The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About10-07-25 Correspondence - MT Dept of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 2, Issue 40From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 2, Issue 40Date:Thursday, October 2, 2025 2:01:39 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Oct. 2, 2025 – News, events, grants, loans and other funding opportunities Montana Department of Commerce Weekly Roundup The Weekly Roundup is a summary of events, news and information important to Commerce's constituents this week. Click on any topic for more information. Reminder to Grantees About Commerce Branding The Montana Department of Commerce has updated brand resources available for grantees to use when crediting Commerce’s sponsorship of an event, project, etc. The Commerce brand book, usage guidelines and downloadable logos are at commerce.mt.gov/public-participation/commerce-brand. Please refer to these resources when developing print or digital materials that will include the new Commerce logo, which was rolled out last year. The Commerce MarComms team is always happy to help with branding questions and can be reached by contacting CMO Mitch Staley at mitch.staley@mt.gov. Business The Agritourism Grant Program will accept applications through Oct. 23. These grants support tribal and agricultural businesses and rural communities by assisting with diversifying operations, developing and enhancing agritourism opportunities and generating tourism revenue for the benefit of local Montana economies. The Opportunities in Rural Economies Program suite has been reimagined with a new grant offering and updated guidelines; the program has completed the Administrative Rule Making process and will operate under these guidelines going forward. The application portal for the ORE Loan Participation Program opened Oct.1 and will close Oct. 28. The ORE LPP will have $8 million in available funding, with a required 1:1 match. The ORE Program is now accepting applications for Economic Development Organizations to enroll in the program. The enrollment period is open-ended, and any organization engaged in active economic development is encouraged to apply. Lenders who are interested in participating in the program are encouraged to reach out to program staff for more details and will need to execute a General Lender Loan Servicing Agreement. For more information, contact Business Resource Partner Josh Bennett at 406-841-2748 or at josh.bennett@mt.gov. The Wood Products Revolving Loan Fund is now accepting new applications under updated program guidelines. The program has transitioned to a loan participation structure for funding requests of up to $2 million and will continue to offer direct loans for amounts under $1 million. The application portal will remain open until all available funding has been committed to eligible businesses. Currently, the WP RLF has $3 million available for lending. For more information, contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@mt.gov. The Montana State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0 Loan Participation Program application portal for remaining Tranche Three funds will remain open until all available funds are fully obligated. Submissions will be reviewed in the order they are determined to be fully and properly completed. Upon completion of all required application materials, the application will be scored and reviewed by the loan review committee. All application determinations, approved or denied, will be promptly provided to the participating lenders. This process will continue until all funds have been committed to eligible businesses. Future opportunities will be supported through recycled SSBCI 2.0 funds as loans are repaid. The Montana State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0 Loan Participation Program-Recycled Funds application is now open and will remain so for the duration of the program, with capital availability contingent on repayments from existing borrowers. A list of participating lenders with funds for recycling can be found on the SSBCI webpage. Native American Collateral Support Program funding available: The NACS Program is now accepting applications online, which can be found on the website under “Application Process.” Currently, $150,509.61 in cash funding is available. For more information, contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@mt.gov or 406- 841-2594. The Tribal Tourism Grant Program 2026 is open now until Nov. 30. The program provides funding to support shovel-ready tourism projects led by the governing bodies of Montana's eight tribal nations. This competitive grant has $150,000 in available funding with a maximum award amount of $50,000 and a 50-percent match requirement. Past funded projects include tribally owned vacation rentals, rodeo grounds and pow wow arbor improvements as well as development of campgrounds with tipi rentals. For more information, contact doctribal@mt.gov. The Tribal Tourism Small Business Grant is now open until Nov. 30. With $240,000 in funding available in award amounts of up to $10,000 each, this competitive grant program provides funding to start or expand a tribal tourism business in one of five business categories: Native American Made in Montana producers or retailers, including pop-up vendors Food, beverage or grocery operations that are either mobile or brick-and-mortar locations Licensed outfitters or guides in the hunting or fishing industry Hosted accommodations, tours or experiences A business that supports tribal tourism businesses and services Eligible applicants must be 18 or older and enrolled tribal citizens from a tribal nation in Montana. For more information, contact doctribal@mt.gov. Housing Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: Oct. 20-21. Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: Nov. 10. Infrastructure and Planning The Montana Department of Commerce is proposing updates to the Community Development Block Grant Program’s Public and Community Facilities Application Guidelines. The draft document is available for review and public comment through Oct. 10. Commerce's Community MT Division held a public hearing this morning; comments on the draft can be submitted electronically to docadministrativerules@mt.gov, or via mail to Montana Department of Commerce, Community MT Division, 301 S Park Ave., PO Box 200501, Helena, MT 59620. The Community Development Block Grant Program is hosting a pre-application training for the 2025 Public and Community Facilities application cycle. The virtual training will be held on Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. This training will cover updates to the 2025 application and guidelines, as well as walk prospective applicants through details of the ranking criteria. This presentation will be recorded and available on Commerce's website afterward. Commerce is currently accepting applications for the Community Development Block Grant Planning Program through Oct. 15. Cities, towns, counties and consolidated city-county governments are eligible to apply. Visit the Grants and Loans Portal to apply. The Montana Main Street Program is accepting submissions for its annual grant cycle. The application will close at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 14. An applicant must be an official member of the MMS Program and must provide a recertification letter as part of the submission. Network communities may apply for either a planning grant or an implementation grant. Commerce News/Upcoming Events Commerce Allocates Grant Funding to 6 Coal-Impacted Communities Applications for the Montana Heritage Commission’s long-term lease opportunities are due quarterly, three days before Commission meetings. Commission meetings are held on the first Friday in March, June, September and December. Fourth quarter’s applications are due Tuesday, Dec. 2 by 5 p.m. for the Dec. 5 commission meeting to review. Visit commerce.mt.gov for more information about this opportunity. Let us know how we're doing. Commerce is working to improve the many ways you interact with our programs and services through updated communication options. To give you more information via fewer emails, Commerce's updated communications will include the Commerce "Weekly Roundup" with news, events, grants, loans, funding opportunities and other important updates; a quarterly newsletter; press releases and urgent information when needed, like administrative rules making communications and other statutorily required notifications. You can update your subscriber preferences anytime. UPDATE PREFERENCES Montana Department of Commerce 301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620 Contact Us: 406-841-2700 commerce.mt.gov View as a webpage Unsubscribe This email was sent to comments@bozeman.net using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: MontanaDepartment of Commerce · P.O. Box 200501 · Helena, MT 59620-0501 Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. Discover information about additional topics at Commerce. Sign up for more topics. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Montana Department of Commerce 301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620 406-841-2700