Troy Library Second Thursdays Book Club, Lincoln County Libraries -Troy Branch, Troy, MT, $500. This book club, focused on women’s social justice issues, takes place at the Lincoln County Libraries -Troy Branch the second Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m.
Wedsworth Memorial Library Book Club, Wedsworth Memorial Library, Cascade, MT, $500. This book club, led by retired University of Great Falls Professor of English Education, Dr. Penny Hughes-Briant, meets on the second Monday of August, September, October, November, February, March, April, and May.
Daniels County Library Book Club, Daniels County Public Library, Scobey, MT, $500. This book club meets year-round at the Daniels County Library in Scobey the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
Rosebud County Book Club, Rosebud County Library, Forsyth, MT, $500. This book club convenes at the Rosebud County Library in Forsyth, MT the last Tuesday of each month at 3:00 p.m.
Thompson Falls Public Library Book Club, Thompson Falls Public Library, Thompson Falls, MT, $500. This book club gathers at the Thompson Falls Public Library in Thompson Falls, MT the third Friday of every month (except December) at 4:00 p.m.
Blaine County Museum Speaker Series, Winter 2023, Blaine County Museum, Chinook, MT, $1,000. Blaine County Museum has invited Austin Haney, Blaine County historian, and Anthony Wood, author of 2022 Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize finalist “Black Montana,” to Chinook to give lectures on Thursday, January 19th and Thursday, February 9th respectively.
No More Violence Week: Parent Nation Community Collaboration, , Great Falls, MT, $1,000. As part of No More Violence Week, the Parent Nation Community Collaboration project will support community book club discussions of Parent Nation by Dana Suskind. Participants will read and then engage in meaningful conversation and reflections with others.
Year of Learning: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Lincoln County Public Libraries, Libby, MT, $1,000. The Year of Learning offered as a 6-session series and hosted by the Lincoln County Public Library in Libby, MT, will discuss various topics related to equity, diversity, and inclusion as they relate to library professionals across Montana. Every other month will highlight a new focus area, with opportunities for Montana library professionals to learn, interact, and take action. Attendees will asynchronously explore selected resources and then join in live online discussions of the material.
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks and the Lewistown Art Center present: 50 Years of Costumes, Lewistown Art Center, Lewistown, MT, $1,000. “50 Years of Costumes” is a research project and exhibition showcasing the diversity, craftsmanship, and creativity of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks costuming. Produced in collaboration between the LAC and MSIP, this project features the scholarly research of Denise R. Massman, MFA. This traveling exhibition will include up to 30 costumes from the rich, 50-year history of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks along with 10 didactic panels featuring information and Denise Massman’s insights on both the costuming and history of Shakespeare and performance in Montana. The exhibition will premiere at the Lewistown Art Center during the month of April, 2023.
Terry, Montana Civics Class Educational Legislative Experience, Terry School District, Terry, MT, $989.12. The Terry, MT high school civics class will travel to Helena in March to observe and experience the 2023 legislative session. Students will learn about the history of Helena, meet their Montana House Representatives and Senators, and witness processes involved in creating and approving legislation.
High Plains Book Awards author panel discussions Oct 7, 2023, High Plains Book Awards, Billings, MT, $1,000. As part of the High Plains Book Festival, High Plains Book Awards will host panel discussions influenced by the books and finalist authors who attend the festival in October. Potential panel topics include Indigenous writers, women writers, youth writers, etc. The panel discussions will expose these groups’ issues and elevate their voices. High Plains Book Awards communicates with over 200 community readers who rank the nominations which typically number almost 300. Each book is read by four different people. The Award Ceremony is also open to the public. All events are free to the public.
NBF Presents Novels that Connect Us, Elk River Arts & Lectures, Livingston, MT, $1,000. This free public event, organized in collaboration with one of the nation’s most prestigious literary organizations, invites the nation’s most talented writers to talk about their work in ways that draw our community closer together. The event will take place in downtown Livingston on Wednesday, May 3rd. National Book Award–honored authors Tess Gunty (The Rabbit Hutch, 2022 Fiction Winner) and Tommy Orange (There There, 2018 Fiction Longlist) follow a large cast of characters in their novels—all affected in different ways by class, gender, and their environment. These two authors will talk about how interwoven storytelling builds toward a more connected, collective future in a discussion moderated by community member Shane Doyle, a Bozeman-based Apsáalooke educator, and writer.
First Voices. Three Fort Peck Stories: Assiniboine, Chippewa, and Sioux, Thresh, Inc., New York, NY, $5,000. First Voices is a digital storytelling project working with students at reservation high schools and tribal colleges to create digital (video-based) performances of ancestral stories which are published and distributed via a dedicated online portal. The students work with professional artists (Native and non-Native), tribal elders, and storytellers to produce the videos. Stories are presented in the original tribal language to create a rich archive for future generations.
Loss & Legacy: Living Forward While Looking Back, Merlin CCC, Helena, MT, $4,000. This dynamic philosophy series will examine what it means to be at the interface of loss and legacy, asking: “How do we think about grief?” and “How do we think about our ancestors?” By considering them together, our project recognizes the challenges and skills involved with navigating the uniquely connected and mutually informative space between loss and legacy. Two panel-style symposia will be supplemented by film and community conversations. All events will be free and open to the community.
Watershed People of Montana and Amazonia, Montana State University Billings, Billings, MT, $6,767. This project will focus on the relationship between rivers and people by bringing Amazonian Indigenous philosopher Rafael Chanchari Pizuri and poet, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker Juan Carlos Galeano to Billings for a number of activities and events. The focus will be on how watersheds shape communities, lifeways, and narratives, on the challenges faced by contemporary rural and urban riparian cultures, and on the role literature and folklore play in adapting to changing conditions.
Connecting Montana to the World, World Affairs Council of Montana, Missoula, MT, $5,000. The Montana World Affairs Council brings critical international dynamics, global education, cultural competency, and international expertise directly into schools and communities across the state, engaging Montanans in key global issues of the day. This program provides a suite of international distinguished speakers such as diplomats, practitioners, and thought leaders in-person and virtually throughout the year to Montanans across the state, engaging them on international issues that matter.
Annual Youth Concert, Gershwin’s Magic Key, Helena Symphony, Helena, MT, $2,500. The Helena Symphony presents the Annual Youth Concert, Gershwin’s Magic Key, a 50-minute symphonic performance in collaboration with the renowned education group Classical Kids Live. More than 2,000 fourth and fifth-grade students will experience a performance featuring musicians of the Helena Symphony Orchestra and professional actors focusing on the story of a chance meeting on the streets of New York City between a poor newspaper boy and the great American composer George Gershwin.
Gary Moulton Lecture & Dinner at the Annual Meeting of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Travelers’ Rest Preservation and Heritage Association, Lolo, MT, $2,500: From June 27 – 30, 2023, more than 150 historians, elders, and amateur enthusiasts will gather at the Annual Meeting of the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation in Missoula. Conference sessions and tours will address how the Lewis & Clark Expedition continues to influence Western Montana today. The Keynote Address – the Gary Moulton Lecture – will be delivered by author, historian, & retired professor Dan Louie Flores who specializes in cultural and environmental studies of the American West.
Abundant Montana 2023 Local Food Guide Grow & Tell Stories, Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO), Helena, MT, $3,600. Abundant Montana’s Local Food Guide is a free coffee table magazine that connects Montanans to their local food producers, purveyors, retailers, and community, showcasing over 1,100 local food producers and businesses, and offering recipes, and “Grow and Tell” stories. The stories highlight growers and advocates committed to stewardship of land, animals, and rural communities. The goal is to invite readers to think differently about food production and lean into engaging.
Grant awardees will be added here as they are awarded.
Grant awardees will be added here as they are awarded.