Notes From The Field

Notes from the Field

Lobbying for LGBTQ Empathy via Native ways

By Adrian Jawort Having only recently come out as a gender fluid/Two Spirit publicly in early January via a well-received—if not controversial—article I’d written with the titled Native American ‘rednecks’ & colonized anti-LGBTQ conservatism via Indian Country Today, I was well aware of the inner turmoil and struggles transpeople face in Montana as it was…

Notes from the Field

Hot Takes: Women’s Policy Leadership Institute

The other weekend, four Forward Montana Foundation staffers attended Montana Women Vote‘s Women’s Policy Leadership Institute in Helena–and we learned A LOT that we can’t wait to take back to our own organizing. Here are our hot takes from the weekend: 1. As a result of Medicaid expansion, 7,643 women received breast cancer screenings, with…

Notes from the Field

FMF’s Public Statement on NorthWestern Energy’s Resource Procurement Plan

On Friday, January 19th, the Montana Senate & House Energy Committees hosted the Public Service Commission and held a public hearing on Northwestern Energy’s 20-year procurement plan. You can listen to the full meeting here. House and Senate Energy Committee members, Public Service Commissioners, and Northwestern Energy representatives: My name is Caitlin Piserchia, and I’m here…

Notes from the Field

Your gift matters to Kiah.

Dear friend, Your gift matters to Kiah.  Kiah started with Forward Montana Foundation as a Bozeman Field Organizer in 2013, and then stepped up her game as  our Eastern Montana Program Director. She uses the skills she learned those years in her current position as Deputy Director, now just while also overseeing dozens of staff…

Notes from the Field Thanking Tuesday

Thank You from Jackson Lahey

Over the last election season, I have seen the real power of the work we do at Forward Montana. It started to stand out to me after having made countless plans to vote with people over the phone. I called a man only a few years older than me, and asked if he planned on voting. He said he…

Notes from the Field Thanking Tuesday

Thank You from Hannah Pate

Ooooof! What an election cycle! My work with Forward Montana began in February, when I was hired for the position of Campus Tour Manager. I traveled to campuses all over this great state, empowering students to vote. I learned a lot during this experience: how to drive on the highway in the winter, how to…

Notes from the Field Thanking Tuesday

Thank you from Jesse Keiser

Back in September, I drove to Helena in a duck costume to advocate for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a critical funding mechanism for our public lands and water. This was part of our Don’t Duck Out campaign urging our congressional representatives to listen to Montanans and advocate for one of our most precious…

Notes from the Field

From Rachel’s Desk: So Much Gratitude

With Forward Montana and Forward MT Foundation’s Thanking Tuesday coming up — a day we get to celebrate all of the amazing people who make our work a success — I’m feeling all sorts of gratitude for the amazing staff, board, volunteers, members, and donors I get to work with every day. I’m not sure if…