We're growing and that means we're hiring! If you're looking (or know someone who is!) to join an awesome team of professionals dedicated to ensuring the future of Montana through philanthropy, look no further! Montana Community Foundation is seeking applicants for three positions: Program Officer - Local Community Foundations (Helena), Planned Giving Officer (Helena) and a Development Coordinator (Missoula).

St. Ann's Cathedral of Great Falls received a $150,000 grant from Montana Community Foundation to aid in the repair of their roof. The grant from an anonymous donor is nearly half of the $342,000 needed to complete the repairs and was enough to reach the fundraising goal.
 

Originally commissioned in 1904 by Great Falls' first Catholic bishop, the cathedral's 35-year-old leaking and hail-damaged roof has been in need of replacement for approximately eight years. With $2.1 million in restoration costs already invested in the cathedral's precious interior in a project completed in 2004, the repairs to the roof are critical in preventing damage. 

"A great deal of money and effort has already been invested in restoring the cathedral and that was at risk due to the damaged roof," said Rev. Oliver Doyle, pastor of St. Ann's. "This generous gift is a huge blessing and is certainly what made the repairs possible." 

With 90 grants totaling more than $320,000, June was a great month for Montana nonprofit organizations and a very generous one for donors. Thank you to all of them for their commitment to philanthropy in Montana!

We're so happy to receive stories and images from grateful organizations about how generosity is at work in their communities. This one comes from the New Life Mission in Poplar. Thanks to a $1,000 grant recommended by the Roosevelt County Community Foundation, the New Life Mission was able to purchase a much needed freezer.

At the June board meeting, the MCF board unanimously approved a simplification of our administrative fee structure. We hope this new structure provides you with a clear and easy understanding of administrative fees. The new structure can be viewed and downloaded here.

It's become our new tradition to hold a social event the evening prior to board meetings. These events are an opportunity for donors, nonprofit organization representatives and many other folks who are friends of MCF to get together and hear about the latest happenings and meet each other. Our June meeting was held in Bozeman and we had a great turnout for the event - thank you to all who attended! Our special thanks to Montana PBS for providing such an amazing venue for our gathering!

Just who are these wonderful folks that give so much back to Montana through their work with MCF and beyond? Let's find out!

1. Where are you from originally?

I was born and raised in Sacramento, California in a 5th generation rice farming family. Luckily, I escaped for college to UC Berkeley, became enlightened, met my husband and raised our daughter and son in the Bay Area. We moved to Montana in 2003 when I was offered the position of President and CEO of the University of Montana Foundation. Family was a big draw to Montana for us -- my identical twin sister and her family have been living on Flathead Lake since 1978 and we vacationed every summer in Western Montana.