The Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County focusing on Indigenous Issues in 2022, Grant Cycle opens September 1

MISSOULA – The Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County (WGC) is pleased to invite all non-profit organizations addressing indigenous issues in our community to apply for its 2022 grant award, worth $10,000. Applications will be accepted from September 1st through October 10th, 2021, with the winner announced in mid-December.

Each grant cycle, WGC members vote to determine what critical need they want to focus on.
There was strong interest this year from members to add Indigenous Issues specifically to their list of potential grant focus areas to honor the native peoples and traditions in our community and recognize that we are living in the aboriginal territories of the Salish, Kootenai, and Kalispel people.

“Since its inception in 2018, we’ve given a total of $40,000 to five different organizations dealing with racial/social justice, COVID-19 relief, environmental concerns, as well as the needs of women and children,” said steering committee chair Dawn Payne. “This year we are looking forward to learning about and supporting the efforts of deserving
organizations that are working to come up with creative, effective solutions to issues that
affect our indigenous communities.”

Requests for the 2022 grant should clearly demonstrate how funds will be used to address issues indigenous people face. The WGC evaluates applicants on the Circle’s core values: community, equity, and opportunity. Three finalists will be chosen from the initial pool of applicants, and the winner will be selected after a presentation to the Circle. New this year: The Women’s Giving Circle will provide the full grant amount to the organization that its members select, and provide the other two finalists with $1,000 each. For more information or to apply for the grant, visit womensgivingcirclemissoula.org

The Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County, a program of the Missoula Community Foundation, has grown to include nearly 100 women and non-binary philanthropists of all ages and backgrounds who pool their resources and collaborate to support the community. Membership dues start at $120/year ($60 for students), and while many members contribute more than that, all members get an equal vote and the satisfaction of knowing that they are part of a larger community effort that works to improve the life of Missoula area residents. They leverage their resources while at the same time gaining opportunities to learn about community needs and the organizations addressing them. We give together, we decide together, we benefit together.

It’s not too late to join the circle and vote for this year’s grant winner! Interested Missoula area women and non-binary people are encouraged to become members today by donating online at womensgivingcirclemissoula.org

August 31, 2022

Women's Giving Circle 2021 Grantee

The Women's Giving Circle awards $10,000 to Mountain Home for their efforts to combat housing and homelessness in Missoula County.

The Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County (WGC) is proud to announce its 2021 grant recipient for a program or organization focusing on Housing and Homelessness. The WGC members voted to award $10,000 to Mountain Home Montana, which provides housing for at-risk moms and kids, to help fund staff salaries and training there.

Originally established in 2000, Mountain Home is a non-profit organization located in Missoula whose mission is ​​to provide a safe home and nurturing community where young mothers discover their strengths, and children thrive. The group home allows housing for 12 families at a time, serving over 80 families a year through residential and follow-along support. Services include an evidence-based education/employment program; onsite mental health care for both parents and children; a community center offering parenting and life-skills classes; and the state’s first trauma-informed child care.

“Mountain Home is honored and very grateful to receive the generous $10,000 grant from the Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County. We deeply appreciate their support of the young moms and kids we serve and all the good they make possible,” said Mountain Home Montana’s Executive Director Steph Goble.  “Our locally developed, two-generational approach mirrors cutting-edge best practices for preventing future homelessness, poverty, and trauma.”  The pandemic, Goble added, has only reaffirmed the important role Mountain Home staff play in families’ stability and success. “This strategic and timely funding will help counter global staffing challenges with additional training, competitive salaries, and additional staffing to ensure the families we serve can thrive.”

The Women’s Giving Circle of Missoula County aims to amplify the power of women and nonbinary individuals by allowing them to pool their donations, and then, through a voting process, make collective choices for how best to serve the greater Missoula area. The WGC’s collaborative, member-led model promotes philanthropy and equity among its 100 members from diverse backgrounds and varying degrees of wealth. Each member, no matter whether they contribute the minimum $120 annual donation ($60 for students), or choose to give more, has an equal voice in deciding who receives the grants.

The $10,000 award to Mountain Home Montana is the WGC’s fifth grant since its inception in 2018, and brings the total amount it’s granted to $40,000. Past recipients include, the Missoula Food Bank’s Lived Experience Voices and Leaders (LEVL) program, a leadership and empowerment program for women who have experienced poverty; Free Cycles Missoula, which provides free bicycles and bicycle maintenance workshops to the public. In 2020, the WGC also granted two separate $5,000 awards, the first to YWCA Missoula’s emergency housing program, the second to EmpowerMT to support its BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) afterschool youth group.

The WGC is a program of your Missoula Community Foundation. The Missoula Community Foundation (MslaCF) enhances community vitality by inspiring community giving and strengthening nonprofits. Since 2001, MslaCF has awarded more than $1.7 million to create a thriving, unique and engaged community.

Learn more about the WGC

December 17, 2021