ActiveAtlas Opportunity Score 66/100
Montana — Helena Education Foundation Spark Grants 2026–2027
Helena Education Foundation offers Spark Grants of up to $500 to full- and part-time Helena School District teachers for new classroom enrichment projects. The next 2026–2027 deadline is September 29, 2026, followed by December 1, February 2, and April 6 cycles.
FundingUp to $500 per project; Helena Education Foundation states it awards $20,000 in Spark Grants each school year.
DeadlineNext 2026–2027 cycle deadline: September 29, 2026. Later deadlines: December 1, 2026; February 2, 2027; April 6, 2027. The official page does not publish a closing clock time or time zone.
Last verifiedSeptember 20, 2026
Required next actionEligible full- and part-time Helena School District teachers should use the official online Spark Grant application for a new classroom enrichment project not otherwise funded by the district, obtain required collaborator and building-administrator signatures, and submit by the applicable cycle deadline. The next published deadline is September 29, 2026; the official program page does not publish a closing clock time or time zone, and none is inferred.
Broad Eligibility
Full- and part-time teachers employed by Helena School District. Multiple educators may collaborate, with required collaborator signatures and building-administrator approval. Partnering entities cannot be the primary applicant.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score 66/100. Clear recurring K-12 education funding with simple eligibility and four annual cycles, but the $500 cap is very small and the applicant pool is limited to Helena School District educators. N9+ Fit Score 0/100 because the award ceiling and exclusion of district-provided technology do not support a defensible N9+ deployment. Current official materials include the online Spark Grant application, application guide, grant workshop information, recipient instructions, and grant report. No mandatory match or cost share is stated on the public program page. The official page does not publish a closing clock time or time zone, and none is inferred.
The Helena Education Foundation Spark Grants program gives Helena School District educators frequent access to small grants for new student-enrichment projects. Eligible full- and part-time teachers may request up to $500 per project, and the Foundation states that it awards $20,000 in Spark Grants each school year across four cycles.
For 2026–2027, the published cycle deadlines are September 29, 2026; December 1, 2026; February 2, 2027; and April 6, 2027. The official page does not publish a closing clock time or time zone. Applications are submitted through the Foundation’s online Spark Grant form. Collaborative educator applications are allowed, but all collaborating educators must sign, and the building administrator must also sign. Partnering organizations may not serve as the primary applicant.
Fundable work must be a new project for which Helena School District funding is not available and may include classroom projects or field trips that add creativity or extend learning. The program excludes monetary student awards, district-provided textbooks/materials/technology, workshop or professional-development fees, employee stipends, and substitute-teacher costs unless teachers remain with their class as part of the project. The public program page does not state a mandatory match or cost-share requirement.
Source verificationReferenced source · hefmt.orgAtlas last verified this record September 20, 2026. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗
