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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-23-25 Correspondence - MT Dept of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 2, Issue 43From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 2, Issue 43Date:Thursday, October 23, 2025 2:01:33 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. 23, 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. 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 Montana Tourism Development Grant Program, formerly known as the Pilot Community Tourism Grant Program, is undergoing revisions. The guideline revisions are available for review and comment starting Oct. 30. Comments on the draft can be submitted electronically to tourismgrants@mt.gov. The 2026 Made in Montana Trade Show exhibitor application is now open. The trade show will be held March 13-14, 2026, at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena. The exhibitor application is online through Oct. 29. Applications are not accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, all applications will be reviewed by a selection committee made up of business leaders from across Montana. This committee will consider the strength of each application and will select exhibitors that best represent the Made in Montana brand in the food and gift market. The Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant will accept applications Nov. 18 through Dec. 18. The purpose of the Destination Event Grant Program is to assist Montana’s communities with destination events and new events that will increase tourism, including regional, national and international visitors, promote Montana's unique attributes and generate additional community revenue. 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 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; any organization engaged in active economic development is encouraged to apply. Lenders interested in participating 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 in cash funding is available. For more information, contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@mt.gov or 406-841- 2594. The 2026 Tribal Tourism Grant Program is open until Nov. 30. This 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 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 Businesses that support tribal tourism businesses and services Eligible applicants must be 18 or older and enrolled citizens of a Montana tribal nation. For more information, email doctribal@mt.gov. Housing Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: Nov. 10. Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: Dec. 8. Infrastructure and Planning The Montana Department of Commerce is proposing updates to the Montana Historic Preservation Grant's project administration manual, application and guidelines. The documents are available for review and public comment through Nov. 7. A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Comments on the draft documents can be submitted electronically to docadministrativerules@mt.gov, or via mail to Montana Department of Commerce, Community MT Division, 301 S Park Avenue, PO Box 200501, Helena, MT 59620. The Montana Department of Commerce is accepting applications for the Community Development Block Grant Public and Community Facilities Program. The application will close at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 10. The Montana Main Street Program is accepting submissions for its annual grant cycle until 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 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 review at the Dec. 5 commission meeting. Visit commerce.mt.gov for more information. Two-Day Grant Writing and Grant Management Training Workshops: Join Grant Writing USA and the Montana Association of Conservation Districts, Dec. 8-9, for a two-day workshop designed to enhance grant-related skills and knowledge. Supported by the Western Montana Conservation Commission and Montana DNRC, these grant management workshops will help grant managers navigate the new landscape of compliance and the importance of using grant reporting to tell a story, develop a relationship with their grantor and build the case for additional funding. Eligible entities include conservation districts, watershed groups, tribes, municipalities, counties, state agencies, special districts and local conservation NGOs. 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 include the "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 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 View as a webpage Unsubscribe Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on yourSubscriber 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