Park County’s Generosity Shines During Give A Hoot Giving Challenge
PCCF staff gathered at the 2026 Paradise Ramble in July to celebrate generosity in Park County.
For the past eight years, Give A Hoot has shined a light on what makes Park County special: a community that believes in supporting the nonprofits working every day to make life better for everyone. From addressing critical needs and strengthening local services to creating opportunities that help residents thrive, Park County's nonprofit organizations play an essential role in the health and vitality of the community. This year’s Give A Hoot campaign once again demonstrated the power of neighbors supporting neighbors, as community members came together to invest in the organizations building a stronger future for Park County.
Thanks to the 2026 Matching Pool Sponsors and contributing community members, Give A Hoot inspired over 5,600 individual donations totaling $3.7 million and benefiting 104 local nonprofits, showing the spreading culture of giving in Park County.
“Park County did it again,” said Gavin Clark, executive director at PCCF. “For the last eight years, this community has come together to show how much they love and support our nonprofits working on the front lines of our most challenging issues. It has been remarkable to see Give A Hoot take on a life of its own and become such an important part of summers in Park County.”
This community support provides nonprofits the funds they need to take on some of Park County’s most urgent needs, like housing, affordability, health, safety, and education, identified through PCCF’s We Will citizen-informed initiative.
These unrestricted dollars raised through Give A Hoot give organizations the flexibility to respond where it matters most, for example:
· An air conditioning upgrade for residents at the Park County Senior Center
· Operational funds for HRDC’s Livingston Warming Center
· Free career exploration programs for Park County middle school students from Community School Collaborative
· Connecting rural students, educators, families, and communities with behavioral and mental health resources through Rural Resilience
“Give a Hoot reminds us that anyone can live generously, at any income level,” said Lizzie Archer, operations manager at Farm to School of Park County. “At Farm to School, we’re making healthy food, food education, and Montana agriculture a more meaningful part of everyday life for students. Give a Hoot brings more community members into our work and provides unrestricted gifts that are essential to keeping our programs strong.”
Behind the campaign's success are the nonprofit organizations themselves, whose creativity, dedication, and tireless fundraising efforts rally donors around causes that strengthen Park County year after year.
Paradise Valley Volunteer Fire Department picks up their Give A Hoot donations check from the PCCF office in August. The donation was presented on behalf of PVFD to Derylinn Ryan, PVFD Fire Belle, who helps spearhead the annual Fireman’s Ball and other community events supporting PVFD. Pictured left to right: Jeff Miesbauer, PCCF communications coordinator; Amanda Hester, PCCF operations director; Keva Ward, PCCF program manager; Derylinn Ryan, PVFD Fire Belle; and Gavin Clark, PCCF executive director.
“We have so much gratitude for everyone that made this year’s Give A Hoot a success,” said Keva Ward, program manager at PCCF. “Every gift has helped move our community forward by supporting these amazing local nonprofits. You and your overwhelming generosity continue to make Park County a better place to live for everyone.”
Since launching in 2019, Give A Hoot has raised over $17 million in giving to the community from more than 30,000 donations to over 120 nonprofit organizations.
Thanks to generous donors and sponsors, this year’s campaign concluded with a matching pool of $510,845. Participating nonprofits received bonus funds based on how much they raised with a maximum match for any one organization at 4% of the total matching pool, ensuring that the partial matching pool funds are allocated proportionately at all levels.
“The matching pool has become another great way to multiply your impact during Give A Hoot,” said Tricia Erikson, director of philanthropy at PCCF. “Every year, generous contributions to the matching pool inspire others to give and then those donations are spread across the entire community.”
The 2026 Give A Hoot Matching Pool Sponsors include: The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation & Willow Creek Ranch, The Solso Family Foundation, Jan & Trevor Rees-Jones, Circle 49 Fund donors, AMB West Community Fund, the Harvey & Carol Massey Foundation, Carol Lalani in memory of Sal Lalani, Livingston’s Ace Hardware, Dovana Foundation, Fishcamp Custom, glassybaby, Yellowstone Valley Lodge & Grill, Frontline Ag Solutions, July Hardesty at Edward Jones, Crazy Mountain Ranch, Community Closet, Bank of the Rockies, Sibanye Stillwater, HighCamp Compliance, and First Interstate Bank.
In addition, Neptune’s Brewery contributed a portion of the proceeds of their Give A Hoot Pilsner to the matching pool. The popular beer, now sold out, was available in July at Sage Lodge, Pine Creek Lodge, Neptune’s Brewery, and the Livingston Farmers Market.
See the list of Park County nonprofit organizations and how many donations and matching pool funds they received during the 2026 Give A Hoot campaign here:
For questions about Give A Hoot and how you can further support Park County nonprofits, contact Keva Ward at keva.ward@pccf-montana.org.
About Park County Community Foundation
For the love of Park County, we inspire investment and leadership to cultivate resilient communities. Over the past 19 years, the Park County Community Foundation has grown into the largest foundation focused solely on the livability of Park County, granting more than $20 million locally. The result of true collective effort, PCCF has strengthened the community’s way of coming together and solving local challenges. Learn more at: https://www.pccf-montana.org/