What is Giving Tuesday?
GivingTuesday takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is touted as a “global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world”. – https://www.givingtuesday.org
For us, this day is an opportunity to encourage people to give back in whatever ways they can. It presents nonprofit organizations with the chance to raise even more money than they would on an average day of giving.
As a team, In 2022 we’ve contributed $29,550 to the Helena community. With a couple months left, we’ve almost hit our giving goal of $30,000!
Grandstreet Theatre
Founded in 1975, Grandstreet Theatre is a community-powered Montana institution that produces 8-10 shows each year. They have a 200-seat house in a beautiful turn-of-the-century Romanesque granite church located in downtown Helena. Their nationally recognized education program boasts an enrollment of over 350 students. Nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains in our small but thriving arts community, Grandstreet enjoys tremendous public support and is consistently producing some of the best theatre in the Northwest.
https://grandstreettheatre.com
YWCA
YWCA Helena strengthens women, children and families to make a better community. They provide safe and supportive housing, empower women, promote justice and dignity for all. They strive to expose women to all services and programs needed in the community to improve their lives.
Helena Food Share
Helena Food Share was founded in 1987 to help provide emergency food to our neighbors who face hunger. Families go to the pantry because they are facing difficult times. These folks need help while they experience difficulty paying medical bills, struggle with a disability, finding their way through a layoff, or to try their best to make ends meet with a low or fixed income. No matter the situation, the Helena Food Share is dedicated to serving their customers with dignity and respect and providing them with emergency food to help in any circumstances.
Helena Symphony
Founded in 1955, the Helena Symphony Orchestra & Chorale is a 75-member regional professional orchestra and 100-voice symphonic chorus in Helena, Montana. The Symphony performs several concert series each Season, including the Masterworks Concert Series (subscription concerts), Non-Series Concerts, and Education Concerts.
https://www.helenasymphony.org
Montana Land Reliance
Since 1978, The Montana Land Reliance (MLR) has partnered with Montana’s landowners to permanently protect agricultural lands, fish and wildlife habitat, and open space.
The lasting benefits of MLR’s work are the perpetuation of a lifestyle and an economy that rely on responsibly managed private land and increasingly valuable Montana open spaces that will continue to nourish the spirit of future generations.
https://mtlandreliance.org
The Myrna Loy
The Myrna Loy mission is to engage our community— enrich, educate, entertain and empower—through the arts.
Wherever you are— at school, in business, at an eldercare home, on a date, in a mid-evening slump by yourself— you can find something there to inspire your spirit.
Concerts, films, art exhibits, arts education experiences, community events, collaborations–it’s all there, at your community-fired culture center.
Holter Museum of Art
The Holter opened in 1987, providing a space for the Helena community to experience contemporary art in central Montana. The museum is considered one of the finest in the state, consisting of five exhibition galleries, an education center, and a collections & research center. Offering between 15-20 rotating exhibitions each year, innovative art education for all ages, community-based events, artist residencies, lectures, receptions, and more – the Holter is among the premier cultural centers in the region.
Prickly Pear Land Trust
Prickly Pear Land Trust is committed to the belief that open space is essential to the well-being of all communities. Spacious views, abundant wildlife, and recreational opportunities renew and revitalize our spirits. Maintaining traditional agricultural lands preserves Montana’s cultural heritage. At Prickly Pear Land Trust, they seek to preserve and protect the rural character of the Prickly Pear Valley and adjoining lands in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, Broadwater and Powell counties through voluntary and cooperative means. Further, they strive to connect people to their natural surroundings through trails and access to public lands.
Helena Area Habitat for Humanity
Helena Area Habitat for Humanity is an organization dedicated to building affordable, decent, and safe housing units as well as performing critical repairs on existing homes when needed. In operation since 1992, the organization will build 16 homes in the next 12 months. Although their main operations focus on the Helena area, they are currently running a pilot rural housing program in Red Lodge, MT, and have plans to expand this program to other rural communities throughout the state where there isn’t a local Habitat for Humanity organization.
Helena Area Community Foundation
The Helena Area Community Foundation inspires people to make a difference by encouraging the spirit of giving to provide resources that benefit present and future generations in our communities. The Helena Area Community Foundation was created by current and former residents of the Helena area to support the projects of nonprofit organizations in Helena and surrounding area communities through annual grant-making. This is accomplished through private contributions, planned gifts and grants, which help maintain our permanent endowment and help facilitate the operation of our organization. The steady growth of HACF’s permanent endowment is attributable to the generosity of many individuals, families and businesses throughout the Helena Area and beyond.
https://helenaareacommunityfoundation.org
The Friendship Center
Founded in 1971, The Friendship Center is the community resource for addressing and preventing domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking through advocacy, education and outreach in Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, and Jefferson Counties.
Domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking do not discriminate and either do they. Their services are available to anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
https://www.thefriendshipcenter.org
Florence Crittenton
Florence Crittenton is a trauma responsive, relationship based organization that provides family-centered support during critical times. Through a comprehensive continuum of services their programs include mental health services, substance use recovery, parenting education, childcare and preschool and access to community support.
They believe that children should accompany their parents to treatment and that a family centered treatment approach is most effective in building a lasting foundation for young families.
https://www.florencecrittenton.org
Montana Historical Society
The Montana Historical Society is the guardian of Montana’s memory. Established in 1865, one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the West, the MHS’s vast historic collections of artifacts, photographs, and documents are exhibited in six extraordinary galleries. In 1969, they became the official state Archives and the repository for state agency records of permanent value.
Great Divide Ski Team
The Great Divide Ski Team brings over 40 years of tradition and history to our community and our kids. They have a quality coaching staff with many years of experience, and they welcome all kids who love the sport of skiing!
https://greatdivideskiteam.com
ExplorationWorks
ExplorationWorks offers interactive STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) exhibits, programs, workshops, classes, and camps for kids and families, as well as school and community groups. In 2019, we welcomed over 42,000 guests of all ages. More than 800 youth participate in their summer camps and after school classes each year. Our onsite Explore School program, in partnership with Helena Public Schools, provides weekly formal science education for 90 home-school students, 1st-8th grade.
https://www.explorationworks.org
Lewis & Clark Humane Society
The Lewis & Clark Humane Society was founded in Helena in 1964 as a means to create a more humane and ethical way to deal with the community’s stray and unwanted pets.
LCHS is a small, private, community-based, not-for-profit organization that provides shelter for unwanted and stray animals (primarily dogs and cats) while working to end pet overpopulation, reduce the need for euthanasia, and improve the humane treatment and well-being of companion animals. LCHS also provides shelter for the dogs and cats of animal cruelty cases going to trial.
https://lchsmontana.org
Montana Pride – Happiness & Joy Foundation
Every year they put on Big Sky Pride and it takes a big pile of money as they pay for security, insurance, fees and everything else. Every dollar you donate goes to make sure as many of the events are free to the public as possible. They truly appreciate your support!
Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits
Early in 1999, seasoned professionals drawn from academia, government, foundations, nonprofit management and organizational development began meeting for two years to plan the development of an organization unique in Montana. They were concerned about how Montana’s nonprofit organizations struggled to accomplish their missions in the face of challenges that were significantly different from their urban counterparts and often required specialized approaches. Like other very rural states, Montana’s communities are distant from one another, with low population densities, and challenged local economies.
The founders of Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits (BSI) envisioned that the organization would develop sustainable structures and resources to assist Montana nonprofits in building their own capacities to effectively carry out their missions and deliver programs and services. To accomplish this, BSI would carry out research, dissemination, education, leadership development and special projects having significant promise to advance the state nonprofit sector. Recognizing the need for new funding to support nonprofit sector growth and development, BSI’s mission was soon broadened to include a strategic focus on expanding philanthropy.
https://www.bigskyinstitute.org
Montana Native Women’s Coalition
The Montana Native Women’s Coalition is the Indigenous Circle of Seven relations with a common goal while honoring each tribe’s spirituality and culture.
They provide collaborative, cohesive, and respectful efforts to end domestic and sexual violence within the Native American Nations and the State of Montana.
THEIR MISSION: To improve urban, rural, and Native American community responses to victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Montana Native Women’s Coalition has the added purpose of bringing together Native American leaders and representatives from state agencies that manage and administer state and federal funding for domestic violence and programming in Montana, to improve coordination, access, and resources for native women and tribal programs.
Reeder’s Alley Sessions
An acoustic, outdoor, fundraising concert series supporting the care of historic Reeder’s Alley.
