Spark! Children’s Museum of Montana announced two funding awards this month:

• $20,000 from Scheels over four years
• $7,500 grant from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation

The museum is transitioning to its new facility at 201 2nd Ave. S. with a planned reopening in early 2026.

The Scheels contribution funds a new exhibit, “The Great Indoors,” which is an immersive, hands-on campsite experience to inspire children and families to explore the wonders of Montana’s great outdoors.

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Scheels has committed $5,000 annually for four years to launch and sustain the exhibit where visitors will be able to “set up camp,” explore hands-on learning stations, and participate in rotating educational programs focused on conservation, outdoor safety, and environmental science.

On Nov. 9, Scheels is hosting a Shop for a Cause event at the Great Falls store, with proceeds supporting Spark!

Community members can purchase event tickets in advance and attendees receive the ticket value back as a Scheels gift card to use during the event, making it an easy way to support the museum while gearing up for the season.

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“The Great Indoors” will debut as part of the museum’s refreshed lineup of exhibits early next year.

The $7,500 Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation grant will support the museum’s new Nature Trekking and Humane Dissection initiatives.

The programs will provide those aged 3 through college with hands-on opportunities to explore biology, anatomy and ecology in an ethical and cost-effective manner.

“The Humane Dissection and Exploration Program provides an innovative, ethical alternative to traditional animal dissection by replacing preserved specimens with durable acrylic models. These allow young explorers to observe anatomy, respiratory, circulatory, digestive and other body systems in-depth for an extended educational lab experience. This approach fosters a safe and inclusive learning environment, free of allergy risks, chemical odors and the discomfort some children experience with animal dissection,” according to the Spark!

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With the grant, the museum will acquire toad, clam, lizard and fish models, giving museum goers a chance to observe and compare similar systems across diverse life forms.

The grant will also provide specialized Nature Trekking microscopes that are ioLight 1 mm portable microscopes that can capture high-resolution images at 400x magnification directly onto a phone, tablet, or computer, allowing children to observe plant and animal samples at the cellular level.