We provide grants and low-interest loans to develop and preserve affordable housing, strengthen local food systems, and explore local solutions to other needs essential to health and well-being.
Housing, food systems, income, education, and other social factors—often called the “social determinants of health”—are among the most powerful influences on the health of individuals and their communities.
Through our work with partners across the state, we know that access to safe, affordable housing and nutritious, locally produced foods are among the top health-related needs in many Montana communities.
We help communities:
Healthy Montana Communities Initiative One-Pager
SPOTLIGHT: STRENGTHENING MONTANA’S FOOD SYSTEMS
Montana’s ranchers and farmers are major producers of a wide range of foods, including meat, lentils, grains, and vegetables. Even so, in many communities, particularly in rural Montana, there are opportunities to improve access to affordable, healthful, locally-produced foods.
Over the past several years, we have invested more in building local food systems as a pathway to better health. Our goal: to help build a more connected, sustainable food system that ensures all Montanans can access healthful, locally produced food.
INITIATIVE PROGRESS: AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Since we launched this initiative in 2023, our investments have supported the construction of 104 new housing units and the preservation of 833 affordable homes, including completed units and those in development.
To see the projects we’ve funded under this initiative, visit our grant library.
Our Support
We provide grants, technical assistance, and low-interest loans to support communities in planning and developing economically viable projects. We prioritize projects that address community priorities and contribute to long-term solutions.
- We provide smaller grants and technical assistance to support community-led planning addressing identified housing, food, or other clearly defined, high-priority needs related to the social factors that impact health.
- For well-planned projects that address significant health-related housing or food system needs, we provide larger grants and low-interest loans to support capital costs, business startups, or other creative, community-driven approaches.
We prioritize projects that bring together new partnerships to address community needs. We also prioritize support for rural communities, given common challenges such as staffing and access to capital. For more information on participating in the initiative, please contact our program team.
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Contact
If you have a question about this initiative, please email our program team.