Search Grants Awarded - Montana Healthcare Foundation

Expanding Empaths: Implementing Collaborative Care in the Perinatal Care Setting

Billings Clinic is a not-for-profit, community-owned and governed, multi-specialty group practice serving multiple regions throughout southeast and south-central Montana, including Crow and Northern Cheyenne Tribal Members. This project will expand and transition Billings Clinic's current reproductive behavioral health care program to an integrated behavioral health model. Billings Clinic will implement Collaborative Care services in its OB/GYN clinic to provide routine screening, care management, peer support, and therapeutic and psychiatric services for perinatal women. Grant funds will support a full-time behavioral health care manager and a portion of the project director's salary. Billings Clinic actively partners with One Health, which provides a recovery doula to OB/GYN patients.

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2024

Maintenance and Expansion of Integrated Behavioral Health

Bitterroot Health is a critical access hospital in Hamilton with 24 acute care beds, more than 90 medical providers, and 14 associated primary and specialty clinics. Since 1931, its mission has been to provide quality, accessible, and personalized healthcare to Bitterroot Valley residents. This grant will enable Bitterroot Health to expand its integrated behavioral health project from two to five rural health clinics in Ravalli County. It will hire a behavioral health care manager in the first year of the grant and two more in the second year. It will also establish new partnerships for psychiatric consultation and clinical supervision to support its program objectives, community needs, and patient volumes. Grant funds will primarily support the behavioral health staff positions, with a portion used for developing and sustaining integrated care in Bitterroot Health's clinics.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2024

Strategic Planning at Butte Native Wellness Center

The Butte Native Wellness Center (BNWC) is an urban Indian health center based in Butte. This project will help the organization develop a strategic plan and will support training for its staff. Strategic planning is a top priority for BNWC, which has a new executive director, nine new staff members, and three new board members. A comprehensive strategic plan will allow the organization to plan, implement, and evaluate its programs in a more effectively to achieve better outcomes for the community it serves. The grant will support a site visit to Southcentral Foundation, emphasizing learning about integrated care teams, workforce development, data and information management, and integrated behavioral health. A consultant will work with organizational leadership to develop the strategic plan.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

Feeding Our People White Clay

The Day Eagle Hope Project is a Native nonprofit organization addressing food security in the Fort Belknap Indian Community. This planning grant will be used to complete a business plan to sustain the Fort Belknap Indian Community’s bison herd as an ongoing food source for the community. Our funds will be used for a consultant and the Day Eagle Hope Project Director's salary. This organization worked with the tribe to develop the proposal and included a letter of support from the Fort Belknap Indian Community.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

Elmore Roberts

Elmore Roberts is a historic commercial and residential building with 60 units located in downtown Great Falls. The tenants living in Elmore Roberts all earn less than 50% of the Area Median Income. Through this program-related investment (PRI), we will support the acquisition, preservation, and rehabilitation of these affordable housing units. The renovations will include low VOC vinyl plank flooring, formaldehyde-free cabinets and counters, low VOC paint, and low flow plumbing fixtures, along with exterior improvements such as updated energy-rated windows, paint, roof replacement, and siding repair. The renovation will also enhance ADA accessibility. The project will carry a 51-year Land Use Restriction Agreement, which ensures long-term affordability. This PRI will leverage nearly $12 million, including $5 million in private loan funds, $5.6 million in Low-Income Housing Credits, more than $900,000 in historic tax credits, and an investment of $130,000 from the Great Falls Tax Increment Financing District which demonstrates strong local commitment to the project. Partners include NeighborWorks Great Falls and the City of Great Falls.

Grant Amount

$600,000

Term

Other

2024

Acute Intervention Medical Clinic

Emma’s House is a nationally accredited Children’s Advocacy Center in Ravalli County, serving as a resource for children and adolescents who have experienced abuse. Through this grant, Emma’s House will plan and begin to implement acute medical exams for child and adolescent victims of sexual and physical assault and drug endangerment. The grant will allow Emma’s House to obtain additional equipment, training, and certification to conduct acute exams within 72 hours of incidents of abuse. Grant funds will support a portion of project staff time, contracts for on-call providers, training, and a limited pharmacy license. The project relies on and benefits from partnerships with Bitterroot Health, FirstSTEP Resource Center, Sapphire Community Health, Ravalli County Attorney and Sheriff’s Office, DPHHS Child and Family Services Division, and Bitterroot Drug.

Grant Amount

$35,840

Term

12 month

2024

Establishing Youth Maternity Home as a Licensed Medicaid Residential Setting

Florence Crittenton provides trauma-responsive care, family-centered support, and services to parents and children throughout Montana. Through this grant, it will work to improve Medicaid reimbursement for their youth maternity home, which serves young mothers aged 12-21 and their children. Establishing a reliable funding source will allow Florence Crittenton to fund these services and expand the number of clients the program can serve. The grant will support staff time to carry out the analysis required to establish a new Medicaid rate and engage DPHHS and critical partners in serving this population. Primary partners include the DPHHS Child and Family Service Division, the Early Childhood Services Bureau, the Montana Board of Crime Control, and Youth Courts and Juvenile Probation.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

The Resilience Lab

Helena Indian Alliance will partner with Helena High School to plan and pilot the “Resiliency Lab,” an innovative solution to the growing mental health crisis among Montana youth. The project will create a trauma-informed eight-week curriculum for staff, weekly educational offerings, and evidence-based therapeutic modalities for students. The project is coordinated with a new school-based health center run by Helena Indian Alliance. The Resiliency Lab program will help the school implement supports that benefit all students, allowing the clinic to focus on students needing a higher level of care. The project aims to improve academic and health outcomes across the student body. Grant funds will be used for staff salaries, supplies, travel, contracts, and communications. The partner for this project is Helena School District, specifically Helena High School.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2024

Self-Governance Annual Tribal Conference & Training

The Little Shell Tribe will complete initial planning to assume governance of the Little Shell Tribal Health Clinic and Service Unit from the Indian Health Service (IHS). On February 1, 2024 the Little Shell Tribe notified IHS of its intent to enter self-governance negotiations, the first step that a tribe must take to assume operations from IHS. This planning grant will support the Little Shell Tribal Council and key leadership staff to attend and participate in the annual Tribal Self Governance Conference. This week long conference will provide critical training and skills to enable Little Shell leadership to carry out this process successfully. Grant funds will support travel and conference registration fees and for the time of a consultant that will help throughout this process. The tribe will also take advantage of opportunities to visit at least one tribally operated health center housing developments in the Phoenix area.

Grant Amount

$38,750

Term

12 month

2024

Expansion of School Based Health Services at Conrad Public Schools

Logan Health-Conrad (LHC) is a critical access hospital and rural health clinic serving Pondera County and the surrounding areas. Through this grant, LHC will partner with Conrad Public Schools to provide a school-based health center that serves 500 students and 80 faculty in the district. This project will improve access to primary care services and behavioral health services with minimum disruption to the students, staff, and their families. Grant funds will be used towards the salaries of the nurse, medical provider, and behavioral health provider. The primary partner for the project is Conrad Public Schools.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2024

Willard Alternative High School Recovery Program

Willard School in Missoula County Public School District is an alternative school that serves over 240 at-risk students. The goal of the project is to establish a school-based recovery program for students struggling with substance use disorders. They will do this by embedding addiction counseling within the academic day, allowing students to receive therapeutic support while pursuing their education. Grant funds will be used for staff time on the project, travel for meetings and a conference, and supplies. Partnership Health Center will provide behavioral health services for the recovery program, and the Missoula Youth Court has also agreed to coordinate with the district.

Grant Amount

$49,325

Term

12 month

2024

Eagle Seeker Construction Phasing

The Native American Development Corporation’s Eagle Seeker Community Center (ECC) serves Yellowstone County in South Central Montana. ECC's vision is to provide a culturally relevant space for health and wellness in the community, leaving a legacy of healing and community inclusion. This grant will support efforts to finalize a master plan for infrastructure and site improvements at ECC. Grant funds will cover the costs of consultant Enginuity, Inc. which will assess how the site development and improvements will impact each construction phase, and help alight the project phases together towards creating a permanent and welcoming space for providing urban Indian health care.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

North Central Montana Crisis Coalition

This grant will support Pondera County Health Department to lead a regional collaborative in North Central Montana for Crisis Now planning. Pondera will work with surrounding counties and tribes to support local efforts in place and identify regional collaborations to support individuals in crisis and implementation of the Crisis Now model. Grant funds will hire a coordinator/project manager to lead the effort and a consultant to conduct sequential intercept mapping and help develop a strategic plan for regional crisis services. Partners include Blaine, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Pondera, Teton, and Toole counties, the Blackfeet Nation, and the Chippewa Cree Tribe. JG Research & Evaluation will support the data infrastructure, collection, and analysis.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

36 month

2024

Implementation of Integrated Behavioral Health in Pediatrics at Western Montana Clinic

Western Montana Clinic (WMC) is a multispecialty health care organization located in Missoula, providing primary and subspecialty care. WMC’s two pediatric primary care clinics serve 10,000 children from birth through 21 years of age. WMC will recruit and on-board a mental health professional to help implement additional primary care behavioral health screening, provide crisis intervention, community referrals, parenting support, brief intervention, counseling, and follow-up. Grant funds will primarily support the behavioral health staff position, with a portion used for developing and sustaining integrated care in WMC’s clinics. Project partners include Partnership Health Center, The Children’s Clinic of Billings, Community Medical Center, Providence St. Patrick Hospital, and the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. WMC is also building creative partnerships with Missoula County Public Schools as professionals unfold new plans to support students struggling with behavioral health challenges in schools.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

36 month

2024

Warrior Bridge Native Partnership Initiative

Veterans Navigation Network (VNN) is a statewide nonprofit facilitating smooth transitions from military service to civilian life. Through this planning grant, VNN aims to foster health improvement and strong partnerships across eight tribes and five urban Indian organizations in Montana. Specifically, the project will allow VNN to explore with these communities how to help Native veterans navigate and access military benefits in a culturally responsive manner. Partners include the Office of American Indian Health at the Department of Public Health and Human Services and Riverstone Health. Grant funds will support staff time and travel expenses.

Grant Amount

$46,437

Term

12 month

2024

Butte Permanent Supportive Housing Project

Action, Inc. is the Community Action Program serving Butte-Silver Bow County, providing a wide range of anti-poverty programs, including housing, energy, and case management. This project will support network development, enhance the supportive services package, and develop units devoted to permanent supportive housing. The network will focus on serving people identified in the region's frequent user system engagement (FUSE) list, which generally includes people who are homeless with complex medical needs and who require frequent hospital and emergency services. Funds will support staff time in the network and provide a sustainable services package. Partners include the Public Housing Authority of Butte, St. James/Intermountain Hospital, Butte-Silver Bow County, Southwest Montana Community Health Center, Southwest Montana Continuum of Care Coalition, and the Strategic Alliance for Behavioral Health.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2023

All Nations Roadmap to Success

All Nations serves as the Urban Indian Health Center for Missoula and Ravalli counties. This grant will support the development of their three-year strategic plan, and planning efforts for a new facility that will include a clinic and housing, on property recently acquired by the organization. Funds will cover costs of the consultants leading the strategic planning process, a site visit to Southcentral Foundation to view the Nuka care system, a site visit to Spokane to visit family-centered permanent supportive housing, and pre-development costs and planning for the new facility. Project goals include identifying gaps in community services, opportunities for enhancing care and revenue, and adoption of a strategy for the organization to implement as it steps into the next three years and develops its new facility. All Nations has partnered with the Missoula-based developer Homeword to coordinate facility development efforts, and with Project Mosaic to lead the strategic planning process.

Grant Amount

$163,000

Term

24 month

2023

Recovery Mentor Program: Expanding Recovery Support Services and Building the Peer Support Workforce Pipeline

Alliance for Youth is a nonprofit organization that advances healthy youth development through a collaborative approach to substance use disorder education, prevention, intervention, and treatment. Sober Life is a program within the Alliance for Youth that provides peer and recovery support services. The goal of the project is to build a Recovery Mentor Program to improve outcomes and access to services and to increase the Certified Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (CBHPSS) workforce. They will accomplish this by providing training and real-world experience to those interested in a career as a CBHPSS and developing a pipeline of trained and experienced CBHPSS that area providers can hire. Grant funds will be used towards staffing, training, and travel. Partners for this project include Many Rivers Whole Health, Alluvion Health, Indian Family Health Clinic, the Little Shell Tribe, Child and Family Services, and Veterans and Adult Drug Courts.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2023

Meadowlark Initiative – Benefis Hospitals

Benefis Hospital will continue participating in The Meadowlark Initiative, expanding the mental health services and care coordination it provides to pregnant women in Great Falls and the surrounding areas. Benefis will use this grant mainly to hire an additional licensed behavioral health provider. The new provider will allow the site to treat more patients and shorten wait times for counseling services. Benefis will sustain the position through billing insurance. Partners include Great Falls OB/GYN Associates, Cascade City-County Health Department, and DPHHS Child and Family Services.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

Bigfork School-Strengthing Partnerships to Improve Student Health Outcomes

The Big Fork School District operates three schools serving 956 students in grades K-12. This project will support the school district in hiring a family health liaison who will work closely with students, families, and staff to connect with needed resources, including the school-based health center. It will also provide staff training and education on the multi-tiered support structure systems. Grant funds will be used for the school district staff time to support the project, and for staff training. The primary partner is Logan Health, which operates the school-based health center.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2023

Engaging Tribal and Rural Communities in the Development of Passenger Rail Services in Southern Montana

The Big Sky Rail Passenger Rail Authority will conduct community engagement in relation to a proposal to renew passenger rail service in southern Montana. This project will support regional meetings in three rural and three Native American communities along the proposed North Coast Hiawatha/Limited Line. The grantee will facilitate these regional discussions to understand transportation needs and assess how the rail line might impact access to health care, employment, and services for residents along the corridor. Partners include 19 counties and three tribes (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, Crow Tribe of Montana, and Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation). Montana State University-Extension, Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, and the Montana Department of Transportation are core partners.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2023

Improving Systems and Sustainability for Mental and Behavioral Health

Billings Public Schools (BPS) serves 16,675 students in grades pre-k through 12th grade across thirty-three school buildings, educating 10% of all K-12 public school students in the state. This project will implement a sustainable multi-tiered system of support for behavioral health to proactively address students' needs by aligning academic standards and behavioral expectations. BPS will do this by engaging with a consultant to develop a vision and comprehensive implementation plan based on assessing the needs for improving student wellness and behavioral health. Grant funds will support the consultant, staff time to support the project, supplies, and meetings. BPS will partner with Riverstone Health, which operates two school-based health centers and provides behavioral health support through another grant-funded project; they also hope to strengthen their partnership with the Billings Urban Indian Health Center through this project.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2023

Blackfeet Meadowlark Initiative

The Blackfeet Tribal Health Department will continue participating in The Meadowlark Initiative and expand integrated, team-based care to pregnant women on the Blackfeet Reservation. Through a partnership with the Women's Clinic at the Indian Health Service (IHS) Blackfeet Community Hospital, Blackfeet Tribal Health will provide behavioral health services to women with mental health issues or substance use disorders. Grant funds will support a care coordinator who will help women access community-based resources to address their social needs. Care will be coordinated with Logan Health in Kalispell and Benefis Health System in Great Falls when appropriate. Partners include IHS, Blackfeet Child Protective Services, and many programs under Blackfeet Tribal Health.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

Broadwater County Public Health Crisis Resource Coordination

This grant will support Broadwater County to build on the work of the Local Mental Health Advisory Council and develop a strategic plan for an effective behavioral health crisis system. The Broadwater County Health Department will serve as the lead agency. The County is coordinating this effort with Crisis planning work in Jefferson and Lewis and Clark Counties, focusing on aligning resources across the region to implement the Crisis Now model. Other key partners include the Sheriff, County commissioners, Billings Clinic Townsend, Fire and Rescue, and Many Rivers Mental Health Center. Grand funds will support a coordinator and consultants for mapping, strategic planning, and data collection.

Grant Amount

$37,000

Term

18 months

2023

Scaling up Staffing for Womens’ SUD Recovery Home

The Butte SPIRIT Center provides recovery housing and services to those recovering from substance use disorders. This grant will allow the organization to expand on the success of the Butte SPIRIT Home for Men by opening its second recovery home, the Butte SPIRIT Women’s Home. This will be the first licensed recovery home for women with substance use disorders in the Butte area. Grant funds will offset the new home's initial staffing costs (for a residence manager and Licensed Addictions Counselor) until it obtains state certification and can start billing for services. This project builds on a successful planning grant for the women's home, through which Cascadia Management Group facilitated strategic planning and developed an operating plan and budget for the new home. Local partners include the Montana Chemical Dependency Center, Southwest Montana Community Health Center, Action Inc., Montana’s Peer Network, and representatives from existing women’s facilities.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

CFVH Medicine Network Behavioral Health Expansion for Long-Term Sustainability

Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) will improve and expand its integrated behavioral health program (now in its ninth year) by hiring and training new staff to replace a retiring therapist and by increasing addiction counseling and case management services. Over the next two years, CFVH will hire, train, and establish supervision and networking for new team members. Contracting with licensed professionals to supervise pre-licensure clinicians will create a workforce pipeline for its three family medicine clinics. Grant funding will support two full-time staff, including a licensed behavioral health provider or candidate with addiction counseling credentials and a social work care coordinator. Project partners include the Sanders County Commissioners, a local therapist to provide clinical supervision if needed, Western Montana Mental Health Center, AWARE, the Sanders County Council on Aging, and the Sanders County Local Advisory Council.

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

36 month

2023

HOME – Health Outcomes Made Easy

The Columbia Falls School District is a K-12 district that serves 2,400 students. The district includes two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The goal of the project is to strengthen the partnership with the school-based health center, integrate the school-based health center into the tiered system of support for the students, and develop a student advisory council. They will use the funds towards the salary of the school district staff member supporting the project, staff training, and outreach. The primary partner is Logan Health, which operates the school-based health center.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2023

The Montana Produce Prescription Collaborative (MTPRx): Mainstreaming Grassroots Projects to Understand Program Impacts on Diabetes and Cholesterol

The Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC) connects local farmers and families to nurture a strong regional food system. Its food access programming increases access to nutritious, culturally appropriate foods and ensures that local food markets are accessible and equitable. This grant supports CFAC’s expansion and evaluation of their Montana Produce Prescription Collaborative. The collaborative is a Produce Prescription (PPR) program that helps health care providers prescribe locally sourced fruits and vegetables to patients and covers the cost of those items. The PPR program is primarily funded through the USDA's Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), which incentivizes people to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Funds from MHCF will allow CFAC to expand the PPR cohort to three to five new sites. Funds will help with technical assistance and food prescriptions for culturally relevant protein sources not covered by GusNIP (such as bison, lake trout, and beans). Partners committing to participate in expansion sites are All Nations Health Center, Partnership Health Center, and FAST Blackfeet. The project will also allow CFAC to evaluate the program's impact on nutrition and related health outcomes among food-insecure people with diet-related chronic medical issues such as diabetes and high cholesterol.

Grant Amount

$47,000

Term

12 month

2023

Crow Nation Strategy for a Sacred Way of Life

This project will support the Crow Tribe in developing a strategic plan (the Crow Nation Strategy for A Sacred Way of Life) to address health disparities through an Indigenous health care model that incorporates Crow healing philosophy and cultural practices. The strategic plan will create a business model and an implementation plan that outlines the operational, financial, and program development steps needed to advance the tribe's vision for its health system. Grant funds will support the strategic planning process and a site visit to Southcentral Foundation. Project partners include the Crow Tribal Health Improvement Program, One Health, the Indian Health Service Crow Service Unit, and other local partners working to serve the Crow community.

Grant Amount

$116,000

Term

12 month

2023

Dodson School Mental and Physical Health Plan

The Dodson School District will partner with Fort Belknap Tribal Health to improve the health and education outcomes of the students it serves. The Dodson School District is a K-12 public school district in Northcentral Montana serving 85 students, 94% of which are Native American. Fort Belknap Tribal Health received a grant from MHCF in 2022 to implement school-based health centers in Dodson, Harlem, and Hayes-Lodge Pole. This grant will facilitate Dodson School District’s participation in planning, implementation, and sustainability activities in collaboration with Fort Belknap Tribal Health for the school-based health center. As part of this project, the district will identify a staff member to work directly with tribal health. It will also install vape detectors to deter vaping in bathrooms and locker rooms and implement a prevention curriculum. Grant funds will be used to support the project director, supplies, development of a prevention curriculum, and motivational speakers. The vape detectors support the drug-free environment that the district is striving for and will also help the school identify students that would benefit from services. The goal of the partnership between the district and tribal health is to improve the school climate and positively impact disciplinary procedures.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2023

Fort Peck Tribes and Roosevelt County Crisis Coalition Planning Grant Project

This grant will support the Fort Peck Tribes in developing a crisis coalition that will serve the reservation and Roosevelt County. The coalition will bring together diverse partners on the Fort Peck Reservation and in Roosevelt County to collaborate on improving their community's behavioral health crisis response system. The coalition will engage health and justice system partners, develop a charter, analyze data related to the behavioral health crisis in the community, create a sequential intercept map of the current crisis system, and develop a strategic plan for improving the local crisis response system according to evidence-based guidelines. Grant funds will be used to hire a crisis coalition coordinator. Primary project partners are the Fort Peck Tribe and Roosevelt County. Coalition partners will include the local justice system, health system, first responders, schools, public health, and other community organizations.

Grant Amount

$35,000

Term

24 month

2023

Gallatin Regional Day Treatment School

Gallatin County will develop a business plan for a regional day treatment school for youth that require access to behavioral health services throughout the school day. The county will work closely with the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition youth committee to develop a detailed plan for the implementation and sustainability of a day treatment school. The school will provide educational and health services to students with intensive behavioral health needs. Grant funds will be used to contract with a planning consultant, who will provide research, analysis, facilitation, and planning services. Partners include the Bozeman School District, Madison/Gallatin Special Education Co-op, Belgrade School District, Youth Dynamics, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, AWARE, Community Health Partners, Gallatin County Behavioral Health Coalition, and Intermountain.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Lewis and Clark County School Based Mental Health 

Helena Indian Alliance is an Urban Indian Health Center and a federally qualified health center look-alike. Through this grant Helena Indian Alliance will implementing school-based health care services in two schools in the Helena School District, Helena High School and CR Anderson Middle School. Initially, they will provide behavioral health services, and they will explore implementing medical services in the future. Grant funds will be used towards the salaries of the behavioral health providers. The primary partner for the project is Helena School District. 

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2023

Helena Public Schools SBHC Implementation Grant

The Helena School District is a public school with 16 schools serving over 7,000 prekindergarten through 12th-grade students in the Helena area. This project will help the district implement school-based health services in its schools in partnership with the Helena Indian Alliance and PureView Health Center. Grant funds will be used to support the salary of the director of student health services. This position oversees district programming and services which support student mental and physical health, including school-based health and school-based health centers.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2023

Creekside Apartments 4%

Homeword, Inc. is working to secure financing to preserve the affordability of Creekside Apartments in the long-term, and carry out a rehabilitation that will improve the safety and quality of these 161 rental units in Missoula. Homeword is a nonprofit housing developer that has created or preserved 1,319 affordable units across the state. The property's rehabilitation will provide new siding, roofing, windows, mechanical systems, and plumbing systems, among other improvements. The resulting modifications will improve housing quality and reduce safety risks to tenants. Creekside Apartments was purchased by Homeward in 2017 and is a mix of studios, one, two, and three bedrooms, targeted to households earning between 50 and 60% of the area median income. The homes were developed in 1996 using the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) program. Language included in the state's qualified allocation plan when the project was developed would allow the project to exit the LIHTC program and its corresponding affordability restrictions without penalty in 2026 or possibly even earlier. In areas with strong rental markets, characterized by escalating rents and low vacancies, projects like Creekside (located near the University of Montana) are at high risk of conversion to market rate rentals, resulting in displacement of low- and moderate-income renters. In recognition of this risk, Homeword partnered with the City of Missoula, First Security Bank, and NeighborWorks Montana to purchase the property and prevent the displacement of low- and moderate-income households. The financing structure – which includes a mix of LIHTC, a city-issued bond, financing from CDFI NeighborWorks Montana, and state and local grant sources – allowed Homeword to make an offer competitive with speculative market offers while making interest-only payments supported by affordable rents. With this financing package, Homeword will preserve and extend the affordability of the property while carrying out an extensive renovation that will substantially improve quality and safety. MHCF’s relatively small contribution of long-term, low-cost debt will help Homeword to complete the project without accumulating an operating deficit that could threaten its viability in the long term.

Grant Amount

$300,000

Term

Other

2023

Local Food for Local Families

Hopa Mountain will lead the Local Food for Local Families initiative, a collaborative effort with Mission West Community Development Partners, Local Food Marketplace, Livingston Food Resource Center, Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC), Western Montana Growers Cooperative, Great Northern Development Corporation (GNDC), and the Montana Food Bank Network. This network supports the development, coordination, and expansion of rural and tribal food pantries and food hubs to increase access to healthy, locally produced food in food deserts across the state. Project partners provide peer-to-peer capacity building and technical assistance to help new and prospective food pantries develop plans to source local foods and create revenue-generating strategies. Annual Local Food Summits present an opportunity for project partners to share information and build relationships. MHCF funds will be used for the Local Food Outreach Coordinator staff position and contracts with partner organizations providing technical assistance. The grant leverages an award from USDA’s Local Food Promotion Program and proposes an evaluation of key data, including information about purchases of local and regional agricultural products, as compared to baseline information gathered in 2017.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Quality Improvements in Supportive Housing

HRDC IX is a nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Gallatin, Park, and Meagher counties. It provides an array of programming to support people and families in need, including housing, energy, food, community transportation, early childhood education, and services for older adults. This project will support partnership development to improve the identification of people who will benefit most from permanent supportive housing. Identification requires matching data from hospital emergency departments, corrections, and homelessness information systems. Data matching will improve resident selection processes for existing supportive housing units and provide better data regarding cost savings and resident outcomes to support funding and policy decisions. Funds will support staff time to collect data, evaluate systems for improvement, build partnerships, and explore the implementation of Medicaid billable services. Partners include the Gallatin Detention Center, Bozeman Health, and Community Health Partners.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Strengthening Urban Indian Health Care

The Indian Family Health Clinic (IFHC) is an urban Indian health center based in Great Falls that provides culturally-informed medical, behavioral health, and wellness programs to nearly 7,000 American Indian people in Cascade County. This project will help IFHC develop a five-year strategic plan to support the organization’s effectiveness, sustainability, and partnership with the Little Shell Tribe. Grant funds will support consultation services, staff training, and a site visit to Alaska Southcentral Foundation to learn about the integrated behavioral health model and how to implement these best practices within the system.

Grant Amount

$109,400

Term

12 month

2023

Strategic Planning Site Visit

Members of the Little Shell Tribe’s leadership team and tribal council will travel to Southcentral Foundation (SCF) in Anchorage, Alaska, for a week-long site visit. This visit will support their ongoing strategic planning work with SCF. SCF's Nuka System of Care is a nationally-recognized, award-winning health care system that provides comprehensive, integrated services to support physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Grant funds will support travel and site visit costs.

Grant Amount

$42,000

Term

12 month

2023

Little Shell Tribe Food Security & Food Sovereignty

The Little Shell Tribe will begin building a sustainable food system by implementing a program to provide healthy foods to members who experience food insecurity and have limited access to healthy foods. Funding will be used to hire a project coordinator to develop processes, procedures, and policies for the program while defining a sustainable strategy. The tribe currently has a storage facility and distribution center, and the coordinator will arrange food acquisition, delivery, and distribution. Partners include the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Great Falls Community Food Bank, USDA, Clause Law PLLC, the Little Shell Elder's Committee, Silver Wolf Enterprises, and other Little Shell Tribal Health programs.

Grant Amount

$100,000

Term

24 month

2023

Logan Health- Cut Bank School Based Clinic

Logan Health-Cut Bank is a critical access hospital and rural health clinic serving Glacier County and surrounding communities. With this project, Logan Health-Cut Bank will create a new school-based health center that will improve access to high-quality, affordable health care for students and staff in the Cut Bank School District. The school-based health center will serve over 700 students and 150 school district staff. The school-based health center will be located at the middle school and will serve all eight schools in the district. The services will include primary care and behavioral health services. Grant funds will be used towards the salaries of the medical providers and project supplies. The primary partner is Cut Bank School District.

Grant Amount

$200,000

Term

24 month

2023

School-Based Healthcare Services in Schools – Montana’s Golden Triangle Region

Marias Healthcare Services is a Community Health Center serving four counties in Montana’s Golden Triangle Region, along with patients from Great Falls and Havre. Through this grant, Marias Healthcare will develop school-based health centers in Valier, Sunburst, and Shelby School Districts, improving access to high-quality, affordable health services and, in turn, supporting better academic outcomes for approximately 680 students. The services will include primary care, mental health screening and referral, diabetes screening, preventive care, and vision screening. Grant funds will be used towards the startup costs, including salaries of the medical providers, recruitment fees, and project supplies. The project partners are the three school districts served: Valier Public Schools, Sunburst Public Schools, and Shelby Public Schools.

Grant Amount

$286,280

Term

24 month

2023

Integrated School-Based Supports: A Vision for Coordinated Care

The Missoula County Public Schools District (MCPS) is a K-12 district that serves 9,763 students. The district includes nine elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools. The goal of the project is to implement the Community Schools model and the multi-tiered systems of support structure within the district. They will do this by developing an organizational and operational infrastructure to weave together school, home, and community resources, including health, children, and family resources. They will use the funds to hire a school coordinator at one of the identified high-priority schools with the goal of developing the framework to expand to the rest of the district. They will partner closely with Partnership Health, which operates the school-based health center in the district.

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

12 month

2023

Mitchell Court Apartments

Mitchell Court is a proposed 32-unit Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) new construction project in Billings. The housing will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments targeted to be affordable to households earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). MHCF funds will leverage approximately $5.4 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and over $3.2 million in funds from Montana's coal trust and HOME Investment Partnership programs. In a demonstration of local commitment, the City of Billings has also preliminarily committed HOME funds totaling $1.2 million and $350,000 in Tax Increment Financing. This project will carry a 51-year Land Use Restriction Agreement (LURA), ensuring long-term affordability. The proposed development shares common amenities with a neighboring project, Jackson Court, creating efficiencies for property management and tenants. The project is well-served by public transportation and is near schools and parks, ideal for a family-focused development. MHCF funds will allow health-enhancing design elements, including ADA features that minimize fall and injury risk and improve accessibility for disabled residents, and low VOC materials, electric ranges and ovens, hard surface floors, and quality HVAC systems that reduce building elements known to exacerbate asthma and increase the risk of respiratory illness and falls. Additionally, funds will be used to implement the physical and site improvements the Billings Crime Prevention recommended through the Environmental Design initiative and for a walking and exercise path. Partners include HomeFront (the Billings-area housing authority), Big Sky Senior Services, Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow, Montana Department of Commerce, and the City of Billings.

Grant Amount

$750,000

Term

Other

2023

MCUIH Workforce Pipeline Program

This one year planning grant to the Native American Development Corporation will support the Montana Consortium of Urban Indian Health (MCUIH) to assess and begin to design a workforce pipeline to meet the staffing needs of the urban Indian health centers of Montana. The overall goal of MCUIH's Urban Indian Organization (UIO) Workforce Pipeline Program is to build a comprehensive approach to recruiting, training, and retaining talent, with a focus on developing skills and competencies that align with the UIOs business objectives. The program will assess the current and future workforce needs of each UIO, effective ways to recruit and attract talent, provide training and development opportunities, and focus on retaining and engaging talent. The ultimate goal is to build a robust health care workforce for each UIO that meets their individual and group needs and helps ensure that each UIO remains competitive and successful in the years ahead. Funds will be used to support MCUIH staff time and small portion for contractor to support workforce assessment for each urban program.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Advancing Cooperative Initiatives in Montana Communities

Montana Cooperative Development Center (MCDC) works with communities to develop new and support existing cooperatives and evaluate cooperative business models to meet their objectives. Cooperatives are member-owned businesses that operate for the benefit of members rather than earning profits for investors. This project will develop four new housing and local food cooperatives in rural and tribal communities. Funds will support community engagement, in-person informational sessions, training, and technical assistance to build capacity in rural and tribal communities and develop housing and local cooperatives. These in-person events will be supplemented by the development of an online knowledge hub, including toolkits for housing and food cooperatives adapted to Montana's regulatory environment. MCDC supports communities through all phases of cooperative development, from concept exploration and planning to legal organization establishing operations. MDCD anticipates supporting up to four new cooperatives during the course of the grant.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Montana Native Homeownership Coalition and Montana Housing Conference

The Montana Native Homeownership Coalition will host its third in-person gathering in conjunction with the annual Montana Housing Conference. The coalition has 178 members and includes representation from seven tribes. Attending the conference will allow coalition members to connect with and learn from other housing stakeholders. The coalition gathering will be an opportunity for all members to build relationships with their peers, receive updates on projects in progress, learn about future work, and become more engaged. Grant funds will support travel and registration fees for 25 coalition members representing tribes and Native organizations.

Grant Amount

$29,250

Term

12 month

2023

Exploratory Behavioral Health Collaboration for Reentering Community Members

The Montana Innocence Project (MTIP) works with clients who are released from prison to support a successful return to society. This planning grant will help MTIP develop a sustainable behavioral health support model for people reentering the community following incarceration. The grantee will use an innovative partnership with the University of Montana, through which social work students will engage with 12 clients held in Montana State Prison, Montana Women’s Prison, and CoreCivic correctional facilities and develop personal case plans for reentry. MTIP aims to develop a model that could be replicated by small-budget nonprofit organizations that serve this population, enabling them to provide social and behavioral health resources through shared clinical staff and partnerships with behavioral health training programs. MHCF funds will be used for student stipends, travel costs for client visits, volunteer training, and a portion of MTIP staff time for student supervision and project management. Partners include the University of Montana School of Social Work and College of Business, Welcome Back, and All Nations Health Center.

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2023

Montana Health Justice Partnership MLP+ Project

The Montana Health Justice Partnership is a collaboration between the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA), the Montana Primary Care Association (MPCS), seven federally qualified health centers (FQHC), Providence St. Patrick Hospital, and 10 referral social service organizations. This project will support these long-standing medical-legal partnerships to provide comprehensive legal services and wraparound social services for low-income, vulnerable, and exploited patients and their families, and add two urban Indian Health Organizations as new sites for these services. Grant funds will provide a match to help MLSA secure a $214,000 federal grant to participate in the Medical Legal Partnerships Plus (MLP+) demonstration program. MLSA will use the funding and the $25,000 matching grant from MHCF to hire a new 1.0 FTE Intake Navigator focused on strengthening partnerships and cross-referrals with social service provider partners, allocating 0.35 FTE attorney time for increased capacity to provide legal services, adding the Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health and two urban Indian health organizations as partners, and tracking improved health, legal, and social data for clients, their children, and their families, especially those experiencing challenges with housing stability, income support, family stability, civil rights, immigration, and environmental health. Grant funds will support a portion of the project manager's salary, travel and meeting expenses, project supplies, communications, and marketing. The primary partner for this expanded planning project is the Montana Consortium for Urban Indian Health and their five member urban Indian health organizations.

Grant Amount

$25,000

Term

12 month

2023

Montana Prevention Certification Administration and Promotion

The Montana Prevention Certification Board is a new non-profit that works statewide to advance the certification of prevention specialists. This grant builds upon an earlier MHCF grant to the University of Montana to establish the certification process and board. The Board’s goal is to broadly implement certification through the prevention workforce and further advance the field of prevention as a viable and effective professional discipline. Once certified, professionals must observe a code of ethical conduct and participate in annual continuing education. Funding will support outreach, marketing, convenings, and a Board Administrator to oversee the work. Partners include key prevention stakeholders in DPHHS, Montana Public Training Institute, Montana Prevention Association, current prevention specialists, and local and tribal public health departments.

Grant Amount

$35,000

Term

12 month

2023

Priorities

Years

Regions

Tribes

245 results

Expanding Empaths: Implementing Collaborative Care in the Perinatal Care Setting

Grant Amount

$150,000

Term

24 month

2024

Maintenance and Expansion of Integrated Behavioral Health

Grant Amount

$125,000

Term

24 month

2024

Strategic Planning at Butte Native Wellness Center

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

Feeding Our People White Clay

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

Elmore Roberts

Grant Amount

$600,000

Term

Other

2024

Acute Intervention Medical Clinic

Grant Amount

$35,840

Term

12 month

2024

Establishing Youth Maternity Home as a Licensed Medicaid Residential Setting

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

The Resilience Lab

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

24 month

2024

Self-Governance Annual Tribal Conference & Training

Grant Amount

$38,750

Term

12 month

2024

Expansion of School Based Health Services at Conrad Public Schools

Grant Amount

$75,000

Term

24 month

2024

Willard Alternative High School Recovery Program

Grant Amount

$49,325

Term

12 month

2024

Eagle Seeker Construction Phasing

Grant Amount

$50,000

Term

12 month

2024

North Central Montana Crisis Coalition

Grant Amount

$75,000