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Home My WebLink About11-06-25 Correspondence - MT Dept of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 2, Issue 45From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 2, Issue 45Date:Thursday, November 6, 2025 2:18:40 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. Nov. 6, 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. Phishing Attempt Targeting Grant Applicants The Montana Department of Commerce was recently made aware of a phishing scheme targeting potential grant applicants by an individual claiming to work for Commerce. As a reminder, grant and loan applications are only considered if submitted to the Montana Grants and Loans Portal. Any communication from Commerce will be from an mt.gov email. If you are instructed to submit an application or sensitive information to any other email address or through social media, please reach out to your Commerce liaison to report the incident. Do not reply to the message or forward any phishing emails. If you have already sent information to someone claiming to be from Commerce, report the incident to your Commerce liaison and contact the Montana Office of Consumer Protection at 406-444-4500 or 800-481-6896. Business Commerce is currently accepting applications for the Opportunities in Rural Economies Planning Grant. Businesses and non-profits are eligible to apply. For more information, contact Program Specialist Kathy Bartlett at kathy.bartlett@mt.gov or 406-841-2792. The Wood Products Revolving Loan Fund is 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 $1.1 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 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, $170,832 in cash funding is available. For more information, contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@mt.gov or 406-841- 2594. The application portal for the ORE Loan Participation Program closed on October 28. The program continues to accept applications from economic development organizations wishing to enroll. The EDO enrollment period remains open-ended, and any organization involved in active economic development is invited to apply. Lenders who are interested in participating should contact program staff for further details and will need to sign a General Lender Loan Servicing Agreement. For additional information, please reach out to Business Resource Partner Josh Bennett at 406-841-2748 or josh.bennett@mt.gov. 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% 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. The Economic Impact and Destination Event Grant will accept applications Nov. 18 through Dec. 18. The Destination Event Grant Program assists 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. Economic Impact and Destination Event Grants Program overview webinar: Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. or Dec. 15 at noon. Includes information about the 2026 application, scoring criteria, the timeline and a Q&A session. 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 tomorrow. 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, P.O. 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. Commerce's Community MT Division provided a pre-application training, which is available to watch on the CDBG web page. 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. The Montana Department of Commerce is accepting applications for the Montana Coal Endowment Program Planning grants. The application will close at 11:50 p.m. on Dec. 1. Visit the MCEP Planning Grant web page for additional information. The Montana Department of Commerce is proposing updates to the Montana Coal Endowment Program Emergency Grants application, grant administration manual and 2029 biennium application guidelines. The documents are available for review and public comment Nov. 7 through Dec. 5. A public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 2 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, P.O. Box 200501, Helena, MT 59620. 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 workshops will help grant managers navigate the new landscape of compliance, learn more about 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. UPDATE SUBSCRIBER 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