The board of directors of the Montana Children's Trust Fund is soliciting abstracts for grants aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect.  The deadline for submissions is February 13, .

This year's grants are intended to promote services that foster positive family relationships and prevent abuse and neglect in at-risk families, according to Sara Lipscomb, executive officer for the Montana Council for Families. Examples would include innovative community-based projects with a specific focus (such as parent education, parent support groups, or parenting skills for young parents) and family resource centers. The trust fund board is especially interested in plans that:

-- target traditionally underserved or disenfranchised populations and geographic areas of the state;

-- involve programs designed to meet the needs of people who may have difficulty accessing existing services;

-- involve programs that demonstrate both cultural sensitivity and cultural competence in program content and design;

-- involve programs that demonstrate interagency collaboration and commitment; and

involve programs that use volunteers.

Programs that propose to serve low-income communities, young or first-time parents, or parents with young children will be given priority, Lipscomb said.

The trust fund board also hopes to fund the creation of as many as three family resource centers in communities that currently are not served by one.

Grant applicants must be nonprofit, private or public, community-based or statewide educational and service organizations, groups, or agencies. The trust fund board will review the abstracts in late February and request full applications from those it deems most worthy.

More information about preparing and submitting abstracts is available on the Children's Trust Fund Web site at www.dphhs.mt.gov. Click on “About Us” and then “Boards and Councils.”

The Children's Trust Fund was created by the state Legislature in to take the lead in reducing and ultimately eliminating maltreatment of Montana children. The fund provides financial support to local efforts across the state.

For more information, contact Lipscomb at or .