Funding for language and cultural preservation projects in tribal communities.

Funding for Tribal Partnerships: Blackfeet, Flathead, Rocky Boy, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Northern Cheyenne, and Crow reservations and the Little Shell Nation.
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15,000 kids reached.

Reaching almost 15,000 kids by delivering programs relevant to Montana's K-12 curricula to any educator in the state free of charge.
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Partnered with 145 rural organizations.

We are partnered with 145 rural schools, libraries, museums, book clubs, and nonprofit organizations.
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Help us fund rural and digital media projects. 

We are unable to continue leveraging our federal support to sustain funding for 70% of rural and digital media projects. We are now tasked with raising $45,000 by October 1, 2019.
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Call for Nominations: Montana Center for the Book Prize

Humanities Montana is now accepting nominations for the annual Montana Center for the Book Prize. Up to five award-winning programs will receive $1,000 cash in recognition of their creative and wide-reaching literary programming such as family reading groups that promote youth literacy, reading series that encourage active engagement with the literary arts, or high school workshops that support student participation.

The deadline to submit nominating letters is July 15.

See the list of past winners and get more information about the nomination process on our website.

Montana for Kids is a Great Read!

Written and illustrated by Allen Morris Jones, and published by Bangtail Press, Montana for Kids, The Story of Our State is the Montana Center for the Book’s 2019 Great Read selection.

Every year, a list of books representing the literary heritage of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands is distributed by the Library of Congress's Center for the Book during the National Book Festival. 

Jones, who is a published author of adult literary fiction, says the desire to write a non-fiction children’s book was spurred by the birth of his son Corey. 

“It turns out, if you’re a writer, you can only read so many children’s books aloud before you start thinking about writing one. I really wanted to introduce Corey to the history of Montana and there really wasn’t a broad overview aimed at 8-12 year olds.”

Hometown Humanities: Creative Strength and The Public Trust in Red Lodge

It was a packed house at Red Lodge Ales as a thick fog crept through and blanketed the town for a mid-May Think & Drink with Lowell Jaeger. The Montana Poet Laureate challenged Humanities Montana board and staff and community members. From movement to math, language to music, being creative is part of being human. You can find your creative strengths by taking a multiple intelligences quiz.

An enlightening Informed Citizen event bookended our public board meeting that featured journalists Sally Mauk, David McCumber, Dennis Swibold, Laura Nelson and moderator John Clayton. They shared information on the state of journalism and the importance of supporting local news sources

Special thanks to our partners at The Beartooth Front Community Forum, Red Lodge Carnegie Library, Red Lodge Senior Citizens Center, Red Lodge Community Church, and the Roosevelt Center. Discover more Hometown Humanities events here. 

Attend Metchif Music and Art Fest June 14 - 15 in Choteau

The Metchif Heritage Keepers will host their third annual Music and Art Fest at the Choteau Pavilion June 14 – 16. The festival will feature Metis music performed by gifted players from Canada and the United States. Humanities Montana has provided partial funding for this important, lively gathering through a Tribal Partnership supported by the Indian Education for All Division of the Montana Office of Public Instruction. 

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Party for the Humanities!

Humanities Montana is throwing a party for public humanities on Thursday, September 12 in Missoula and everyone is invited. We will launch a new website, share exciting programs and grants available to all Montanans, and honor retiring board members who have served the state so well.

Save the date—many more details to follow in later newsletters.

Governor's Humanities Awards Honoree Spotlight: Thomas McGuane

Thomas McGuane is an award-winning, nationally prominent writer who has captured Montana in all its complexity in his novels, short stories, and essays.

“The humanities are a proven approach to understanding ourselves and others, and indeed to all who inhabit the planet down to the plants and animals and the earth itself. The humanities should be a resource for anyone seeking consolation in meaning, whether in the spirituality of religion or the piety acquired through noticing and compassion,” he writes.  

Read the author’s full humanities impact statement by clicking his photo here. 

Welcome Development Intern Jennifer Simpson

Jennifer Simpson is an enthusiastic transplant to Montana from east Tennessee.  She holds bachelor degrees in communications and history and recently returned to school to continue her education. She is in the history master’s program at the University of Montana and hopes that her time with Humanities Montana will help prepare her for a career in public history and humanities development.

In Memoriam: Connie Daugherty

We are sad to report Connie Daugherty passed away on May 26. Montana and her hometown of Butte are the poorer for it. Connie served on the board of Humanities Montana from 2013-18 and shared her unique gifts: deep love for reading and writing; belief in the power of humanities to make lives better; and commitment to the well-being of board and staff members. Connie took special pleasure in sharing that love for literature in her many articles for Montana Senior News. It was always a treat for humanities presenters to see her in the audience, for she brought intelligence and warmth to those occasions. Her smile and laugh were infectious. She took up academic studies later in life after her children were grown, and so it is no surprise she held a deep affection for older learners. Her obituary says it best: “Connie was there for anyone who needed her. She was generous with her time, made everyone feel special, and made things better wherever she went.” You can read much more about her full and fulfilling life here. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Opportunity Grants Awarded, April

We’re pleased to have the opportunity to support the following project:

Worlds Apart but Not Strangers: Holocaust Education and Indian Education for All, Elk River Writing Project, Billings, $1,000. Support for the experiential-learning, inquiry-based seminar for educators of all subject areas, grades four through college.

Opportunity Grants Available Now

Opportunity Grants (quick-action grants up to $1,000) are currently available for organizations seeking funding for humanities programs. Look for Humanities Montana’s larger grant awards after November 1, 2019. Please call Humanities Montana’s staff at 243-6022 to discuss Opportunity Grants and other possible funders for your work.

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