 in grants to purchase firefighting gear for the local fire department, install playground equipment at the fairgrounds, support the future animal shelter, and more.
Over the last year and a half, Seeley Lake Community Foundation (SLCF) has opened its doors every Tuesday as a COVID-19 testing site for the Missoula County Health Department. They also partnered with the Missoula-Ravalli Transportation Management Authority to provide I Ride Seeley Lake to provide medical rides to Seely Lake area residents. Earlier this week, SCLF was awarded Outstanding Foundation from the Missoula Nonprofit Center for its work in the community.
I am grateful to share these stories of just a few of Montana’s Local Community Foundations doing impactful work across our great state. Learn more about your local community foundation here.
As community foundations in Montana continue to find solutions for communities large and small, urban and rural – it is the collective work of these organizations that makes the most profound impact for Montana. Thank you for your continued support of the Montana Community Foundation and our local community foundations across the state.
Sincerely,
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Mary K. Rutherford
President & CEO
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New Scholarship Fund to Benefit Park County Student Graduates |
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MCF announces a new scholarship fund to benefit future graduates of Park County high schools seeking to further their education. The Park County Scholarship Fund was established at MCF through a generous gift from Philip Morris USA.
The $500,000 fund will help Park County graduates continue their education beyond high school. For each of the next five years, five Park County high school graduates can each receive up to $20,000 toward their education. Each scholarship recipient will receive $5,000 each year, for up to four years.
Graduating seniors from Park County High School, Gardiner High School, and Shields Valley High School, pursuing a degree from an accredited post-secondary educational institution, are eligible for this scholarship. This includes universities, colleges, and trade or technical schools. Students can apply online for the scholarship starting January 1, 2022.
Read more about the scholarship here.
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Grant Funding Now Available to Help Increase Mental Health Access in Montana |
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MCF is now accepting applications for grants from the Montana Mental Health Access Fund. The fund will provide grants to Montana-based, mental health service providers including health clinics, mental health centers, hospitals, social service agencies and nonprofits, schools, and licensed individuals to provide mental health and addiction services in their respective communities.
Applicants can apply online here. There is no application deadline, and applications will be reviewed by a committee on a quarterly basis. There is no grant limit, however, the minimum grant request is $1,000.
The Montana Mental Health Access Fund was established at MCF by Frontier Psychiatry, through a $150,000 grant from AMB West Philanthropies. The goal of the fund is to help increase access to mental health services across Montana, specifically in rural and tribal communities. Learn more.
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An anonymous donor of MCF has pledged a dollar-for-dollar match of donations made in support of the Judith Basin County Fairgrounds Revitalization Project. The donor will match up to $400,000.
“This generous individual is excited to see the fairgrounds revitalization project come to life and hopes these matching funds will encourage others to get involved in supporting this important community project,” says Mary Rutherford, MCF president and chief executive officer.
Learn more about the project and donate here.
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Helena Business, Sage & Oats, Brings Awareness to the MMIP Crisis During Native American Heritage Month |
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Sage & Oats worked closely with their candlemaker, Summer (Northern Cheyenne), to create rose-scented 8 oz candles to honor those who have gone missing and bring awareness to the MMIP crisis. The candle is topped with dried rose petals and has a bright, refreshing floral scent when burned.
Proceeds from the sale of the candle benefit the Snowbird Fund, a fund at MCF that provides direct support to community searches for missing Indigenous people in Montana.
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MCF Staff Certified as Community Heart & Soul Coach |
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MCF is pleased to announce that Maggie Sullivan, Local Community Foundation Program Officer at MCF, has been certified as a Community Heart & Soul Coach. She is currently the only certified coach in Montana.
Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it.
Becoming a certified Community Heart & Soul Coach enables Maggie to work directly with towns wanting to implement the Community Heart & Soul process in their communities. Heart and Soul Coaching is available to all local communities in Montana and LCF Affiliates may receive this coaching at a deeply discounted rate. Maggie can also help participating communities connect to funding to put their ideas into action.
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What You Need to Know about IRA Charitable Rollovers |
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Your most efficient estate planning option may be leaving all or a portion of your retirement plan to charity because tax laws often subject these assets to income and estate taxes upon death. Through an IRA Charitable Rollover, income taxes as high as 39.6 percent can be avoided. At the same time, you can pass more tax-favored assets to your family. An IRA Charitable Rollover is a great option for people age 70½ or older. Below is an example of how it works.
Jim is 70 ½ years old and wants to make a gift to a nonprofit endowment. He has $500,000 in his IRA and wants to gift $20,000. He can authorize the administrator of his IRA to distribute $20,000 to Montana Community Foundation (MCF) for the benefit of the nonprofit(s) endowment(s) he cares about. Because the IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is excluded from income, John will not be eligible for a charitable income tax deduction — but he still receives tax savings. The $20,000 distributed to an endowment fund at MCF will count toward his annual minimum required distribution (RMD) and he will not pay income tax on the portion given to the organization.
Want to learn how an IRA Charitable Rollover can work with you? Our staff is here to help. Contact us.
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Donor Highlight: Mark Kelly |
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"Pull up a bar stool in Boulder when it's safe and there will no doubt be endless Mark Kelly stories to be told.”
Last December, Boulder lost beloved community member and longtime high school teacher, Mark Kelly. He was the local English and journalism teacher for 41 years and is remembered for his “unorthodox teaching practices, quirky personality, and quick wit that made for interesting lectures.” Mark was an award-winning educator, that strongly believed there is a difference between educating and teaching.
Read more about Mark here.
Mark’s legacy of making an impact on local students now continues through the Mark Kelly Scholarship Fund in Honor of Ruth Kelly, established at MCF through proceeds from his estate. The first scholarships from the fund will be awarded in the spring of 2023 and will benefit graduates of Jefferson High School with one year of successful college academics completed. Special preference will be given to applicants who plan to teach as a career.
You can learn more and donate to the scholarship here.
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