The Montana Folk Festival received a surprise $600,000 grant commitment during its 2022 grand opening.
Montana Resources Vice President of Human Resources Mike McGivern announced the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, in conjunction with Montana Resources, will be extending funding for the festival for an additional three years.
“This news is absolutely fantastic and clearly illustrates the Foundation’s strong support for the high-quality performers we bring to Butte and that they join with us in believing that the festival’s economic impact on the entire region and Montana is significant and growing each year,” Montana Folk Festival director George Everett said. “Having the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation as the anchor sponsor brings additional credibility to the event and provides the catalyst necessary to raise the funds necessary to host a world-class event.”
Foundation funding for the Montana Folk Festival will continue at a $200,000 annual level. $100,000 of that is an outright grant, while up to $100,000 in additional funds are available as a matching grant to encourage other Montana businesses to step up and support the festival.
“Montana Resources is proud to carry on the Butte mining tradition, demonstrating to the community and Montana that mining can be done safely and sustainably. With the ‘can do’ spirit of Butte America, the Montana Folk Festival has established itself as the can’t miss event of Montana’s summer. As an ongoing commitment to the Mining City and Montana, we are thrilled that the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation will continue to support the Montana Folk Festival for three more years,” Montana Resources President Jack Standa said.
The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation and Montana Resources have been a major supporter of the Montana celebration of world-class music, dance, arts, and cuisine from its inception.
“From the very beginning in 2008, we saw how the Montana Folk Festival introduced a wide array of cultural opportunities to not just Montanans but also the region and the nation while at the same time helping to build a large repeat tourism base for Montana,” Foundation Executive Director Mike Halligan said.
For more information about The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, visit dpwfoundation.org.
For more information about Montana Resources, visit montanaresources.com.
For more information about the Montana Folk Festival, including the performers and upcoming schedules of performances, visit montanafolkfestival.com.