Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Montana 250 Grants And Events topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montana 250 Commission details grants, civic programs and June 27 celebration
Summary
The Montana 250th Commission said the legislature provided $1 million and the commission awarded about $500,000 in grants to museums, universities and community groups; it also outlined civic-education programs and a June 27 public celebration at the Montana Heritage Center.
Molly Stockdale, vice chair of the Montana 250th Commission, told an audience in Missoula that the commission received a $1 million appropriation from the Montana Legislature to support semiquincentennial programming and that roughly $500,000 of that sum had been awarded in grants.
"We gave it to grant projects at museums, universities, community centers," Stockdale said, describing a distribution she summarized as $400,000 for larger projects and $100,000 for smaller initiatives. She listed sample grantees and noted awards for anniversary programming and museum exhibits around the state.
Stockdale also outlined education and civic-engagement programs the commission is sponsoring. The Montana Seal of Civics Literacy recognizes high-school seniors who complete a semester of American government, pass the U.S. citizenship test and meet a community-service-hour requirement, she said. The commission is also sponsoring a statewide "Civics B" competition — described as a civics quiz-bowl format — and supporting participation in National History Day competitions.
She described outreach and hands-on projects intended to involve students, including a shop-teacher project in which students across roughly 10 counties built and painted metal roadside signposts to mark semiquincentennial sites. Stockdale framed these as skill-building activities and local engagement opportunities.
On public events, the commission decided not to hold a large statewide celebration on July 4 so as not to conflict with local observances. Instead, Stockdale said the commission scheduled a public program on Saturday, June 27 at the Montana Heritage Center in Helena with indoor exhibits and an outdoor concert; indoor space is limited to about 300 attendees and an outdoor portion will be open to the public.
Stockdale closed by noting the commission’s website (america250mt.org) for reservations and program details and by encouraging local organizations to review available grant reports and exhibits.
