PPL Montana will again distribute $200,000 to community organizations in 2006 to help support projects that improve the quality of education, enhance the environment and spur economic development throughout Montana.

PPL Montana issues half of its Community Fund in the spring and half in the fall through grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.  The spring grant cycle application deadline is Jan. 27.

"As a major corporation with 500 employees in Montana, PPL Montana is proud to support the dedication of fellow Montanans who want to improve the cultural and economic growth of our state through imaginative projects," said Lisa Perry, community affairs manager for PPL Montana. "I encourage community groups, environmental organizations and academic institutions to apply."

An 18-member, statewide advisory board — composed of civic and business leaders, as well as PPL Montana employees — determines how best to distribute the funds. The spring grants will be awarded at the end of March.

Last year, the Community Fund donated $200,000 to 31 Montana organizations from the more than 180 applications received during the two grant cycles. For more information about the Community Fund, or to apply, visit the PPL Montana Web site at www.pplmontana.com.

PPL Montana, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has electric generating facilities throughout the state with a combined generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts. PPL Montana has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena and employs 500 people. The company operates coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric power plants along Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. PPL EnergyPlus, another PPL subsidiary, operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale energy market.