Catalyst Grant to Support Tribal Exhibit Partnership
Jackson Hole Children’s Museum Receives $50,000 Catalyst Grant to Support Tribal Exhibit Partnership
Community Foundation of Jackson Hole awards funding to deepen collaboration with Eastern Shoshone and Shoshone-Bannock cultural educators
JACKSON, WY | January 2026 - The Jackson Hole Children’s Museum (JHCM) is honored to announce it has received a $50,000 Catalyst Grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole to support the continued design and development of an early childhood exhibit created in partnership with cultural education professionals from the Eastern Shoshone and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
The grant will support the museum’s ongoing collaboration with Tribal educators to integrate Indigenous stories, ecological knowledge, and cultural practices into The Hole Story, a new nature-based exhibit designed for children ages four and under and their caregivers. The exhibit will be a central feature of JHCM’s new home and reflects a long-term commitment to respectful, relationship-driven exhibit development.
For the past year, JHCM has been working closely with cultural educators Nolan Brown and Bailey Dann from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ Office of Original Territories and Historical Research at Fort Hall, and Robin Rofkar from the Eastern Shoshone Tribal Cultural Center at Fort Washakie. Together, they are shaping an immersive play environment inspired by a sagebrush ecosystem, seasonal change, and animal perspectives that are culturally significant to both Tribal nations.
Grant funding will support continued exhibit design and fabrication, culturally meaningful materials and props, staff training, and interpretive elements to ensure the exhibit is accurate, respectful, and sustainable over time. The project is matched by donor support through the JHCM’s capital campaign.
“This project represents a meaningful shift in how we design exhibits and tell local stories,” said Ethan Lobdell, Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Children’s Museum. “By collaborating directly with Eastern Shoshone and Shoshone-Bannock cultural educators, we are building practices rooted in relationship and respect and shared connection - and creating early learning experiences that reflect the culture of Jackson Hole.”
The exhibit is designed to support local families including indigenous children and caregivers by reflecting familiar cultural perspectives within a public learning space. As part of this initiative, JHCM will provide subsidized museum admission for enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes for two years.
The Catalyst Grant is part of the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole’s Education & Families Initiative, which supports innovative, systems-changing approaches to addressing root causes of community challenges.
Once completed, The Hole Story will welcome approximately 1,000 children ages 0–4 in Teton County and an estimated 15,000 visitors annually, offering families from around the world an opportunity to engage with Indigenous knowledge, ecology, and storytelling through play.
The collaborative partners also envision future phases of work, including portable exhibits that can travel to Fort Hall and Fort Washakie, further extending the impact of this partnership beyond the museum’s walls.
This grant was made possible by the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole.