This Year, We Rose
WHAT. A. YEAR. For our families, our volunteers, and our world.
In the midst of relentless threats, we at FLC have been reflecting on our role and how we can best serve our community. One silver lining of these attacks is that our collective needs have become crystal clear.
From division and hatred, we must sow true listening, curiosity, and kindness.
From climate disasters, we must share stories, nurture resilience, and catalyze solutions.
From disempowerment and eroded agency, we must uplift diverse leaders, weave support networks, and spark creativity, passion, and purpose.
This is what we do at FLC: we build bridges, tell stories, and support one another in action - with a little singing and dancing each step of the way. And who better to lead this work of profound healing than a network of caregivers driven by unwavering, unconditional love for our families and communities?
Rising Together
This year, we witnessed an ever-growing wave of families from all walks of life rising to meet this moment. From comedy nights to EPA hearings, lawsuits to tree plantings, mindfulness practices to rallies at the Capitol, we showed the power and necessity of creating community in family-friendly, inclusive, multigenerational ways.
Highlights from 2025
Climate Advocacy Day
We kicked off the year with our second Climate Advocacy Day, drawing 350+ people and featuring youth, Indigenous, and rural leaders. Assiniboine leader Lance Fourstar set the tone, both for the rally and the year ahead: “I ask you to carry the fire of hope beyond today. Let it burn brightly so future generations will prosper.”
Building Skills + Resilience
Through the winter, we paired advocacy workshops (lobbying, youth advocacy, calling your lawmaker) with mindfulness practices, potlucks, and dance parties. The result: stronger skills, deeper resilience, and lasting connections.
Volunteer Working Groups
Our four working groups have been building power and momentum: Testifying at the legislature and petitioning the Public Service Commission to advance clean energy, planning for tree planting projects in schools, organizing a grassroots campaign against artificial turf in Missoula, and helping Montanans divest over $17 million from fossil fuels.
Youth Climate Leadership
We brought together dozens of young people from across the state to explore mental health, activism, and civic engagement through our 2025 Youth Climate Resiliency Series. Then this spring, five FLC-engaged youth joined peers across the country in Lighthiser v. Trump, a lawsuit challenging recent Executive Orders. When the case had its first hearing in Missoula, FLC co-organized two rallies to show public support.
New Partnerships & Leadership
We’ve traveled from Helena to Whitefish to Billings to Bozeman and beyond, building new partnerships and growing our base across the state. We hired our first Program Director, Summer Nelson, who has been hard at work strengthening our volunteer systems, planning for new events and offerings, and deepening our organizational ties. We’ve been thrilled to create new collaborations with groups including the Montana American Indian Movement, University of Montana’s Climate Response Club, MontPIRG, Montana Conservation Voters, Western Montana LGBTQ Center, and the CSKT Bison Range.
Strategic Planning
We welcomed 2 new board members and kicked off a collaborative strategic planning process guided by input from volunteers, participants, community partners, and staff. We found that, while national research shows that only about half of Americans believe their actions can influence climate change (with this number trending downward), currently 85% of our active participants report increased confidence and sustainability in their advocacy. Powerful partners like Earthjustice have recognized our impact too, calling FLC “one of the most credible voices on climate issues in the state.”
Through this process, we solidified FLC’s commitment to:
Prioritizing underserved communities with a relational, authentic, accessible approach built through grounded community partnerships;
Offering more direct support, community care practices, and leadership development opportunities to volunteers and community members; and
Centering joyful, inclusive, multigenerational movement spaces infused with creativity and groundedness.
With gratitude
THANK YOU to our supporters, donors, volunteers, partners, participants, and sponsors who make all of this work possible - and for rising to meet this moment with commitment, courage, and love.
Special thank you to the Llewellyn Foundation, High Stakes Foundation, Headwaters Foundation, Kreilick Family Foundation, Clearwater Credit Union, Martha Newell and Mike Kadas, and other generous individual supporters and business sponsors.
Looking Ahead
With your continued support, next year and beyond we’re scaling our Climate Leadership Program and grassroots Working Groups - supporting more volunteers across diverse communities. We’re also growing two new programs: a Youth Climate Mentorship Network connecting teens, college students, and professionals; and a climate resiliency support program to actively address eco-anxiety and build resilience skills.
With expanded training, stipends, and mentorship, we’ll grow the next generation of climate leaders and build grassroots power to deliver real climate solutions, from electric school buses and tree planting to business investment practices to local climate policies and landmark legal action.
This is how we build the grassroots foundation for lasting climate solutions: led by families, powered by community, and made to endure.
Together, we will sing, dance, dig, create, testify, advocate, and collaborate our way toward a livable future for all.
For our shared future,
Sarah, Caitlyn, & Summer
Your donations power this movement - thank you for helping our work grow!