In March we marked International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the achievements of women and girls and a call to action as we shape the path toward gender equality. This year’s theme, Give to Gain, reminds us that when we invest in women and girls, the impact reaches far beyond individuals, strengthening families, communities, and opportunities for all.

This month, I sat down with Robin Turner from Legal Voice to record an episode of Montana Community Foundation's Impact Under the Big Sky podcast. Throughout her career, Robin has worked to improve the lives of women: leading policy work for the Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, serving survivors in tribal court, and training legal professionals to take a survivor-centered approach to their work.

At Legal Voice, a WFM grantee, Robin promotes gender equity through policy advocacy and strategic litigation. She embodies the Give to Gain mindset through her own philanthropy and as a bridge to resources for other advocates. Providing support to women, Robin said, means we all gain safer, healthier communities, and more economic opportunities.

Last year WFM had our largest grantmaking year ever — a total of $806,000, more than doubling our 2024 total. Our generous donors enabled us to support 43 organizations across Montana, funding new work and reaching more communities.

These relationships with donors and grantees are based on reciprocity and trust. When we give — with donations, volunteer hours, sharing expertise, advocating, and more — we make true progress together. By inviting more people to the table, WFM makes philanthropy more equitable and the work we can do expands, fixing policies that were made without women and girls at the table and amplifying those that were.

That’s the heart of Give to Gain. When we give women and girls the resources and support they deserve, we all gain stronger communities, healthier families, and a more vibrant Montana.

With gratitude,

Listen Up: New Podcast Out Now

Women’s Foundation of Montana Director Kylie Gursky and Legal Voice’s Robin Turner spoke this month on the Impact Under the Big Sky podcast with Heather Ohs of Montana Community Foundation about the donors who make WFM's work possible. In the episode, we discuss how WFM harnesses the power of donors to improve the lives of women and girls in Montana. Tune in today.

Legal Voice is a regional organization that uses the law to advance gender equity in the Northwest. Through litigation, policy advocacy, education, and coalition building, Legal Voice works in courtrooms, legislatures, and communities to ensure women and GLBTQ2S people can live their lives with dignity, safety, and autonomy.

In 2025, Women’s Foundation of Montana supported Legal Voice with a $14,500 grant to help build relationships with advocates and directly impacted individuals in rural and underserved Montana communities. The grant funded outreach on gender equity, privacy, and bodily autonomy, legal analysis on cases and legislation affecting the GLBTQ2S community, convening a working group on reproductive access in correctional facilities, and compiling statewide information on family planning and reproductive health programs.

Robin Turner, Legal Voice’s staff attorney for Montana, said earlier this month on the Impact Under the Big Sky podcast that funding from Women’s Foundation of Montana is informed by grantees who know best what their communities need.

“Legal Voice is able to say ‘This is what we’re seeing on the ground when it comes to reproductive access, or health care privacy, or the rights of Two Spirit (and) LGBTQ (folks). These are the things we’ve seen on the ground, this is how folks are being directly impacted, and this is what we need and can help us strategically build programming and work to ensure that we’re truly meeting the needs of folks in our state,’” Robin said.

It's here! 2025 Impact Report

The Women’s Foundation of Montana’s annual impact report is hitting mailboxes around the state and available online now. This year we’re highlighting women across Montana who stepped up to support each other in 2025. Read about grantees like NACDC Financial Services, which empowers Native women in the finance sector through their Yellow Bird Fellowship Program, and Berry Medicine Native Birthworks Initiatives, which focuses on Indigenous maternal and child health. The report also highlights the work of our grantees during last year’s legislative session to advocate for policies that support caregivers, child care, reproductive rights, health care access, and community safety and anti-violence.

WFM is a powerful force for philanthropy in Montana because of your support. WFM grantees lead the way in creating strong communities that work for women and girls.

Learn more about WFM grantees here and see our 2025 funding summary.