Reach Higher Montana is proud to announce it has been awarded a four-year grant totaling $1.1 million from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. This significant investment will support the continued growth and impact of the Montana Work-Based Learning Collaborative (WBLC), a statewide initiative aimed at expanding, enhancing, and improving work-based learning opportunities for students across Montana.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for this generous support,” said Gabrielle Rowley, Director of the WBLC. “This grant will allow us to continue building meaningful connections between education and industry and ensure more Montana students have pathways to success.”
The funding will enable RHM and its WBLC partners to strengthen partnerships with employers, educators, and communities, while expanding access to hands-on career-connected learning experiences for students in both rural and urban areas. Career-connected learning encompasses internships, job shadows, apprenticeships, teacher externships, and more — all designed to prepare students for real-world careers and help meet the state’s workforce needs.
The funding is from the Blank Family Foundation’s new Youth Development portfolio in Montana, which supports the scaling of alternative pathways to economic mobility for young people.
Reach Higher Montana serves as the backbone support organization for the WBLC, convening over thirty partners from across Montana who work collaboratively to expand high-quality work-based learning opportunities for Montana students.
To learn more about Reach Higher Montana and the Montana Work-Based Learning Collaborative, visit www.reachhighermontana.org or wblmt.org.