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Missoula Education Foundation highlights grants, scholarships and student leadership
Summary
Shannon Rinker, executive director of the Missoula Education Foundation, told trustees the foundation has given more than $275,000 in creative classroom grants and runs student leadership, scholarship and educator‑recognition programs.
Shannon Rinker, executive director of the Missoula Education Foundation, addressed the board during the meeting’s “community connection” segment and described the foundation’s programs and recent activity.
Rinker said the Missoula Education Foundation (MEF) was formed after trustees saw a need for additional school funding; the organization has a memorandum of understanding with the district and is housed on the district administration campus. MEF’s mission, she said, is “to invest in MCPS educators and students so that all can succeed.”
The foundation runs several recurring programs: scholarships (two $1,000 scholarships this year for students who were once identified at risk), an educator‑of‑the‑year program (elementary, middle and high school recipients each receive a $1,000 check and a ‘‘Glass Apple’’ award), and the Creative Classroom Grant Program. Rinker said the foundation has now given over $275,000 in grants to classroom projects; last year the average creative‑grant award was about $100 and 27 educators received funding. The grant application for projects in the 2025–26 school year is open, and funds are expected to be available in July.
Rinker also described MEF’s student board, which is chaired by Faith Yu and includes juniors and seniors who run initiatives such as educator‑of‑the‑year and a billboard campaign to remind the public about teacher appreciation (Stockman Bank sponsored the billboard). She said the student board wrote a $3,000 grant to pilot the “Appleseed Project,” which focuses support on a single school (Teach Academy was the first pilot school).
Rinker invited trustees to review a draft logic model the foundation is developing to guide expansion and to serve grant applications and thanked the board for hosting the foundation on campus.
