Missoula County to Distribute $1.26 Million in Grants to Community Organizations

Missoula County will distribute $1.26 million in County-funded grants to support programs and essential services for the most vulnerable people throughout the city and rural communities. Twenty-two organizations throughout the county will receive this funding, thanks to the long-standing Community Assistance Fund and voter-approved Substance Abuse Prevention Mill Levy. 

The organizations receiving County funds will provide services and direct assistance to children, youth, families and older residents whose lives will be improved with access to food, housing, behavioral services, substance use disorder programs and other supportive services. County funds also support grants to rural communities where local groups are actively implementing programs for the benefit of their towns and residents.

 

In fiscal year 2026, 20 programs will receive a total of $895,000 in Community Assistance Fund grants to help provide basic levels of food, shelter, medical care and emergency transportation to at-risk populations, such as the elderly, disabled, youth and families in crisis, and people experiencing homelessness.

"Aging at home is something many of us wish for ourselves and our loved ones, especially in our beautiful rural communities where we’re surrounded by friends, nature and memories," said Ria Overholt, community services director at Missoula Aging Services, a grant recipient. "But this dream can be difficult when mobility or health issues arise. Meals on Wheels provides support with nutritious meals, friendly check-ins and warm smiles. Thanks to financial support from Missoula County, we can continue delivering more meals throughout our amazing communities."

 

Missoula County grants administrator Claire Biddick joined a Meals on Wheels volunteer on their distribution route in Lolo this past August. "This program is filling a vital need for the seniors living in these rural communities," she said. "As we made each delivery, it was impactful to meet the different clients and see how these fresh meals and daily interactions are something folks look forward to and rely on to allow them to age in place in their communities.”

 

The CAF has roots going back to 1877, when the Montana Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Montana directed county commissions to use taxes to assist the poor by collecting annual bids for the “care, support and maintenance of the sick, poor and infirm of the county.” While many iterations of state law have occurred over the decades, it is this foundation that guides the work of the CAF application review committee and, ultimately, the decisions the county commissioners make to allocate funding.

 

In addition to the CAF allocations, eight programs will benefit from the 2008 voter-approved Substance Abuse Prevention Mill Levy, with a total of $368,920 to support prevention programs in Missoula County that help support healthy youth and families and reduce the negative consequences and high costs of substance abuse. A full list of awardees can be found below.

 

Missoula County’s Grants and Community Resources Department facilitates these grants. In addition to the CAF and SAP, the department administers several other County-funded grants to provide $2 million overall to 50 programs across the county. More information about programs supported with County funds is available online.

Full list of awardees:

Crosswinds Recovery

Farm Connect Montana

Garden City Harvest

Homeword

Hope Rescue Mission

Human Resource Council

Missoula Aging Services

Missoula Food Bank & Community Center

Missoula Interfaith Collaborative

Missoula Public Health

Mountain Home Montana

Partnership Health Center

Poverello Center

Seeley Lake Community Foundation

United Way of Missoula County

YWCA of Missoula

 

All Nations Health Center

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Boys and Girls Club

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Missoula

EmpowerMT

Friends of the Children

Missoula Public Health

Mountain Home Montana

https://www.missoulacounty.gov/departments/grants-community-resources/county-funded-grants/