The City of Bozeman and One Valley Community Foundation announced today the award of a $53,745 grant from AMB West Philanthropies, which comprises the nonprofit interests of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in the Western United States, to fund a high level, organization wide training program for the City of Bozeman with the National League of Cities’ Race, Equity and Leadership (REAL) program. The REAL program offers tools and resources designed to help local elected leaders build safe places where people from all racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds thrive. From action guides to trainings and case studies, the program offers resources to strengthen local leaders’ knowledge and capacity to eliminate racial disparities, heal racial divisions and build more equitable communities.

Bozeman City Manager Jeff Mihelich says, “Providing this training to our leadership team, elected officials and staff is a key component of the City of Bozeman’s Inclusive City report. Not only will this grant allow us to create a comprehensive education program with REAL for staff and elected officials, it provides the capacity for us to create shared language around diversity, equity and inclusion and share that out to partner organizations in the community.”

Tawnya Rupe Mraz of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation reports, “This is one of the first grants that we have awarded in the racial equity and diversity focus area in Montana. The grant application was reviewed by our internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee and they were impressed by the City of Bozeman’s concrete steps to provide a welcoming community for an increasingly diverse population.”

The One Valley Community Foundation will be administering the grant and serving as the fiscal sponsor. One Valley Executive Director Bridget Wilkinson says, “We are proud to support AMB West and the City of Bozeman in their efforts to ensure Bozeman is a just and inclusive home to all. The funds provided will be used to provide anti-discrimination, implicit bias & systemic racism training for city leaders & employees.”

Bozeman Deputy Mayor Terry Cunningham, who worked on the grant request for several months, reports, “We are so grateful to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for their support of our efforts to ensure that all Bozeman residents and visitors are treated with dignity and respect, and have the opportunity to thrive in our community. The REAL program training is already paying dividends for Bozeman and we’re delighted to be able to expand our engagement as we seek to build a truly equitable community.”