Community Investment Fund

In 2015, the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities established the Community Investment Fund (CIF). CIF awards support innovative projects or programs that help Montanans with disabilities live, learn, work and play alongside people without disabilities. Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) members use their leadership and advocacy skills to review each application, evaluate the merits of the proposals, and award funds.

Past Projects

Emerging Leader Project

The Emerging Leader Showcase was developed to help youth, families and schools create a vision for what life in the community could look like for young adults who have ongoing support needs. The CAC formed a work group to come up with recruitment ideas, processes for interviewing leaders and capturing their stories, and strategies to disseminate information about the project and high quality transition outcomes and possibilities across the state and nationally.

Portfolio Project

The Portfolio Project work group was made up of seven youth CAC members who wanted to create their own Representational Portfolios and help Rural Institute Transition and Employment Projects staff pilot long distance mentoring in developing Portfolios. The group met by phone and Internet to receive training, review each other's work, and receive feedback on their own Portfolios.

Mental Health Work Group

One of the youth CAC members identified mental health concerns as a major (and mostly unaddressed) issue for young adults with developmental disabilities. Council members agreed to form the Mental Health Work Group. Work group members created a brochure to educate mental health professionals, families, and young adults about the unique needs of this population. Once the brochure was completed and disseminated in June 2011, work group members were encouraged to continue their efforts through the state YouthMOVE organization.