Community Grants
WE BELIEVE IN... The Value of Rural Communities.
Because in small towns, we need each other, and we maintain the personal connection.
2023 Community Grants
With proceeds from the 2022 Red Ants Pants Music Festival, we were able to award $30,000 in grants in 2023.
We are excited to support the work of our 2023 Community Grant recipients, to find out more about what they are accomplishing in their communities, see their project summaries here.
Letters of Intent submission is closed for 2023, we plan to open our next application on March 15th, 2024.
Learn more about our grant making process here.
Each year, with proceeds from the Red Ants Pants Music Festival, the Red Ants Pants Foundation awards grants to organizations and individuals whose projects further our mission. Family farms and ranches, rural community enrichment projects, and women's leadership organizations; we believe these hardworking folks strengthen our Montana way of life. The Red Ants Pants Foundation has granted over $160,000 to over 100 entities across nearly every corner of Montana to date.
Eligible individuals or organizations must have a mission and values in alignment with the Foundation and demonstrate that the grant award will be used in a way that furthers the mission and values of the Red Ants Pants Foundation.
The Mission of the Red Ants Pants Foundation:
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To develop and expand leadership roles for women.
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To preserve and support working family farms and ranches.
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To enrich and promote rural communities.
The Values of the Red Ants Pants Foundation:
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To recognize and cultivate a strong work ethic.
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To encourage and build self-reliance, especially for women.
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To educate the public on the importance of maintaining traditional work skills.
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To provide opportunities for people with different perspectives to connect, build bridges, and discover common ground.
Montana Conservation Corps (MCC)
2016 Red Ants Pants Foundation Grantee
Montana Conservation Corps helps young people acquire vital work competencies that build a foundation for achieving success, an affinity and aptitude for working and recreating in the outdoors, and an understanding and appreciation of public lands.
The Red Ants Pants Foundation grant will help us research and design specific innovations that support MCC's priority goals of increasing participation and retention of girls in our youth program and to specifically improve participation and success of low-income girls.
Flathead Chapter of FFA
2015 Red Ants Pants Foundation Grantee
The Flathead Chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA) helps high school students become successful adults by providing opportunities in a wide variety of careers. Funding from a 2015 Red Ants Pants Foundation grant helped to purchase new auto-darkening welding helmets.
I'm so grateful to be able to offer these helmets to our students, especially the girls. This grant had an immediate impact in the success of our female students learning to weld. When they can see what they're doing and when they can see where to strike an arc it makes all the difference in getting them going.
-Sue Lewis, Flathead High School