Whitefish Community Foundation saw a record level of giving during its annual Great Fish Challenge fundraising campaign this summer.

The challenge ended Sept. 12 with more than 4,000 donors giving over $6.6 million to 85 Flathead Valley nonprofit organizations. The preliminary total excludes the Great Fish Match Fund, which will be announced Oct. 21 at the Great Fish Awards Ceremony.

“The generosity we’ve seen in this year’s Challenge is truly inspiring,” Whitefish Community Foundation President/CEO Alan Davis said. “Thousands of local donors came together to support our nonprofit community, and the impact of that collective giving will be felt across the Flathead Valley for years to come.”

This year’s challenge raised approximately $1.2 million more than last year, the most raised in the 11-year history of the campaign. Nearly $3 million was raised during the final week, and Whitefish Community Foundation is still processing gifts that were initiated prior to the Sept. 12 deadline.

The foundation will award a percentage matching grant on $25,000 raised by each participating organization. The matching grant is made possible by the Foundation’s Circle of Giving and other donors who gave directly to the Great Fish Match Fund during the challenge. The amount of the percentage match and the final tally raised will be announced at the Great Fish awards ceremony on Oct. 21 at the Wachholz College Center in Kalispell. The event begins at 5 p.m. and is open to the community.

“We are deeply grateful to every donor and nonprofit that made this year’s Challenge such an overwhelming success,” Davis said. “We invite everyone to join us in celebrating together at the Great Fish awards ceremony, our most inspiring evening of the year.”

Whitefish Community Foundation organizes and manages the challenge free of charge for participating nonprofits, thanks in part to title sponsor BNSF and supporting sponsors First Interstate Bank, Glacier Bank, Glacier Guides, Harris Financial, Iron Horse Foundation, JCCS, Park Side Credit Union, Stockman Bank, Summit Beverage, Three Rivers Bank and Whitefish Credit Union.

For more information about Whitefish Community Foundation, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org or call (406) 863-1781.