Making Missoula

Grant Fund

The Making Missoula Grant Fund was created in 2021, and is currently funded through a combination of Missoula Makers Collective merchandise sales and a percentage of Missoula Makers Market booth fees. The grant will be awarded for the first time in the Fall of 2023!

Outdoor market with tents, people shopping, and a mountainous landscape in the background.

Grant Fund Applications are Now Open!

Apply Here

The story

A woman, wearing a beige cap and a yellow checkered dress, is arranging items on a table at an outdoor market or craft fair. The table has a beige tablecloth, decorative rocks, a wooden stand, and framing displays. In the background, there are parked cars and a white canopy tent.

At the founding of the Missoula Makers Collective in 2021, we knew we wanted to give back to the community and specifically, that we wanted the booth fees we collected from the markets to fund whatever it was that we decided to do.

We began to set aside 5% of all booth fees we collected when we began hosting Winter Markets at the Oi Yoi Studio in 2021. At the time, 5% of booth fees came to less than $50/market.

Our original goal was to raise $500 to give away to a maker at the end of the year. Once we began hosting our summer markets, that “5%” began to grow. We went from hosting 12 makers once a month, to hosting 25+ makers twice a month. We quickly hit our $500 goal mid-summer, and realized that this could be more than a one-off gift to a maker.

Since our 2022 summer markets we’ve continued to collect booth fees for the grant fund, and expanded to selling merchandise to raise funds too. As of now we’ve raised more than $2,000 and are in the process of founding the nonprofit, Making Missoula, so that we can continue to fund maker’s growth for years to come. We’ll be awarding our first grant this year, and applications will become available in summer 2023.

Meet the Committee

  • A woman with light brown hair and bangs is smiling and sitting at a table in a cozy cafe, holding a cup of coffee.

    Hanna Reese (Chair)

  • A woman wearing black shirt, jeans, and green rubber gloves pours a liquid from a pipe into a measuring cup in a laboratory or workshop setting.

    Lindsey Keeley (member)

  • A woman with curly black hair and earrings standing in front of a display of jewelry, smiling at the camera.

    Latisha Buck Elk Thunder (member)

  • A woman wearing a wide-brimmed burgundy hat decorated with purple flower patterns and a sleeveless gray top with purple flower designs, smiling outdoors with green foliage in the background.

    Zola Kell (Member)

  • A woman with light skin, short brown hair, and gray eyes smiling at the camera. She is wearing a black top, an off-white scarf, and earrings with circular designs. The background is indoor with blurred greenery and wall.

    Bailey Zook (member)

    Bailey Zook is the creator behind B. Zook Ceramics. When not creating pottery she can be found floating, skiing, hiking, or biking around Missoula and enjoying the beauty of the world around us.

  • A woman smiling outdoors with sunglasses on her head, wearing a blue top and patterned earrings, in a grassy field with trees in the background.

    Hailey Michelson (Member)

  • A woman smiling outdoors, wearing a large wide-brimmed hat and a beige jacket, with a background of a wooden fence and some trees.

    Claire Manheimmer (member)