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Local foundations and school-based funds highlighted as one practical way to expand Missoula schools' resources
Summary
On Q participants discussed Public Education Foundations (PEFs) as a way to supplement district funding, with Target Range describing a small but growing endowment and the community exploring Celebrate Missoula as a possible umbrella for short-term fundraising.
Supporters at an On Q meeting described school-based foundations and local community funds as one practical approach to supplementing shrinking state and local education dollars, citing Target Range School District's foundation as an example and noting a Missoulian-backed Celebrate Missoula umbrella as a near-term option for designated fundraising.
Why it matters: PEFs and community foundations provide funding not tied to per-pupil state schedules; they can fund programs, small teacher grants and seed endowments that are resilient to legislative volatility.
Michael Magone, identified at the meeting as superintendent of Target Range Elementary School District, summarized his district's foundation history and scale. He said the Target Range foundation began in 1995, received an early $10,000 donation, and had been relatively dormant for several years before board leadership helped revive it. “As of about 3 days ago, we have, I guess, about 25 to 30,000 dollars in endowment funds,” Magone said, adding the district uses a mix of designated gifts and endowment funds for small classroom grants and occasional program support.
Magone described three categories of foundation gifts: immediate designated gifts for specific items, unrestricted endowments for long-term growth, and endowments designated for particular needs. Target Range currently partners with the Montana Community Foundation and has both designated gifts (for items such as computers or library books) and smaller grants teachers can apply for.
On Q members also reported a meeting with Mike McAnally about Celebrate Missoula, a community foundation launched by the Missoulian. The group said McAnally indicated the existing Celebrate Missoula structure could serve as an umbrella for designated fundraising while a district-specific PEF is reconstituted.
Speakers at the meeting noted that successful PEFs typically combine grassroots community support, a significant early seed donation or endowment, and a dedicated group of volunteers or board members to sustain fundraising and grantmaking. Speakers cautioned that foundations require active stewardship: Target Range's representative said the foundation met infrequently until recent effort to reactivate it, and warned that without ongoing effort donations will accumulate but not be distributed.
What's next: On Q members said they will explore using Celebrate Missoula as a short-term vehicle while continuing work to revive or charter a district PEF and to compile a public inventory of existing volunteer and community support across Missoula schools.
