Montana Education Grants

Program: Helen B. Miller Horatio Alger Scholarship Funder: Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation Award Details: The Helen B. Miller Horatio Alger Scholarship is a special scholarship directed towards Montana students attending Montana State University. It is dedicated to the memory of Helen B. Miller, an alumna of the university. The scholarship aims to support students with financial need who have demonstrated the ability to overcome adversity in their young lives. Eligibility: - Must be pursuing a degree from Montana State University - Must be a resident of Montana - Must demonstrate financial need - Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA required - Must demonstrate overcoming personal adversity Other Information: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process is changing for the 2024-2025 aid year due to the passing of the FAFSA Simplification Act. The changes include a streamlined application process with fewer questions and requirements, enhanced exchange of income information with the IRS, and expanded eligibility for federal financial aid. Students and contributors will need FSA IDs, and contributors will be required to provide consent for using tax and financial data. For more information about the FAFSA changes, including a video summary, visit: [link]

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is inviting proposals for its ConocoPhillips SPIRIT of Conservation program, which is specifically designed to advance bird species and habitat conservation. This program directly aligns with NFWF's mission to address the alarming loss of 3 billion birds since 1970. The foundation's strategic priority is to support projects that conserve, restore, or enhance critical habitats and to gather essential bird population data, ultimately aiming to reverse population declines. The primary beneficiaries of this program are bird populations, both migratory and non-migratory, particularly those inhabiting grassland, wetland, sage-steppe, and coastal habitats. The program's impact goals include improving habitat quality and quantity, enhancing breeding and wintering grounds, and supporting stopover periods for birds along major migratory routes. Expected outcomes include a measurable increase in bird populations, improved habitat conditions, and the collection of vital data to inform future conservation efforts. The program's priorities and focuses are centered on implementing science-driven and strategic conservation. This involves addressing habitat degradation, fragmentation, and loss. Geographic focal areas are critical, spanning major migratory routes from the northern slope of Alaska to the north-south axis of the central United States, including the Gulf Coast regions of Texas and Louisiana. The program emphasizes innovative methods for gathering lacking bird population data and conserving specific habitat types. Grant awards typically range from $100,000 to $275,000, with projects expected to be completed within two years. Eligible applicants include a broad range of non-profit organizations, government agencies (U.S. federal, state, local, municipal, tribal), and educational institutions. This inclusive eligibility criteria reflects NFWF's theory of change, which recognizes that collaborative efforts across various sectors are essential for achieving large-scale, sustainable conservation impacts for bird populations and their habitats.

The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation strives to better the human condition by supporting programs and services that give people the tools to enhance the quality of their lives and to benefit society as a whole. The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation funds direct service non-profit organizations to improve the quality of people’s lives by providing them with the tools they need to succeed. Since its inception in 1988, the Foundation has funded programs around Montana and in the areas in which the Washington Companies operate. When making a grant decision, we examine each organization’s financial stability, staffing and facility capacity, and relevant partnerships. Additionally, we assess the capability of an organization to sustain a program into the future and their ability to show measurable impact on the population they serve. Finally, funding is guided toward organizations that support low income, rural, and underserved populations through one of our four main focus areas: Education, Health and Human Services, Arts and Culture, and Community Service.

The Humanities Montana Film + Video grant program is a competitive initiative designed to foster the development, production, and distribution of documentary films and series. These projects must engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways, aligning with Humanities Montana's mission to deepen public understanding of significant humanities questions. The program supports projects grounded in humanities scholarship, requiring a thoughtful, balanced, and analytical approach to subjects, while also demonstrating the potential to attract a broad general audience. The primary beneficiaries of this program are media producers collaborating with scholars, as well as the general public who will consume the resulting film and video content. The impact goals are to enhance public understanding of humanities themes, foster analytical thinking, and engage communities and cultures represented in the project content. The program aims to support projects that not only present diverse perspectives but also involve humanities scholars in all aspects, from research and script development to production and post-production. The grant prioritizes projects that focus on clearly defined humanities themes, build on sound humanities scholarship, and actively engage the general public in learning through appealing and accessible formats. Funding is categorized into three stages: Stage One for research and script development (up to $8,000), Stage Two for production (up to $10,000), and Stage Three for post-production and public distribution (up to $10,000). Each stage has specific prerequisites and expected deliverables, ensuring a structured progression of projects. Expected outcomes include the creation of completed scripts or detailed treatments in Stage One, rough cuts of films or videos in Stage Two, and fully distributed projects with public programming, outreach, and evaluation plans in Stage Three. Humanities Montana's strategic priority is to support major projects that may require multiyear support and significant stages of research, development, and production. The theory of change is that by funding high-quality, humanities-focused documentary films, they can effectively reach and engage broad audiences, thereby deepening public understanding and appreciation of the humanities.

This grant provides funding to agricultural professionals and organizations in the Western U.S. to implement educational and demonstration projects that promote the adoption of sustainable farming practices based on previous research findings.

The Otto Bremer Trust (OBT) is implementing new grantmaking approaches to effectively invest in people, places, and opportunities in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. The new model includes Strategic Grants and Community Responsive Fund grants. Strategic Grants are awarded directly by OBT to organizations with at least $500,000 in expenses from the previous year, aligning with OBT's objectives. Community Responsive Fund grants are managed by intermediary partners, focusing on organizations with less than $500,000 in expenses.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to tribal entities and organizations in Montana for projects that enhance community forests, promote climate resilience, and improve environmental quality.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions for initiatives that improve earthquake safety and awareness across multiple states or nationally.

The Community Investment Program (CIP) was created by the Montana Community Foundation in partnership with Grid United to support communities in Rosebud, Custer, and Fallon County. These areas are affected by Grid United’s North Plains Connector, a significant transmission line project. CIP aims to fund innovative projects that enhance the quality of life and strengthen community ties in Eastern Montana. The program is dedicated to supporting broad-impact initiatives that address community issues, leverage other support, encourage community involvement, offer creative problem-solving, respond to changing needs, and promote economic and community development.

The Humanities Montana’s Community Project Grants support public humanities programming throughout Montana. This initiative aligns with the foundation's mission to strengthen community and culture by promoting civic engagement, sparking thoughtful community dialogue, and reflecting on the human experience across the state. These grants are designed to foster bold and innovative projects that are meaningful to local communities and inspire timely community conversations. The primary target beneficiaries are the general public across Montana, with a particular emphasis on engaging diverse communities and cultures. The impact goals include deepening public understanding of significant humanities questions, building on sound humanities scholarship, and fostering analytical approaches that present a variety of perspectives. The program aims to strengthen cultural understanding and civic participation through accessible and appealing formats. The program prioritizes projects focused on clearly defined humanities themes. Funding is available for a wide array of formats, including storytelling, historical analysis, public writing workshops, literacy programs, ethical inquiry, interpretation at historic sites, book festivals, exhibits, lectures, speaker series, panel discussions, teacher institutes & workshops, humanities program planning, reading & discussion programs, and various humanities events. All projects must involve humanities scholars (academic, professional, or subject-expert) in all aspects and require at least one confirmed subject-expert. Expected outcomes include increased public engagement with humanities topics, enhanced community dialogue, and a deeper reflection on the human experience. Measurable results will likely be demonstrated through the reach and participation in the programs, the quality of humanities scholarship integrated, and the active involvement of communities and cultures represented in project content. For projects involving Native American communities, letters of support from participating scholars, researchers, and/or program participants are required, outlining their involvement. The maximum award for these grants ranges from $2,000 to $10,000.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to Montana cities, towns, nonprofits, and tribal governments for innovative urban forestry projects that enhance community forests and promote ecological resilience.

The FY2025 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community Grant, offered by the Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Mayor’s Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA), seeks grant applications from qualified Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) serving the District of Columbia’s AAPI community. This grant program is aligned with the broader mission of empowering District residents, fostering public safety, and enhancing education. MOAPIA's strategic priorities are evident in the funding areas, which aim to improve the quality of life for all residents and build stronger communities. The grant targets members of the AAPI community of all ages residing in the District of Columbia. The impact goals are to create a vibrant downtown where residents, workers, and visitors can live, work, and play, fight to protect the middle class, reduce all forms of violence including gun violence, and ensure every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. These goals reflect a comprehensive theory of change that by investing in key areas, the District can foster a more equitable, safe, and prosperous environment for its AAPI residents. The program prioritizes initiatives within three key funding areas: Downtown Comeback, Public Safety, and Education. The Downtown Comeback focus seeks to reimagine a downtown with vibrant centers of activity and ensure job opportunities for Washingtonians across all eight wards, enabling them to build better lives. The Public Safety focus aims to create significant, lasting change by reducing and ultimately ending all types of violence, including gun violence. The Education focus emphasizes supporting schools as community heartbeats, ensuring every child has access to quality education, including reading, math, sports, arts, civic engagement, and youth engagement. Expected outcomes include a more vibrant and economically secure downtown, a reduction in violence and improved public safety across the District, and enhanced educational opportunities and well-being for students and residents. While specific measurable results are not explicitly detailed beyond the funding areas and target populations, the grant's emphasis on progress reports reflecting substantial progress towards grant agreement goals suggests a commitment to accountability and impact. Eligible organizations can be awarded up to $40,000 for a project period from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, further indicating a structured approach to achieving these outcomes.

The Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust based in St. Paul, Minn. Created in 1944 by Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting a better quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Since its founding, OBT has invested nearly $1 billion and provides ~$105 million annually to nonprofit organizations in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Applications are due on a rolling basis on these dates: February 4, 2024; April 4, 2024; June 6, 2024; August 1, 2024. - General Operations Application: General operations grants provide unrestricted funding that enables an organization to carry out its mission. Typical uses could include support for an organization’s administrative and infrastructure costs, maintaining core programs and/or staffing. This application is for organizations seeking $75,000 or more in general operations support. - General Operations Short Application: This application is for organizations seeking general operations support of less than $75,000. - Restricted Application: Restricted grants provide funding for a specific program or project. These funds may not be used for other purposes, although a portion may be utilized for overhead or indirect costs of administering the program or project. - Capital Application: Capital grants support constructing, repairing, renovating, or rehabilitating an organization’s physical space. Capital grants can also support the purchase of equipment necessary for an organization to carry out its work.

FWP is offering grants for the 2024-2025 school year to Montana outlying school districts to facilitate visits to the Montana WILD Education Center in Helena, MT. These grants aim to cover transportation and/or lodging costs to enable schools in remote areas to access the center's educational programs. Grants are available for students in grades 4th to 12th, with priority given to schools located 50 miles or more (one-way) from Helena, and additional support for lodging expenses offered to those over 150 miles away. The maximum reimbursement is capped at $2,500 per school, with lodging rates set at $30 per student. Applications are due by May 31, 2024, with notifications to follow a week after the deadline. Should funds remain post-initial distribution, they will be allocated on a first-come basis. Schools are required to engage in pre-visit educational activities and encouraged to undertake a community-based project post-visit.

This program provides financial support to individuals, businesses, and organizations in Montana to develop new agricultural products and processes through grants and loans for various project activities.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in Montana that focus on improving literacy, children's health services, and mental health access, particularly for underserved communities.

This fund provides emergency financial support to Indigenous students in Montana to help cover urgent educational expenses and prevent interruptions in their studies.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and parts of Washington that aim to improve healthcare access and promote health equity for underserved communities through various health and social initiatives.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations and local government entities in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest to support community development, education, cultural enrichment, and environmental initiatives that enhance the quality of life in their areas.

This funding opportunity is designed for Montana-based organizations to develop and implement innovative health solutions that address critical health challenges in the state.