Greater Montana Foundation records, 1958-2009

Series in this collection include:

Correspondence: interoffice correspondence (1972-2005); outgoing correspondence (1947-2006); incoming correspondence (1963-2006)

Financial Records: The financial records series (1971-2007)include bank statements, financial statements, and expenses concerning the three major funds the Foundation operated; the Hugh Galusha and Connie Craney memorial funds, which were used to fund scholarships in the area of broadcasting, and the General Fund, which was used primarily to fund the annual awards ceremonies as well and providing grants to original programming in Montana.

Grant Files: The grant files consist of records regarding potential grant proposals and funding for various projects. 1985-2009

Legal: The records in this series consist of various legal documents such as deeds, trust papers, and wills.

Minutes: The meeting minutes series (1958-2007)contains the agenda and minutes from the annual board meetings of the Greater Montana Foundation. These meetings discussed legal and financial issues. Later on, a significant function of these meetings were to discuss various grant projects that were proposed for funding. These grant proposals are contained within this series as well, and highlight each project’s goals and expected costs.

Organizational Records: The records in this series consist of the various versions of the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and The Greater Montana Foundation scope and purpose.

Subject files: This series consists of files relating to five subject areas. The E.B. Craney Art Collection subject files (1967-2006)contains records that document to pieces of art that E.B. Craney and his wife collected, also correspondence and other records that pertain to the value of the art and loan agreements. The Olaf C. Seltzer subject files (1947-1977) contains records regarding the art work of Olaf C. Seltzer. The Craney’s collected a lot of his work and much of their art collection consisted of works by Seltzer. This file consists of letters, pamphlets and museum published magazines that highlighted Seltzers work and also includes postcards and other visual examples of the Olaf C. Seltzer. The Greater Montana Foundation Radio and Television Awards/The Greater Montana-Montana Broadcasting Association E.B. Craney Montana Broadcasting Awards subject files (1961-2003) contains records from both the Greater Montana Foundation Radio and Television Awards, which ran from 1961 to 1977, and the Greater Montana Foundation-Montana Broadcasting Association E.B. Craney Awards. The records in this file contain booklets, posters, bound books and audio tapes. The Wheeler Lecture Series subject files (1975-1987)was started in 1976 by way of honoring former Montana Senator Burton K. Wheeler. The records in the Wheeler Lecture Series consist of pamphlets, biographies of speakers and speeches. The Grand Hotel/Ring Hotel subject files (1980-1992)provides information on this property in Butte, was donated by the Wheeler family to the Greater Montana Foundation. The Greater Montana Foundation sold the Grand hotel in 1981 to a mother and son team, who in turn sold it to a third party who neglected to insure the building. The fifth floor of the hotel is destroyed in a fire. The records consist of receipts, escrow agreements, correspondence and official notices from Butte-Silver Bow.

Trust Files: The trust series (1961-2007)contains both legal and financial documents pertaining to the twenty-two funds that E.B. Craney established and the GMF managed. These funds were set to pay family members and friends until their deaths, whereupon the funds would be transferred back into the General Fund.

Writings: This series contains a typed up manuscript written by Bill Knowles entitled “I Was Just Talkin’: Adventures in Montana Broadcasting.” This manuscript was written around 1998.

Clippings: The clippings series (1970, 1972)contains one folder with clipping regarding Jean Sullivan, who was a friend of Senator Burton K. Wheeler and featured on an early radio program “Interesting People in Montana,” Mr. Sullivan is featured because he survived an avalanche.

Miscellany: The records in this series (1963-2002) consist of materials that pertain to the collection, such as articles, blank forms and blank Greater Montana Foundation Radio Award sheets.