Live First Community Giving 2025

First International Bank & Trust is proud to begin announcing the winners of the 11th annual Live First Community Giving Campaign. More than 215 community organizations applied for this year’s program!

Please join us in congratulating the following community groups selected as recipients for our 2025 Live First Community Grants:

$1,000 Social Media Stars

• Kitty City - Mandan, ND
• Central Dakota Humane Society - Bismarck, ND
• Educators Rising South Dakota - Sioux Falls, SD

$2,000 Category Winners

• The Starbright Foundation – Gilbert, AZ
• Greater Minot Zoological Society – Minot, ND
• Grand Forks Senior Center – Grand Forks, ND
• Prairie Grit Adaptive Sports – Minot, ND
• Make a Scene Kids Theatre – Minot, ND
• Spring Lake Nature Center – Bismarck, ND
• Blessed Builders Sober Living & Treatment Services – Bismarck, ND
• Red River Children's Advocacy Center – Fargo, ND
• Health Connect of South Dakota – Sioux Falls, SD
• Positive Paths – Mesa, AZ
• Fraternal Order of Police Badlands Lodge 8 – Watford City, ND

$3,000 Rising Star Awards

• Furniture Mission of the Red River Valley – Fargo, ND
• Welcome House – Bismarck, ND
• Red River Ambucs – Rugby, ND
• Family Crisis Shelter – Watford City, ND
• Our Rescue – Minneapolis, MN
• Veterans Helping Veterans, Inc. – Payson, AZ

$20,000 Grand Prize

• Stay tuned – announcement coming soon!

What’s at stake?

• Grand Prize: One grant of $20,000.
• Rising Star: Up to six grant winners will be selected from across our footprint to receive $3,000 each. This grant is designed for supporting a new non-profit organization or new initiatives from an existing non-profit that need a little kick-start.
• Category Winners: Up to one winner from each of our 11 applicant categories will be selected to receive $2,000 each. Categories include:
  • Critter Crusaders (organizations that help animals)
  • Allies of the Arts and Culture (organizations that focus on arts)
  • Wellness Warriors (organizations that promote health and wellbeing)
  • Hearts and Minds (organizations that focus on education)
  • Hope in Housing (organizations that offer help & support with housing)
  • Feeding the Community (organizations that provide food-based services)
  • Accessibility Champion (organizations that advocate for those with different abilities)
  • Support & Security (organizations that support at-risk individuals)
  • Family-Friendly (organizations that support families)
  • Nature League (organizations that support parks and natural spaces)
  • Safety Society (organizations that respond to emergencies and keep our communities safe)
• Social Media Star: Three grants of $1,000 each will be awarded based on the most likes on each organization’s original photo on the FIBT Facebook page.

How can I get involved?

Go to our First International Bank & Trust Facebook page for links, details, and more information as this year's grant recipients are announced.