Each school year we have granted about $1,600 for a range of classroom enrichment activities from Shakespeare in the Schools to field trips to the Big Hole Battlefield; our funds have been used to purchase cameras and software and a greenhouse; they have funded physics experiments, books, and native speakers. In addition, we give three $500 scholarships each year to teachers for their continuing education.

However, our emphasis is on academic awards. In the past years, the Foundation annually has awarded over $40,000 in scholarships to deserving graduates of Hamilton High School. Last year that figure reached almost $80,000. This year we will reach a magic number: When all the awards this year are made, we will have given 1,000,000 since our modest beginnings twenty years ago.

Our foundation is secure, but we continue to need community support. We are a very good investment. We have a solid endowment with very little overhead. We have no executive director; the board does the work, and we pay only our insurance, our accountant, and our CPA firm. However, to maintain our public nonprofit status, an internal revenue law states that every year we continue to need a little new money. Please think of us when you consider what organizations are worthy of your individual support.