For over two decades, Forward Montana Foundation has been a leader in engaging young Montanans civically through voter registration and voter mobilization. Now more than ever, young Montanans need the tools to show up, organize, and build a future rooted in hope, equity, and collective power. This is why we don’t just show up on election day, we hold space year-round as a political home for our generation. We are not backing down. Neither is our generation.
In 2024, we registered 1 in every 8 new Montana voters ahead of the Oct 7th early registration deadline. Based on our initial analysis of the 2024 general election, young Montanans that registered to vote with our team turned out at a rate of 79 percent (21% higher than their peers), showing a clear connection between our work and young people actually getting involved.
An estimated 60% of rural youth live in a “civic desert,” meaning they lack adequate opportunities for civic education, engagement, and community-building. We fill this gap with our immersive democracy program that includes a high school specific voter registration drive (Democracy Days) and in-classroom civic lessons for teachers. These programs lay the foundation for young rural Montanans to be the leaders our state needs.
Check out the links below to learn more about our partner organization Civics Under the Big Sky, sign up for Democracy Days, and access civic templates for educators.
OUR THEORY OF CHANGE:
If we deepen young Montanan’s’ culture of civic engagement and build the knowledge, skills, and leadership of young Montanans who reflect the diversity of our state to create change in their communities, more young people will become lifetime voters and activists, run for and win public office, and advance issues and conversations that address the complex challenges facing young Montanans today and tomorrow.
HOW WE GOT OUR START
HOMEGROWN & GRASSROOTS
Forward Montana Foundation was founded in 2004 by a group of passionate students at the University of Montana who felt there were a lot of barriers getting young people involved in politics. Their first fights were at the university and the local level and focused on recycling, renewable energy, sexual assault and tenant rights. We’ve now grown into the largest youth civic engagement organization in Montana, with year-round staff in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Glendive, Missoula and the Flathead.
