Subcommittee F hears testimony on House Bill 9 Cultural Trust grant requests

The Montana Legislature's Subcommittee F heard testimony from more than a dozen cultural and arts organizations on grant requests tied to House Bill 9, which funds projects through the state Cultural Trust and Coal Tax Trust funds. Witnesses described how requested funds would pay for building repairs, HVAC upgrades, programming and staff support across communities statewide.

The testimony matters because the Cultural Trust funds are a major state source for arts and heritage organizations; committee members questioned how recipients acknowledge Coal Tax funding, document spending and meet matching and reporting requirements.

Most witnesses were nonprofit leaders asking the committee to approve grant awards for specific projects and operations. Dave Schneider, board president of the Carbon County Historical Society Museum in Red Lodge, testified on behalf of grant #2624, describing persistent building needs and how an operational grant would “help us fix what breaks and pay the bills for various items in the building” for the 115‑year‑old museum. Jill Baker, executive director of Humanities Montana, urged support for grant #2635 for the speakers bureau and said, “We have a roster of over 50 trained facilitators who share vetted humanities content with audiences at little or no cost.”

Several witnesses sought capital funds for mechanical or building…