Cindy Hensley McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential contender, has joined the board of Grateful Nation Montana, a new charity that provides scholarships and other services to children of Montana soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“There are not many more noble causes than the young soldiers who have given their lives for the cause of freedom. And, especially for me as a military mother, it is certainly significant to support this newly founded organization as a board member,” Ms. McCain said in an e-mail message.

Grateful Nation Montana, in Conrad, Mont., was started by David Bell, an insurance executive, and John McCarrick, a lawyer. Mr. Bell said the group — which is working with the Montana state university system to provide tutors and mentors to the children who get scholarships — is a pilot project that the organization hopes can be spread across the country.

Ms. McCain is the mother of two sons who are in the military.

(To read more about charities that are helping families recover from the wars, see The Chronicle’s special report.)