Starting next fall, the Plum Creek Foundation will offer grants for innovative public school teachers.

The foundation is initiating a new grant program, Montana Great Classroom Awards, to help teachers in kindergarten through 12th-grade classrooms fund projects that they might not otherwise have money for.

The foundation will distribute $200,000 each year. Most awards will range from $2,000 to $5,000, with maximum grants of $10,000.

Grant-winning projects will emphasize hands-on education and provide innovative learning experiences, according to a press release from Plum Creek.

“We’re looking for innovative projects, projects that enhance student engagement but are perhaps beyond the reach of the normal classroom budget,” said Kathy Hughes, vice president of instruction at Flathead Valley Community College and a member of the community advisory board that will review grant proposals.

For more of this story, see the print edition of Monday's Daily Inter Lake.