Park County Community Foundation Grants Over $440,000 to Local Nonprofits

The Foundation Announces Annual We Will Grants to 31 Park County Nonprofits

The Park County Community Foundation (PCCF) has announced its 2026 We Will grant recipients, awarding over $440,000 to 31 nonprofit organizations working to solve the greatest challenges facing Park County. Thanks to the continued generosity of the community, PCCF has distributed nearly $2.5 million in We Will grants since 2007.

“Our We Will grants directly address the immediate needs of Park County, as guided by hard data and community voices from our We Will surveys,” said Gavin Clark, Executive Director of the Park County Community Foundation. “These grants support solutions that deliver real impact, and we are motivated to continue growing our funding with the goal of one million dollars granted annually to Park County nonprofits, beginning in 2030.”

PCCF’s annual We Will grant cycle is guided by community input collected using its county-wide We Will survey, effectively empowering residents to identify the most pressing issues facing Park County. On an annual basis, the foundation combines public opinion with hard data to illuminate the county’s greatest needs and opportunities. PCCF’s annual grant program then prioritizes its decisions based on the grant applications and We Will report findings.

According to the most recent resident survey, two of Park County residents’ biggest concerns are housing availability, and the health and safety of children and families. A majority of the 2026 funding was granted to the Housing and Affordability and Health, Safety, and Education priority areas.

“This We Will grant from PCCF is just awesome because it’s going to help us get into all the schools in Park County to teach our TREE violence prevention program,” said Heidi Barrett, Executive Director of the Abuse Support and Prevention Education Network (ASPEN). “Violence prevention education is so important for us at ASPEN because we don’t feel like we will make any progress unless we have a paradigm shift in society that helps people learn how to have healthy relationships, solve conflict without violence, and have empathy and compassion. That’s the only way we’re going to win the battle against violence that happens specifically to women and girls.”

PCCF’s five We Will Community Priority Areas were established in response to the needs expressed in community surveys. The five priority areas include Landscapes and Natural Amenities; Small Town and Rural Lifestyle; Economic Performance; Housing and Affordability; and Health, Safety, and Education.

This year’s We Will grant highlights include:

Increasing availability of affordable housing, food, and essential services with funding for housing in Gardiner and programs that provide childcare and food to children and seniors across Park County.
Securing the health and safety of children and the community with funding for programs to help kids build healthy relationships, expand mental healthcare, provide arts and technology education, and foster healthy lifestyles through recreation.
Enhancing culture and connection with funding for community and senior centers as well as programs that celebrate the intertwined relationships between the land, agriculture, people, and the animals they care for in the process.
Encouraging a vibrant economy with funding for small business support, career exploration initiatives, and spaces to create and grow ideas into new businesses.
Protecting the place we all love with funding for education, restoration, and thoughtful conservation of the open lands, waters, and animals that make Park County so special.

“It's exciting to see how local nonprofits are making headway in each of the We Will categories,” said Keva Ward, PCCF program manager. “As we listen to the needs of Park County residents, nonprofits continue focusing their efforts and make an impact in areas that are most important to our community.”

During the 2026 grant cycle, PCCF received $3.2M in requests from 59 letters of interest (LOIs). Of those 59 LOIs, 42 organizations were invited to submit a full grant application, and 31 organizations were granted a total of $442,223 in funding—amounting to a $45,155 increase from the 2025 grant cycle. These 31 We Will grant recipients were selected based on their potential to create rapid and lasting impacts in the five We Will priority areas.

This year’s full list of grant recipients in the five We Will Community Priority Areas are as follows:

Economic Performance - $71,750

Park Local Development Corporation – economic and community development with financing for small businesses across the county
Community School Collaborative – Park County Career Exploration Initiatives 2025-26, providing youth with career days and work-based learning experiences
Lincoln School Foundation – the Lincoln School Climate Control & Historic Rehabilitation Project
Project49 – building community resilience, opportunity, and belonging in Park County with hands-on learning and new ways to create and explore skills

Health, Safety & Education - $112,723

ASPEN – the TREE Program: building Trust, Respect, Empathy and Empowerment with free resources for school-aged kids to create healthy and safe relationships
The Shane Lalani Center for the Arts – its Arts Education Program to provide opportunities for self-discovery for individuals of any age
CASA of Park and Sweet Grass Counties – providing volunteer advocates to represent the best interests of child abuse or neglect victims
Trust for Public Land - Emigrant Segment of the Yellowstone Heritage Trail, allowing a safe pathway for residents to walk or bike to nearby businesses and neighborhoods
Community Health Partners – the Park County Early Childhood Coalition to start every Park County child on a pathway of positive possibilities
Rural Resilience – Therapists Within Reach to expand access to quality behavioral and mental health services across Park County
4 Ranges Community Recreation Foundation – the 4 Ranges Capital Campaign to complete the wellness center and provide an array of health and wellness resources to Park County residents
Code Girls United – the Livingston Tech & AI Program to provide free after school computer science and career readiness programs for girls grades 4th through 8th
LiveWell49 – the LiveWell49 Coalition’s goal of embracing a culture of health and belonging in Park County

Housing & Affordability - $95,500

Human Resource Development Council, District IX, Inc. – critical infrastructure at the Travertine Community Homes affordable housing project in Gardiner
Farm to School of Park County – the Youth Farm and Summer Meals 2026 programs to provide meals for kids and employment and training opportunities for high schoolers
LINKS for Learning – LINKS summer day camp that includes field trips, STEAM projects, outdoor adventures, as well as environmental and Indigenous education
Livingston Meals on Wheels – funds to help repair the parking lot and provide landscaping and other improvements to the new location

Landscapes & Natural Amenities - $68,750

Montana Freshwater Partners –the Give Back to the Yellowstone Program, working to preserve, restore, and enhance the Yellowstone River
The Common Ground Project, Inc. – encourage residents to experience the power of wild landscapes to foster learning, promote community, and encourage healing
Gallatin Valley Land Trust – the Northern Yellowstone Open Lands Initiative, preserving the county’s unparalleled natural landscapes and working lands
Invasive Species Action Network – Invasive Species Prevention Outreach and Education in Park County
Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group – the Upper Yellowstone Watershed Community-Led Drought Planning program
Wilsall School – the Ripple Effect Aquatic Learning, teaching kids about the Shields Valley and the Greater Yellowstone watershed
Alpine Ecosystems Research Institute – the research project “On Common Ground: 650 Generations of Environmental Interaction in the Landscapes of Park County”

Small Town & Rural Lifestyle - $93,500

Elk River Arts & Lectures – the 2026 Autumn Elk River Lecture Series celebrating and cultivating Park County’s unique, world-class literary legacy
Yellowstone Gateway Museum Foundation – the museum’s 2026-2027 Speakers Workshop Series: “Stories of Humans, Animals and Land in Park County”
Friends of Park County – the organization’s mission to find common ground to support our rural lifestyle
Park County Senior Center – The Hub at PCSC to help people stay connected, active, nourished, and supported
Greater Gardiner Community Council – renovate and revitalize the Gardiner Community Center
Park County Environmental Council – Community Resilience Initiatives that help ensure the people and environment of Park County thrive into the future
Park County Ag Fair Alumni – cultivating new agricultural leaders by celebrating the community, children, and the future of agriculture through 4-H and FFA

“The community foundation’s ability to achieve its mission of supporting the good work of local nonprofits hinges upon our partnership with generous donors. An amazing group of individuals, businesses, and foundations have made the We Will program and its grant funding possible. We thank them for the care and foresight they have contributed to this initiative,” said Tricia Erikson, PCCF philanthropy director.

The 2025-2026 We Will program’s research, report, and grant funding was made possible by generous partners, including: AMB West Community Fund, American Bank, BNSF Railway Company, the Circle 49 Fund, Dan Bailey’s Outdoors, The Dovana Foundation, Estate of Deborah Erdman, Federal Home Loan Bank Impact Fund, Livingston HealthCare, Montana Property Brokers, Southwest Montana Realtors Foundation, Willow Creek Ranch & Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, and Yellowstone Valley Lodge.

For more information about PCCF’s We Will grant program, please visit our website at https://www.pccf-montana.org/need or contact Keva Ward at keva.ward@pccf-montana.org.