Greater Montana Foundation

The Greater Montana Foundation was founded in 1958 by Edmund B. (E.B.) Craney, a broadcasting pioneer, and his wife Connie (Corrine) Craney. The initial purpose of the foundation was to preserve Montana heritage and culture and also to help encourage and improve the quality of the broadcasting system in the state of Montana. The first three members of the board of trustees for the Greater Montana Foundation were E.B. Craney as the chairman, Gabriel Traparish as the Vice Chairman, and Connie Craney as Secretary.

Before the founding of the Greater Montana Foundation, E.B. and his wife were collectors of art by Montana artists, such as C.M. Russell, O.C. Seltzer, and William Standing. They collected these pieces in an effort to save the early art of Montana and also to allow the art to be displayed within the state for the people of Montana. In 1964 the Craneys donated their art collection to the Greater Montana Foundation, to ensure that the art would stay within the state of Montana.

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