Whitefish Community Foundation awards grant to Bigfork baseball

Whitefish Community Foundation continues its 25th anniversary celebration with a $30,000 Major Community Project Grant to the Bigfork Youth Baseball Association for the construction of the nonprofit’s new home field.

BYBA serves more than 200 youth annually through various leagues, from T-Ball to Babe Ruth. The new field will also be used by Bigfork High School's junior varsity and varsity baseball teams. BYBA had been searching for land to build a new home field after losing access to its previous field due to matters beyond its control. After an exhaustive search, the nonprofit successfully secured a long-term lease from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena to build a new flagship field on a piece of the diocese’s property just outside of Bigfork.

“Our progress since we began this process last fall has been beyond all expectations, allowing us to provide a fully operational and safe playing field with a target opening date of April 12,” BYBA Board Member Nathan Mayer said. “We have been able to raise over $300,000, all of which has gone directly to the field and equipment. We have also been fortunate to receive volunteer labor and equipment, as well as discounts on materials and labor to help us stretch the donations further.”

Whitefish Community Foundation’s Major Community Project Grant Program is dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations complete capital projects that will have a significant and positive effect on the Flathead Valley. The program was formed in 2010 and has awarded nearly $1.5 million to projects identified and selected by the foundation’s board of directors.

“We are proud to support the Bigfork Youth Baseball Association with a Major Community Project Grant to help complete the construction of their new ball field,” Whitefish Community Foundation President/CEO Alan Davis said. “This project will provide local youth with a quality space to play, grow and build lifelong skills and friendships. Investing in community projects like this advances our mission to improve lives in the Flathead Valley for generations to come.”

Funding for the Major Community Project Grant Program comes from the Circle of Giving, Whitefish Community Foundation’s core group of donors who give $5,000 or more annually to support the grant programs and mission of the foundation.

To learn more about the foundation’s 25th anniversary initiatives and opportunities to get involved, visit whitefishcommunityfoundation.org/25th-anniversary or contact Davis at (406) 863-1781 or alan@whitefishcommunityfoundation.org.