Wilderness grants for creatives available

The University of Montana Wilderness Institute is now accepting proposals for grants that support historical research, creative writing and wilderness studies projects that explore Montana’s land and people.

The grants range from $400 to $1,000 and are awarded through the Matthew Hansen Endowment, which was established in 1984 as a memorial to Hansen and his ideals. The deadline to submit proposals is April 1. Awards will be announced in April.

Projects should encourage mindful stewardship of the land and contribute to the preservation of Montana’s cultural heritage. Proposals from individuals will take precedence over those from institutions. The endowment committee recommends projects that can be completed in one year.

Proposals must be no more than two pages and describe how the idea originated, what the project hopes to accomplish, how it is related to Montana’s heritage and whom it will benefit. In addition to the proposal, submit a detailed budget, timeline, and a brief personal resume of qualifications. Include a project cover page with your name, contact, project title, and budget. Submit seven copies of your proposal as well as seven copies of a previous work, if available.

Send proposals to The Matthew Hansen Endowment, Wilderness Institute, College of Forestry and Conservation, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812. For more information, call 406-243-6956, e-mail wi@cfc.umt.edu or go online to http://www.cfc.umt.edu/wi.

Hansen’s “An Oral History of Montanans at Work,” a set of audio tapes, is available for checkout from the Wilderness Institute Library. His written works “The South Fork of the Teton River: A History of its People” and “Clearing,” a book of poems, also are at the library.