And the nominees are ...

The list of nominees for this year's Idaho Nonprofit Excellence Award includes 18 local agencies.

The awards are organized by the Idaho Nonprofit Center in Boise.

"We are pleased with the response from the community and impressed with the many moving stories in the 2014 nominations," said Janice Fulkerson, executive director of the center, in a press release announcing the nominations. "We know that nonprofits make a difference in communities across Idaho every day and these awards recognize the contribution of the nonprofit sector."

There were 110 organizations nominated statewide.

All registered 501(c)(3) organizations based in Idaho were eligible for nomination.

The local nominees are: Area Agency on Aging of North Idaho, Arts & Culture Alliance, CYT-North Idaho, Discover Technology, Double J Dog Ranch, Family Promise of North Idaho, Hayden Senior Center/Gem Community Citizen's Project Group, Gizmo-CDA, Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho, Hospice of North Idaho, Human Rights Education Institute, Idaho Development and Housing Organization, Idaho Youth Ranch, Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation, Kootenai Health Foundation, St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho and the Wishing Star Foundation.

All nominated organizations will be recognized during the Nonprofit Excellence Awards Dinner taking place tonight in Boise, as part of the Idaho Nonprofit Center's annual conference.

Six of the nominees will be honored with 2014 Nonprofit Excellence Awards.

Two winners will be selected from each of the state's geographic regions: North, Southwest, and Eastern Idaho. One winner will have an operating budget of more than $250,000 and the other, an operating budget less than that amount.

The Idaho Nonprofit Center represents the interests of 4,800 Idaho charitable nonprofits, their employees and volunteers.

Info: www.idahononprofits.org.