Heart Mountain Receives Serve Wyoming Planning Grant
June 8, 2026
The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation has received a $96,129 planning grant from Serve Wyoming to develop its “Kids Cultivate” program to educate children about agriculture and train future docents for the interpretive center and other buildings on the site.
“Kids Cultivate” will be a three-day summer learning experience for entering 4th graders. The program will be offered multiple times throughout the summer of 2028 and will involve hands-on learning about farming, nutrition, civics, and Japanese culture. AmeriCorps members will run the Kids Cultivate program while also expanding our capacity for visitor engagement at our Smithsonian Affiliate museum and National Historic Landmark site.
AmeriCorps, officially known as the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), is an independent U.S. government agency established in 1993 by the National and Community Service Trust Act. The Washington-based organization engages more than 5 million Americans in stipended national service, providing grants to fund programs addressing community needs like education and disaster services. Its key programs include AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps State/National and AmeriCorps/VISTA. Heart Mountain’s grant is through AmeriCorps State/National.
The AmeriCorps Planning Grant was awarded through ServeWyoming, Wyoming’s Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism. ServeWyoming connects Wyoming residents to volunteer and AmeriCorps programs that address critical community needs across all 23 counties in partnership with AmeriCorps.
“We have long aspired to provide more offerings for elementary-age children at our site, and this planning grant will enable us to move in that direction,” Heart Mountain Executive Director Aura Sunada Newlin said. “We are excited about this new opportunity for engaging our local communities.”
Scarce childcare options and rising food costs create an increasingly important role for day camps that provide supervision and lunch. Kids Cultivate will add an educational spark to communities in the Bighorn Basin while contributing to student success and helping to alleviate financial pressure for low-income families.
Photo: Inside the restored Heart Mountain root cellar, which was designed and built by incarceree farmers during World War II. The new program supported by Serve Wyoming will emphasize Heart Mountain’s agricultural legacy. Credit: Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation