Montana 250th Commission Awards Nearly $420,000 to 32 Organizations in Celebration of America's 250th Anniversary

• January 07 2026

Helena, MT — The Montana 250th Commission is proud to announce the recipients of its grant program, awarding $419,721 to 32 organizations across Montana to commemorate America's 250th anniversary in 2026. The grants will support diverse projects that deepen understanding of Montana's culture and heritage while connecting communities to the nation's semiquincentennial.

Following a call for submissions in September, the Commission received 84 applications requesting a total of $2,404,367 in funding. A review committee then evaluated and scored all applications before presenting recommendations to the full Commission, which voted to approve the final awards after discussion at its December meeting.

"With recipients in communities as diverse as Kalispell and Ekalaka, Sidney and Butte, these grants represent Montana's commitment to commemorating this historic milestone in ways that reflect the unique character of our state and its people," said Commission Chair Chris Averill. "From Indigenous history exhibits to veterans' memorials, from oral history projects to educational programs, these initiatives provide an opportunity for all Montanans to engage with our shared history and connect with one another on a personal level. We are excited to see the results of these projects, and we thank all applicants for sharing their ideas with us."

Grant Recipients

The funded projects span the state and encompass a wide range of commemorative activities:

• Little Big Horn College – The Way of the Warrior: Crow Indian Intertribal Warfare in Defense of Crow Country – $32,874
• Montana Arts Council – Montana 12,250 Anthology – $30,000
• Humanities Montana – Montana Conversations: Our Montana Voices – $25,000
• Chickadee Community Services – IndigiPalooza MT – $25,000
• Northwest Montana Historical Society Inc – Indigenous Northwest Montana History Exhibit Update – $23,300
• City of Hardin – The Power of Place: Voices of Big Horn County GPS Audio Tour – $20,000
• Montana Jewish Project – Living Stories of Jewish Montana – $20,000
• Tell Us Something – Tell Us Something – $19,710
• Museum of the Rockies – America at 250: History Comes Alive at Museum of the Rockies – $18,062
• Carter County Geological Society – American Horse Power – $15,470
• 2nd U.S. Cavalry Association of Helena Montana – A Celebration of the Montana Territory – $14,000
• Glacier Art Museum (formerly Hockaday Museum of Art) – The Traveling Medicine Show: Blackfeet History and Culture Through Art and Story – $12,500
• Friends of the Montana Constitution – Teaching Montana's Constitution: A Summer Workshop for Educators – $12,000
• Stillwater Historical Society/Museum of the Beartooths – Stillwater County 250th American Anniversary Collaborative Mural – $12,000
• Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society – Our Historic Home – $10,125
• Sidney Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture – Sidney Veterans Memorial Park - Memorial Pillars – $10,000
• Friends of the Madison Valley Public Library – Montana Monthly – $9,850
• Julia Hancock Chapter, NSDAR – From Patriots to Pioneers: Celebrating Liberty in the Heart of Montana – $9,750
• Travelers' Rest Connection – 25 Events for 25 Years of Travelers' Rest State Park – $9,200
• Anaconda-Deer Lodge County – Anaconda Oral Histories – $9,000
• Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History – Revolution in the West: The Clark Family Saga – $9,000
• MonDak Heritage Center – MonDak Heritage Mural with MonDak 250 Written Word Contest – $8,938
• Choteau Elementary School – Montana Living History Wax Museum – $8,750
• Fergus County – Montana- Liberty's Frontier-1776-2026 – $8,500
• BioRegions International – Connection to Place: Story Workshops – $6,600
• Friends of the Butte Archives – Butte: The City that Built a Nation – $6,245
• Town of Cascade, Montana – Cascade's America 250-A Year of Doing History – $6,000
• Oro Fino Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution – A Celebration of our Country's 250th birthday: Montana Style – $6,000
• Conrad Mansion Museum – Preserving Montana's Story: Archival Internship at the Conrad Mansion Museum – $5,800
• Town of Alberton – Alberton Historical Museum Upgrades – $5,550
• Billings Public Schools – Connecting Then and There to Here: An exploration of the Holocaust, The Indigenous Boarding School Era, and Japanese American Incarceration – $5,497
• Montana Masonic Foundation – Revolutionary Freemasonry – $5,000

All funded projects align with the Commission's guiding themes of "Doing History," "Our Ongoing American Experiment," and "The Power of Place," and must be completed and available to the public by December 31, 2026.

The Montana 250th Commission was established by the 2023 Montana Legislature through House Bill 377 to coordinate statewide efforts commemorating the United States Semiquincentennial. The commission promotes civic engagement and increases public awareness of United States and Montana government and history, including the rich history of Tribal nations. The 2025 Montana Legislature provided a $1 million appropriation for the Commission in House Bill 2, including the funding awarded to the announced grant recipients.

“The Commission is grateful to the Legislature for the funding, and to Governor Gianforte for signing HB 2 into law,” said Averill. “We continue to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely on activities that recognize the tremendous history of America, Montana, and our Tribal Nations; that bring Montanans together in celebration of America’s founding; and that educate Montana students and the general public on U.S., Montana, and Tribal history and government and our shared civic responsibility.”

Additional Funding Opportunity

Applications will open in February 2026 for a separate Montana 250 Sponsorship Program, which will provide $500 to $5,000 in funding for events and activities that increase awareness of the United States Semiquincentennial. Awards will be given on a rolling basis for qualifying events scheduled between March and December 2026. For more information about the Montana 250 Grant Program or the upcoming Sponsorship Program, visit www.america250mt.org or contact the Montana 250 Coordinator at ashly.tubbs@mt.gov.