This grant was for production of the “EB Awards”, held at Big Sky on June 11, 2022 to recognize excellence in news production, promotion and public service by Montana broadcasters, radio and television. The “EBs” are named in honor of Montana broadcast pioneer Edmund B. Craney, founder of the Greater Montana Foundation. These prestigious awards are presented annually during the Montana Broadcasters Association annual convention.
https://www.mtbroadcasters.org
To support this award-winning non-for-profit Montana digital, text and multimedia news organization, providing distribution to Montana news outlets for free re-publication, this grant will support a fifth season of the Long Streets Project with a focus on covering Montana’s increasingly urgent housing crisis and related cost-of-living challenges.
In addition, the GMF encouraged and funded an effort to provide broadcast-ready content from the Long Streets Project and other MTFP journalism.
https://www.mtfp.org
For continuing support for the Friends of Montana PBS Program Fund, including various ongoing MTPBS programs such as 11th and Grant and Backroads of Montana. Exciting new productions include, George Bird Grinnell: Saving the West (working title), Landscapes of a Western Mind: The Story of Ivan Doig, and Higgins Ridge (working title). This grant also supports MTPBS coverage of news and public affairs, and the upcoming 2022 elections.
https://www.montanapbs.org
University of Montana Broadcast Media Center
Montana Public Radio enriches the mind and spirit, inspires a lifetime of learning and connects communities through exceptional programming. This grant supports various radio, online and streaming programming including statewide news and analysis, economic and legislative reporting, MTPR’s weekly literary program, The Write Question, and a wide variety of information and cultural programming that represents the unique character of Montana.
https://www.mtpr.org
Leadership Montana exists to develop leaders committed to building a better Montana through knowledge, collaboration and civility. This grant will support Listen First Montana, a new program implemented in the form of a series of podcasts during the first year of the COVID pandemic. Thus far, 21 episodes have been distributed involving individuals of all backgrounds sharing heartwarming, educational, informative, occasionally heart-breaking but all distinctly unique and personal stories.
https://www.leadershipmontana.org
This grant supported a videography crew to attend the commissioning of the USS Montana to provide documentary footage and background video for use by Montana media and for future documentary production, and for archival purposes. The production crew covered the June 25, 2022, commissioning into the U.S. Navy fleet of the Virginia Class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS MONTANA at Norfolk, Virginia.
https://ussmontanacommittee.us
This grant supports production of a 60-minute documentary, Ryan Zahn Goes Pro. Ryan Zahn is a brilliant young engineer with a competitive spirit and a passion for building and customizing his own machines, from off-road vehicles to motorcycles. Ryan loves to test the limits of his creations through racing and tough truck competition. Many people have a hard time believing Ryan is capable of his achievements until they see him in action. Ryan Zahn was born without arms.
The Montana International Film Festival (MINT) is the fiscal sponsor for this production.
Passion and Purpose for Veterans in Agriculture
Bear Hug Cattle Co. provides veterans with the resources and knowledge to be successful in the ranching industry by offering transitioning service members a 10-week intensive course. Bear Huge Cattle Co. is veteran owned and operated. This grant supports a three-part film series of approximately five minutes each to tell the story of the good work of Bear Hug Cattle Co. in supporting transitioning veterans.
https://www.bearhugcattlecompany.org
This grant supports a video project – The Montana Way- a series of three videos, 3-4 minutes each. The goal of the video project is to promote healthy communities and working landscapes, increase a sense of caring and stewardship for Montana’s public resources, and enhance newcomers understanding of Montana, and help communities welcome them.
https://www.onemontana.org
Music is important to Montanans. Begun 6-years ago with the production of the first installment, The Montana Sessions offers a wide spectrum of home-grown music in spectacular setting across the state. This grant will help fund 8-new episodes of this widely viewed and enjoyed series.
https://www.montanapbs.org/programs/montana-sessions/
Last Best Constitution is a video history retrospective on Montana’s 1972 Constitutional Convention and the resulting state Constitution on the 50th Anniversary. This grant supports 20 one-hour episodes. Helena Civic Television is serving as fiscal sponsor for this project.
MAPS is a nonprofit educational organization whose mission is “to empower, inspire and prepare Montana’s next generation for future success through professional media arts instruction, engaging community service and compassionate mentoring.” This GMF grant supporters the general operations of MAPS.
https://www.mapsmediainstitute.com
The MAPS Media Lab is the statewide outreach program of the MAPS Media Institute. This program integrates media arts with service-learning curriculum in order to inspire and prepare rural, underserved youth to succeed in the 21st Century. This grant supports MAPS professional artist-educators travel to rural and tribal communities and facilitate community media arts workshops with middle and high school students.
https://mapsmediainstitute.com/programs/maps-media-lab/
This grant supports The Myrna Soundstage, an online series – six new, 60-minute episodes - showcasing and celebrating Montana performers and musicians to the greater world. The program showcases the quality and diversity of Montana’s musicians who are doing original work, and supports Montana musicians and performing artists who face multiple struggles building a career and staying in Montana.
https://www.themyrnaloy.com
The “Help Me Ben” series was approached with the story of a World War II artifact, a Japanese Good Luck Flag, The flag was a gift from a Japanese soldier to an American soldier. The desire of the American family is to reunite this Good Luck Flag with the Japanese soldier and his family in Japan and allow two families to share the moment of humanity of 80 -years ago. This grant will support the transportation and to and in Japan and the videography to fulfill this wish.
https://www.montanarightnow.com
The Life in the Land project is a series of documentary films and podcast episodes which share perspectives from people who interact with the complexities of Montana’s lands, waters, and communities, looking at the success and value in collaboration and locally-led initiative. This grant will support the production of two films, 15 min. in length, and five podcast episodes, each 15 minutes. The Common Ground Project is the fiscal sponsor of this project.
https://www.thecommongroundproject.us
In mid-2018, the Missoula Butterfly House and the Insectarium and Montana Public Radio began collaborating on an idea for a new podcast. Together, they launched Bug Bytes. The purpose of Bug Bytes is to inspire an appreciation and understanding of insects, and introduce and educate listeners about and amazing world of insects
and arthropod species that we share our planet with. This grant will support this series of podcast and radio episodes.
https://www.missoulabutterflyhouse.org
A Different Deadly Beast: The 1918-19 Influenza is a documentary film exploring the untold stories of the Montanans who struggled, innovated and worked together to survive the killing virus. This grant supports the production of this 27-minute film. The Montana History Foundation is the fiscal sponsor for this project.
https://www.danceriverproductions.com
This grant was awarded to the University of Montana J-School to support various student productions and internships. The School of Journalism faculty and students produce a variety of radio, television and online programming throughout the academic year. This could include the Legislative News Service, Documentary film production, The Native News Honors Project Montana PBS News Brief, Business: Made in Montana, graduate student broadcast projects or other initiatives.
https://jour.umt.edu/
Like many communities in the West, White Sulphur Springs faces an uncertain economic future and numerous headwinds that put pressure on their culture and way of life. Further complicating matters, a controversial, large-scale copper mine under development. This grant supports the production of a feature documentary, 26-28 minutes, exploring the cost-benefit presented by the mine.
https://www.meaghercountystewardshipcouncil.org
This grant supports the Winnett Agricultural Community Enhancement & Sustainability that will bring attention to the deep interconnectedness of rural Montana communities and their reliance on the land. Winnett ACES: Conservation of Community and Landscapes will be a film 20-30 minutes, produced in three segments.
https://www.winnettaces.org