United States: The Foundation for Montana History Grant Program

Deadline: 24-Jan-2025

The Montana History Foundation’s (MHF) Grant Program is now open to support projects that preserves, restore, and interpret Montana’s rich and important past.

Categories

• The Foundation for Montana History offers grants to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations in the following categories:
  • Historic Buildings and Structures
    • For the purposes of this grant program, a building or structure shall be considered historic if it is more than 50 years old and has a documentable significance to the history of a Montana community or region. Properties should also retain sufficient integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and other attributes that allow them to convey their significance. In some cases, the proposed work may improve a property’s integrity.
  • Historic Cemeteries and Sacred Sites
    • For the purposes of this program, a cemetery or sacred site shall be considered historic if it is more than 50 years old and contains components that contribute to the historical significance of the local community.
  • Collections and Artifacts
  • Oral Histories
  • Outreach and Project Development

Focus Areas

• Historic Buildings and Structures
  • Grant projects should focus on the following areas:
    • Restoration or preservation of original features of the structure (architectural or decorative)
    • Provide a direct, rather than a remote, benefit to the local community
• Historic Cemeteries and Sacred Sites
  • Grant projects should focus on the following areas:
    • Site identification, survey, and/or assessment
    • Restoration of original markers, monuments, and architectural or decorative features
    • Research, cataloging and/or inventory of historic burials
    • Site interpretation, education, and/or heritage tourism
• Collections and Artifacts
  • Grant projects should focus on the following areas:
    • Conservation, preservation, and/or proper storage of artifacts or collections
    • Survey and/or assessment of historically significant artifacts or collections
    • Digitization of items or collections of items. All digitization projects must provide a letter of support from the Montana History Portal or a similar repository

Funding Information

• The Foundation for Montana History offers grants of up to $10,000.
• The funding period is from May to June of the following year. Projects not completed within the funding period may be required to return all or a portion of the grant.

Project Priorities

• Projects will receive preference that:
  • Address a structure, collection, or community that is endangered or threatened
  • Represent cultural or geographic diversity
  • Provide a direct, rather than a remote, benefit to the local community
  • Demonstrate financial support from the community
  • Show the project will continue after the funding period is complete
  • Will accomplish the work according to professional and historically accurate standards
  • Demonstrate a public benefit and/or provide public accessibility

Grant Requirements

• One application per organization will be accepted in a given funding year, regardless of category.
• Proposals are invited for projects that will make significant contributions to the preservation and interpretation of Montana’s history. 
• Applicants must be either a non-profit tax-exempt organization (IRS designation) or an exempt governmental unit. 
• Organizations with an open Foundation grant are not eligible to apply. 
• Requests for personnel costs must be for temporary, seasonal, or student/intern staff wages only.

Ineligibility Criteria

• They do not fund:
  • Grants to individuals, including for dissertation research or student projects
  • General operations such as rents, utilities, or routine maintenance costs
  • Indirect costs, overhead, and/or facilities and administrative fees
  • Speakers, lectures, re-enactments, or other public presentations
  • Travel or entertainment
  • Equipment such as digital scanners, cameras, etc.

For more information, visit The Montana History Foundation.