Montana Making Sense
Interested in becoming an MMS member? Apply online for Montana Making Sense.
Care about Hunger? Homelessness? Domestic Violence? Child Neglect? You can help. Montana Making $ense AmeriCorps members deal with these issues and more by addressing one of the root causes of financial instability—a lack of financial literacy.
Montana Making Sense is a new AmeriCorps program administered by the Office for Civic Engagment at the University of Montana. MMS places AmeriCorps members with community organizations to adapt and implement site-specific financial literacy training and outreach.
We envision a Montana in which citizens are empowered to succeed and prosper, where people understand their potential and capacity, and are not at the mercy of those who do not have their best interests at heart.
Our mission is to provide human resources to expand the financial education capability of human service organizations in the state; and to improve lives by educating and empowering the citizens of Montana to manage their money wisely in order to avoid financial instability and its corollary effects.
Member Options
| Hours/Service Year | Living Stipend | Education Award | Health Ins/Child Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1700 | $1036.36/month | $4,725 | Yes |
| 900 | $6,035/year | $2,363 | Possibly |
| 300 | N/A | $1,000 | No |
Members will receive extensive training from MMS and at their sites, but need to be self-directed as well.
Host Site Options
MMS enhances the human resource capacity of organizations to benefit their clients by providing financial education opportunities.
Sites have a variety of options, including hosting full-time members (1700 hours per year), half-time members (900 hours per year) or part-time members (300 hours per year).
| Member Type | Host Match Fee |
|---|---|
| 1700 hour member | $3,750 |
| 900 hour member | $2,000 |
| 300 hour member | $150 |
MMS works with a variety of different organizations and constituencies, including but not limited to: low-income Montanans, American Indians, single parents, current and former correctional institution inmates, people with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, veterans, seniors and students. As Montana is home to many different types of social service organizations, we have designed MM$ to allow each site to utilize, adapt, or develop its own method of providing financial education, using existing or new materials and the talents of its AmeriCorps member(s).
For more information:
Marian Palaia
Montana Making Sense Program Director
406-243-6324
marian.palaia@mso.umt.edu
Ramsey Sprattmoran
Montana Making Sense Team Leader
406-243-6324
ramsey.sprattmoran@mso.umt.edu
