In February 2024, Heart of the Rockies Initiative’s Rural Initiatives program provided capacity support to the community of Yaak in their efforts to secure a Montana Historic Preservation Grant (MHPG) to fund renovations of the 100 year-old Yaak Community Hall. The Hall has served as an essential and much-loved gathering place in the remote community for generations, and the building is in need of significant repairs to remain a functional hub.
In addition to providing support in developing and submitting the grant application, in his role with Heart of the Rockies Initiative, Big Sky Watershed Corps (AmeriCorps) member Joel DeMay worked with the community to develop the fundraising video (shared here) to describe the project and the need, with the goal of raising awareness and helping secure matching funds for the MHPG.
To date, the Yaak community has raised over $25,000 in matching funds, with $17,000 still needed.This quote, from Yaak resident and fundraising organizer Robyn King, who offered Joel feedback in a thank you for his video work on behalf of the community, exemplifies the impact: “Joel, you knocked it out of the ballpark! Thank you so much for capturing the essence of the Yaak, the community spirit and the project need. Deep gratitude to you, Kara, and Heart of the Rockies.”
Today, the Yaak Community Hall grant application has been reviewed by the Montana Department of Commerce and is on the legislative docket this month. The grant application ranked #2 out of 63 eligible applications (73 overall).
