Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County Awards $10,000 to Blue Mountain Clinic
Blue Mountain Clinic, a long serving Missoula nonprofit that provides affordable women’s health care, is the recipient of the Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County’s annual $10,000 grant. The funding will support their internal Access Fund, which helps cover the costs of abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care for individuals in need. In 2022, the Access Fund provided an average of $219 per person towards the cost of care and the WGC grant will help approximately 45 individuals access the essential health care they need.
The Women’s Giving Circle is a giving collective that has granted out over $60,000 since 2018. Each year, members of the Circle decide, learn, and give together – to promote philanthropy in Missoula and support a cause they care about.
During this year's giving cycle, 96 women and non-binary members:
- Pooled their annual membership funds.
- Voted to adopt a grant focus of Women’s Issues for 2023.
- Gathered at a summer event to celebrate the new grant cycle and hear from Indigenous Made Missoula, the recipient of their 2022 grant.
- Hosted an educational panel at Missoula Public Library on Women’s Issues.
- Reviewed 13 applications for funding.
- Selected 3 grant finalists.
- Hosted a presentation event for members to learn more about the finalists
- Filmed the event so the whole membership could view the presentations.
- Voted on the grant award winner.
- Granted out $10,000 to Blue Mountain Clinic and gifted $1,000 to the other two finalists, The International Rescue Committee in Missoula and YWCA Missoula.
L to R: Sarah Howerton; Development Manager, The International Rescue Committee in Missoula, receives a WGC finalist gift from Ann Wiltse; Program Coordinator, Msla CF
The Women’s Giving Circle completes this process each year and welcomes new members to join for the 2024 grant cycle. Visit the WGC website to learn more.