The William B. Pratt Fund, established at Montana Community Foundation as a legacy gift to the people of our state, recently awarded $7,500 to Montanans to help them tell and share our collective stories — especially the untold ones.

The grant recipients work to produce Montana traditional and folk art, as well as media arts in the state. 

“Montana’s cultural heritage lives in the stories, traditions and creative expressions passed from one generation to the next. This year’s grantees bring that heritage to life through community gatherings, cultural education and traditional arts. Their documentary projects preserve important stories of creativity, inclusion, environmental stewardship and tribal sovereignty. Together, this work honors the people and experiences that have shaped our state while ensuring their stories remain vibrant and accessible for generations to come,” said Bill Pratt.

2026 Grantees Include:

Traditional and Folk Art

• $1,500 to Chickadee Community Services for the two-day Métis Heritage Festival held in Choteau, featuring a variety of performers, including Métis fiddler Jamie Fox.
• $1,000 to the Montana Professional Learning Collaborative for its annual August Institute for Art as Identity: Preserving Indigenous Perspectives Through Media. The conference includes Indigenous artist Frank Finley from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as a featured presenter.
• $500 to the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center in Missoula for honorariums at its Carrying Living Traditions, an Indigenous Folk Arts series centered on Blackfeet cultural practices featuring Jesse DesRosier, Carissa Heavy Runner, and Co Carew.

Media Arts

• $500 to the Missoula Downtown Foundation to produce a documentary film, “In the Dim Light of Obscurity,” about Missoula artist Jay Rummel. The film follows the journey of his eldest son, Dan Morton, and art enthusiast Brian Sippy as they navigate Jay’s complicated legacy. It also explores themes of legacy, addiction, and creativity, including examples of Jay’s prints and ceramics. In part, the film will draw on digitized footage of decades-old video and audio tapes about Jay recorded for a never-produced documentary.
• $2,000 to the Western Heritage Center in Yellowstone County for production of a documentary film, “Equally Different: Montana’s Disability Legacy.” The Center, in partnership with Community 7 Television, will use archival footage and personal stories to explore the experiences of individuals and communities across time, highlighting changing attitudes, access, and advocacy. The project aims to preserve overlooked histories, promote understanding, and strengthen a more inclusive narrative of Montana’s past.
• $2,000 to The Lodge Approach for production of a documentary film, “Beneath the Surface: A’tono’omee’e — Underground World/Mother Earth.” In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hollowbreast decision secured mineral rights for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, affirming collective sovereignty. Fifty years later, “Beneath the Surface” explores the decision’s lasting impact on environmental stewardship, economic justice, and self-determination. Through voices past and present, the film reveals how a legal victory over land became a broader story of resilience, cultural strength, and the ongoing fight for tribal autonomy. 

The next William B. Pratt Fund grant cycle will open in January 2027.

For more information