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Home My WebLink About01-09-25 Correspondence - MT Dept of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 1From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 1Date:Thursday, January 8, 2026 2:01:37 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. Jan. 8, 2026 – 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. Commerce News/Upcoming Events Montana Department of Commerce Allocates Planning Grants to Eight Montana Communities Montana Department of Commerce Allocates Grants to 25 Agricultural Businesses and Organizations The Montana Heritage Commission is looking for concessionaires interested in running business operations in historic Virginia City, Nevada City and Reeder's Alley in Helena. A list of currently available opportunities can be found at commerce.mt.gov. Please contact mhc@mt.gov with any questions. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is hosting the Water, Wastewater and Solid Waste Action Coordinating Team, W2ASACT, on Jan. 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The meeting focuses on the newly updated uniform application, which is the application that Commerce’s Montana Coal Endowment Program uses. The meeting agenda, registration information and draft minutes from the previous W2ASACT meeting are on the W2ASACT website. Commerce invites economic development organizations to the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbor, Maryland on May 3-6. This summit is the largest international business attraction event in the country. Partner with Commerce at no additional cost beyond travel and hotel expenses. To be a part of Commerce's booth, send an email to Business Attraction Coordinator Cameron Johnson at camjohnson@mt.gov by Jan. 31. Save the date for the 2026 Montana Department of Commerce Governor’s Conference on Tourism. This year’s conference will be held Sept. 16-18 in Great Falls. The event brings together more than 350 tourism and business professionals to educate, network and inspire one another. More information will be available on the conference website when registration opens in March. Business The Opportunities in Rural Economies Economic Development Organization Capacity Building Grant application is now open. The grant application window runs Jan. 1-28 and is available to economic development organizations that have enrolled in the ORE program. This 10:1 match grant is designed to help enrolled EDOs increase their internal capacity to better assist underserved businesses, make technological improvements and innovations, expand staff training and professional development opportunities and support other activities that strengthen economic development in their regions. For questions about the grant, or the ORE program in general, please contact Business Resource Partner Josh Bennett at 406-841-2748 or josh.bennett@mt.gov. The Tribal Tourism Small Business Grant has reopened to receive applications now through Jan. 25 at 11:59 p.m. The Tribal Tourism Small Business Grant assists startup or expanding Native American-owned tourism businesses in Montana. A total of $240,000 is available for Fiscal Year 2026. Approximately 24 awards will be granted, an average of three per tribal nation. 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 $1.5 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 will temporarily close at midnight on Feb. 28 as the program explores increasing future product offerings. While funds remain available, all fully and properly completed applications submitted prior to the closure will be reviewed for eligibility. Updates on program offerings will be released as more information becomes available. Ongoing funding opportunities will be supported through the SSBCI 2.0 Recycled Funds application portal which will remain open for the duration of the program. 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, 2025. 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 interested in participating should contact program staff for further details and will need to sign a General Lender Loan Servicing Agreement. For additional information, contact Business Resource Partner Josh Bennett at 406-841- 2748 or josh.bennett@mt.gov. The Montana Tourism Development Grant Program, formerly known as the Pilot Community Tourism Grant Program, will accept applications until Jan. 22 at 11:59 p.m. The MTDG is a state-funded opportunity, building tourism in a manageable, sustainable way that can stimulate and diversify Montana’s local economy, protect and enhance local resources and foster community pride without compromising the qualities that make local communities so special. The Big Sky Film Grant is open. This grant program aims to build and support partnerships with filmmakers and production companies to create Montana film industry jobs. The application deadline is Feb. 15 at 11:59 p.m. MST. For more information, contact Commerce's Film Office. Did you significantly grow your exports in 2025? You may be eligible to apply for an Exporter of the Year Award. Applications are due March 15. For more information, contact exportmontana@mt.gov or call 406-841-2783. Commerce’s Export team will submit applications to the Montana District Export Council’s review committee for consideration. Don't miss this opportunity to spread the word about your 2025 export success! Housing Montana Board of Housing public meeting: Jan. 12. Montana Board of Housing public meeting: Feb. 9. Infrastructure and Planning Commerce’s Community and Economic Vitality team will host an informational workshop via Zoom focusing on the upcoming grant cycle for the Montana Historic Preservation Grant Program. This workshop will provide an overview of the program, including the application process, timeline and eligibility requirements. It's scheduled for Jan. 15 from 12-1:30 p.m. Commerce is accepting applications for the Community Development Block Grant Planning Program. Cities, towns, counties and consolidated city-county governments are eligible to apply by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 16. Visit the grants and loans portal to apply. The Montana Emergency Tourism Assistance Program is accepting grant applications until Feb. 5 at 11:59 p.m. The METAP is a state-funded opportunity to distribute grant awards for tourism-related emergency service projects in rural areas. Visit the grants and loans portal to apply. Commerce is accepting applications for the Montana Historic Preservation Grant through 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 28. Application guidelines can be found on the MHPG web page; eligible parties should visit the grants and loans portal to apply. The Montana Coal Board will hold its next quarterly meeting on March 12 in Billings. Grant applications to be considered at this meeting are due no later than midnight on Jan. 26. Visit the grants and loans portal to apply. UPDATE SUBSCRIBER 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 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. 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 If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Montana Department of Commerce301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620 406-841-2700