Dear Friends,
Here at Montana Community Foundation being
all about Montana's future is more than a tagline. We want to see Montana communities flourish from one generation to the next. One way we do this is by helping individuals leave their legacies in an impactful way. We also believe in creating better communities for ALL Montanans.
Recently, I shared our
Statement on Equity in response to the devastating events in recent weeks that highlighted how far we have to go in achieving true equity and justice for people of color in our country. Montana is not immune to this reality; I know together we can and must do better.
Our goal at MCF is to be part of the solution. We recommit to our values of inclusion and collaboration and hope to demonstrate these through community impact. We will continue to lift up Montana communities through philanthropy and foster fundamental respect for human dignity and equality for all people, regardless of their color, creed, or cause.
We will continue to uphold this commitment as a funder, nonprofit, and member of our state. We will continue to instill this in our organizational culture and work with our partners on the path forward to ensure a more equitable and just future for all Montanans.
Sincerely,
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Mary K. Rutherford
President & CEO
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Census 2020: June Update
The Montana Free Press featured the 2020 Census in their latest edition of Lifting Voices,
Tackling Montana's Census Challenge,
that highlights the impacts that COVID-19, among other factors, has had on getting an accurate count, specifically in rural and tribal communities.
Listen here.
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2019 Annual Report Now Available
The 2019 Annual Report is hot off the press! See how you helped Montana communities succeed in 2019. Read how Sam McDonald left his legacy in Montana, AT&T is helping small communities train more emergency volunteers, and Megan Ayers is one step closer to her FBI aspirations, thanks to the Dearborn Ranch Montana Highway Patrol Scholarship.
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The New MCF Fundholder Portal is Live!
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The new MCF Fundholder Portal is now live and provides fundholders with 24/7 access to fund information, including fund balance, quarterly statements, contribution history, and distribution or grantmaking history. Donor Advised Fundholders can also use the portal to recommend grants.
For questions, contact Cathy Cooney, Director of Donor Services at
ccooney@mtcf.org, or by phone at 441-4954.
Thank you for your patience during this transition!
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MCF Annual Investment Webinar- Recording Available
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MCF Chief Investment Officer, Omar Sanchez at Cambridge Associates, provided a comprehensive market and portfolio update during
MCF’s annual investment webinar on June 25.
Omar also highlighted the market rebound in May that resulted in some recovery in MCF’s portfolio after a rough first quarter and reiterated MCF’s commitment to taking the long view when it comes to investing.
Listen to the full recording
here.
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Fund Highlight: Montana Community Foundation Scholarship Fund
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The final numbers are in and MCF awarded $473,800 in scholarships to over 160 students as they head to college or technical school this fall!
Scholarships are a point of pride at MCF. We are proud to be the agent of the philanthropist in service to Montana students. MCF also receives hundreds of requests for scholarships during scholarship season but is unable to fulfill every request, leaving some students without the support they need to attend college or technical school.
This year, 303 qualified students applied for scholarship funding, yet MCF was only able to provide scholarships to 163 students.
The Montana Community Foundation Scholarship Fund provides scholarship funding to Montana students by augmenting other existing scholarship funds at MCF in the hope of supporting more Montana students in their educational endeavors.
By supporting the Montana Community Foundation Scholarship Fund, you can help more students pursue their dreams.
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Recipients of William B. Pratt Endowment Fund Grants Announced
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MCF is proud to announce the recipients of $3,500 in grants from the William B. Pratt Endowment Fund to support Montana indigenous, folk, traditional, and media arts.
- $1,500 to the Myrna Loy Center for the Performing and Media Arts (Helena) for Music of the Medicine Line, a 4-day festival about Metis music and culture that acknowledges the artistic, musical, and social contributions of the Metis and Little Shell People to Montana
- $500 to Tobacco Valley Board of History (Eureka) for a History Suitcase on Hand Quilting to be used by local elementary, middle, and K-8 schools, as well as by the local home school association
- $1,500 to the Big Sky Film Institute (Missoula) for the Native Filmmakers Club that takes a selection of Indigenous-made documentary films and their filmmakers into classrooms across the state
This year is the first year of granting from the William B. Pratt Endowment Fund, established at MCF in 2018. The fund is a legacy gift to the people of Montana to help them tell and share stories, especially the untold ones, about our state's arts, culture, and history.
“A big part of our work is amplifying the voices of Montana's indigenous artists, a value that Bill Pratt is personally devoted to as well," says Krys Holmes, Executive Director at the Myrna Loy. "This grant helps us document the Metis music and culture festival at The Myrna Loy, which is a benefit for all of Montana because it highlights an important part of our state's unique character and living heritage.”
William “Bill” Pratt, a former employee at MCF, established the William B. Pratt Endowment Fund because of his life-long interest in Indigenous, Folk, and Traditional and Media Arts, experience as a musician working in the folk tradition, as a living history and production artisan in forged iron, and a producer in community video production and documentary and industrial films.
“I am so pleased to help make these first grants available to these Montana arts and cultural organizations and look forward to helping to support more projects in future grant cycles,” says Pratt.
"I hope that, in a small way, these grants will help Montanans become more aware of the wide diversity of people and cultures that make up our wonderful state and help them better understand and celebrate these cultures."
Bill established the fund as a legacy gift, but hopes, through this grant process, he can see some of the impact of his legacy in Montana and on the arts community while he is living.
To contribute to the fund for future grantmaking, visit
www.mtcf.org/Funds/William-B-Pratt-Fund.
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The Montana COVID-19 Fund has reached $336,975 to provide safety-net funding to Montana's rural and tribal communities adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants will be made to intermediary organizations for re-granting in their communities at the end of July.
THANK YOU!
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