As a not-for-profit, member-owned Co-op, Flathead Electric’s cooperative business model means that when it brings in more revenue than is needed to operate, that money is allocated back to its members as ‘capital credits.’ Each year, some of these capital credits go unclaimed, usually because members move away without updating their mailing addresses. When capital credits go unclaimed for five years or more, Montana law allows the money to be used for educational purposes.
In recent years, the Co-op has occasionally awarded Community Education Grants with unclaimed capital credits. Last month, the Co-op’s Board of Trustees awarded a Community Education Grant to the Bigfork School District’s School Resource Officer program. The $42,500 award is renewable over five years and will support the continuation of the SRO program in Bigfork’s three schools. It will also allow for the intermittent presence of an SRO in the Somers/Lakeside K-8 school districts.
Community Relations Manager Katie Pfennigs commented, “We try our best to connect members with their capital credits, but when we cannot, we are grateful that Montana law allows our Trustees to distribute those funds back to the communities we serve. Over the years, those dollars have been thoughtfully invested in the future leaders of those communities through scholarships and other educational programs.”
To learn more about capital credits, visit: What Are Capital Credits – Flathead Electric Cooperative
To learn more about Bigfork School District, visit: Welcome to Bigfork School District 38 – Bigfork School District 38 (bigforkschools.org)
