Missoula Education Foundation describes grants, scholarships and student board projects to school trustees

Shannon Rinker, executive director of the Missoula Education Foundation (MEF), presented the foundation’s recent work to the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees during the meeting’s community connection segment.

Rinker summarized MEF’s mission: “Our mission is to invest in MCPS educators and students so that all can succeed.” She told trustees the foundation grew out of a district recognition of funding needs in 2007, hired its first executive director in 2017, developed a memorandum of understanding with MCPS in 2018, and is housed on the district’s administrative campus.

Rinker described three core MEF initiatives: scholarships, awards and the Creative Classroom Grant Program. For scholarships, she said MEF is offering two $1,000 scholarships this year for students who were once identified at risk for graduation and are pursuing postsecondary study in Montana; those applications were due April 30. For awards, she explained MEF runs an annual, public nomination process for elementary, middle and high school educators; the student board reads blinded nominations and the foundation presents a $1,000 check and a Glass Apple Award to each selected educator.

On grants, Rinker said the Creative Classroom Grant Program is deliberately low barrier and supports projects the school district does not otherwise fund. She reported MEF has now given “over $275,000” in creative classroom grants to date, and cited last year’s average award at roughly $100 with 27 educators funded. Rinker showed examples of classroom projects (including bilingual or culturally focused reading projects) and said creative‑classroom grants will fund projects in the 2025–26 school year with funds available in July.

Rinker also described the MEF student board. She said student members — including chair Faith Yu and students Leo Westonfelder and Jackson Mund — ran educator awards, designed a billboard sponsored by Stockman Bank to highlight teacher appreciation, and piloted a year‑long “Appleseed Project” focused on supporting a single school; the student board wrote a $3,000 grant to kick off the project at Teach Academy.

Trustees thanked Rinker for the foundation’s support of staff and students. Rinker invited trustees to review a draft logic model she had prepared to guide MEF’s expansion and to engage as thought partners if they wished to discuss the foundation’s plans further.

Sources: Shannon Rinker presentation and board Q&A recorded during the community connection segment of the meeting.