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Presenter Development

The Montana Performing Arts Consortium

The Montana Performing Arts Consortium (MPAC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving Montana's community of presenting organizations and the artists who bring their talent to our stages. Its mission is to:

  • Promote and encourage the touring and presentation of the performing arts throughout Montana in a professional and cost-effective manner.

  • Provide support and technical assistance to non-profit performing arts presenters, presenting communities, and artists.

  • To foster a favorable climate for both artists and presenters in Montana and promote, cultivate, and amplify the vibrant, innovative, and powerful presenting culture in Montana communities.

Presenter Development Program Guidelines

The Presenter Development Program is an opportunity for small-budget, rural presenters to receive artistic and outreach fee support for the 2025-2026 season series (FY26). This program supports a maximum of 20% of artist fees and/or 50% of artist outreach fees. This program depends on state funds from a Montana Cultural Trust legislative grant and other funding sources. These allocations are not guaranteed.  Do not sign contracts assuming funds will be available. Participants receive support in the form of funding ranging from a minimum of $300 to a maximum of $2,000. The average funding amount is $900. 

 

Funds will be disbursed in December 2025, at the earliest. 

 

Application

  • Applications must be submitted through the online form.

  • Application deadline: September 15, 2025

 

NEW: ​Applications are submitted through JotForm. Applicants will be able to save partially completed applications and resume progress using a link emailed to the main contact or specified email.

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Review criteria

Applications will be reviewed and scored against the following criteria:

  • Applicant demonstrates understanding of the community’s needs and strives to meet them through programming.

  • Programming exhibits artistic and educational quality.

  • Applicant provides artistic/cultural programming to an otherwise underserved community

 

Supported Activities

Examples of supported activities include:

  • Efforts to develop current audiences or target new audiences.

  • Creating a new performing arts series in a community that does not have one. 

  • Expanding programming by adding artistic diversity or culturally diverse artists. 

  • Adding or modifying outreach activities to increase access or reach new audiences.

 

Consideration will also be given to those meeting the following criteria. 

Please note: The following are not mandatory requirements but consideration is given to organizations that meet the following criteria.

  • Presenters in communities where there is no performing arts series. E.g., organizations may occasionally present events, but do not organize or promote these events in a series format. 

  • Presenters in a community with an existing series with plans to add events that increase artistic quality, reach new audiences, broaden audience aesthetic perceptions and experiences, or grow outreach offerings.

  • Presenter series that include a professional artist or group based in or originating from Montana.

  • Presenters serving rural audiences located in a broad geographic area.

 

Restrictions

Activities that do not qualify for support:

  • Fundraising events or galas

  • Self-produced, amateur, or student performances

  • Community theater

  • Events occurring before July 1, 2025, or after June 30, 2026

 

Applicants should omit these items from their application/budget section.

 

Review process & notification

Presenter Development applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of local professionals in the Montana presenting community and a staff member from the Montana Arts Council. The panel will meet in September 2025 and organizations accepted into the program will be notified at the end of October 2025.

 

Eligible organizations

  • Applicants must be an MPAC member in good standing. (Click here for membership information.)

  • Applicant must be a performing arts presenting organization located in a rural Montana community.

    • For the purposes of this program, we define rural Montana as any community outside the seven urban hubs (Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Helena, and Butte).

    • Applicant is a 501(c)3 nonprofit or has a fiscal sponsor. 

  • There is no artist fee budget maximum or minimum for eligibility. 

    • Applicants with artist fees exceeding $25,000 in FY26 must demonstrate how their programs serve a large rural community (examples include but are not limited to serving a  large geographic area, expanded outreach programs, multiple performances per visiting artist)

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Participant requirements

Organizations accepted into the Presenter Development program must meet the following requirements:

  • Sign an Agreement Letter

  • Present events in a series format with the following criteria:

    • A minimum of three (3) full-length performances by three (3) different professional performing artists.

    • Charge admission for full-length performances.

    • Promote events together under one series or organization name.

    • Supported events take place    between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025.

  • The series must contain at least one (1) outreach activity in addition to that artist’s full-length public performance. 

  • Sell a series ticket.

  • Promote the series with at least one (1) of the following:

    • Series website

    • Series brochure

    • Active series social media account

    • Series email campaigns 

  • File a final report with MPAC by June 15, 2026 which includes:

    • Form A: an individual evaluation for each performance series event 

    • Form B: one final series financial report 

    • Form C: one report on each supported event location

    • Templates for Forms A, B, and C will be made available here.

  • Include the following credit line in all printed and electronic promotional materials as a contractual obligation: 

 

“This event is made possible in part by the Montana Performing Arts Consortium Presenter Development Program, which is supported by the Montana Arts Council (an agency of the state government), and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support from coal tax placed into Montana’s Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Trust Fund” 

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PLEASE NOTE: Participating organizations that do not include this line in their printed and electronic materials will not receive the second installment of their funding. 

 

MPAC Annual Showcase & Conference

Presenters are strongly urged, but not required, to attend MPAC’s Annual Showcase & Conference.

The next conference will be held in Great Falls on October 10-12, 2025.

Registration is available here.

 

Contact

For questions or assistance, contact Emily Wolfram, Executive Director at info@mtperformingarts.org or (406)284-5524.

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Application Checklist

  • List of cities/towns and counties your organization serves

  • List of schools and/or community centers where you program outreach events

  • Marketing information (website, social media links, PDF of brochure or other marketing samples

  • The following files ready to upload:

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How to submit your application

  • Complete the online application. 

  • Complete ONE (1) application per nonprofit organization.

 

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  September 15, 2025

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INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 

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