September 2025

Dear WFM Friends and Supporters,

Last week, we set out on the first leg of our 2025–26 Listening Tour. WFM Advisory Committee member, Barb Stiffarm, and I traveled southeast to spend time with three remarkable WFM grantees.

At Messengers for Health in Crow Agency, we witnessed an intergenerational commitment to care and healing and learned how health care access and violence prevention work must go hand in hand. We can’t wait to tell you more about their Strong Hearts and Healthy Relationships programs.

The community at Pretty Eaglewoman Resource Foundation, based in Lame Deer, shared how they use the Red Healing Tipi as a living altar at powwows, courthouses, and justice gatherings across Montana to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR). The team knows firsthand how families are often met with unresponsive law enforcement and media, and they stand beside them, offering guidance, support, and advocacy during unimaginable loss.

Finally, Yellow Bird Life Ways welcomed us into their demonstration garden in Colstrip, where they test which plants thrive in different garden beds and containers to guide their Northern Cheyenne-based community garden program. Yellow Bird helps women and families see gardening as a peaceful, joyful way to connect with the land and to heal together.

These visits reinforced why listening matters. We saw how centering traditional knowledge strengthens programs, relationships, and communities. When we listen deeply to the people doing this work, we learn where support is needed most, how systems fail women and families, and what strategies are truly effective. These insights guide WFM in being a better partner- whether that’s advocating for policy change, connecting grantees to resources, or helping programs grow in ways that meet real community needs.

Thank you to our grantees for their work. And thank you to our supporters for making it possible to stand alongside them, listen, and invest in lasting change.

Sincerely,,

P.S. We’re excited to continue our listening tour with visits to the Flathead Valley and the Blackfeet Reservation. We can’t wait to connect with our grantee partners there!

Federal Policy Solutions for Montana Women

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) released its 2025 Federal Policy Agenda, highlighting strategies to advance gender equity nationwide. For Montana’s rural women and families, the recommendations could be transformative:

• Care Access: Cap childcare at 7% of household income, expand publicly funded care, and expand home- and community-based services.
• Reproductive Health: Increase access to contraception and menstrual products, and triple Title X funding.
• Pay Equity: Strengthen equal pay laws, improve pay transparency, and expand opportunities in male-dominated fields.

Read the full article on our website

WFM Grantees News and Opportunities

Don't miss out on the 2025-2026 Code Girls United program year! Code Girls FREE after-school program will be available in 13 communities this year, with some hosting multiple classes! For class details and to register.

Custer Network Against Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault (CNADA) presents: Unmasking Domestic Violence – A Masquerade Ball. CNADA's annual masquerade ball is back! Join them on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 5 PM for dancing, drinks, food, and dazzle.

Let’s light our communities purple this October to show survivors we’re with them, always. If you’re in the Red Lodge area, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) has purple lightbulbs available for you to use on your porch or in your business window all month long for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, The Montana Coalition’s Fifth Edition of LIFTS Magazine is here! If you’ve ever felt that parenting can be lonely or overwhelming, you’re not alone. LIFTS magazine reminds us through story that there are people and resources across Montana who care deeply about families. Read online: hmhb-mt.org/lifts

Congratulations to Roots Family Collaborative, which received the Mental Health & Well-Being Impact Award from Greater Gallatin United Way!

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 2024 funding summary.