DREAM Adaptive Recreation in Whitefish has been awarded a $90,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one of three Montana organizations to receive funding from a $16 million nationwide distribution to 91 programs across the country.
DREAM Adaptive Recreation operates in the Flathead Valley and provides outdoor and recreational programming for people with disabilities. The VA grant is designated to expand free programming specifically for veterans — an extension of the organization's existing work into a population with distinct needs and, in many cases, significant barriers to outdoor access.
The Flathead Valley has a substantial veteran population, and adaptive recreation programs that remove the cost barrier can reach veterans who might not otherwise engage with therapeutic outdoor activity. The VA's investment in 91 organizations nationally signals a continued federal emphasis on non-clinical wellness programming as part of veteran care.
DREAM's grant is the largest publicly disclosed of the three Montana awards. Details on the other two Montana recipients and their grant amounts were not available in materials reviewed for this report.