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Home My WebLink About03-05-26 Correspondence - Montana Department of Commerce -Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 9From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 9Date:Thursday, March 5, 2026 2:02:23 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. March 5, 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 Public Water Systems Reminded to Finalize Service Line Inventories, Replacement Plans The Montana Ireland Trade Commission will meet March 12 at 9 a.m. via Zoom. Mark your calendar for the 2026 Made in Montana Trade Show for Food and Gifts, Saturday, March 14, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena. This is the premier statewide event to see, sample and purchase the newest products and developments in the Made in Montana food and gift industry. Businesses interested in attending wholesale buyer day on March 13 must register here. 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 is at commerce.mt.gov. Please email mhc@mt.gov with any questions. Montana Board of Housing Annual Compliance Conference: April 27-30 at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. The training's agenda is being finalized, but a general timeline includes: Event check-in: April 27 at 9 a.m. LIHTC instruction begins: April 28, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. LIHTC instruction continues: April 29, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. HCCP exam: April 30 (morning) A block of rooms has been set aside for attendees at the state lodging rate. Contact Fairmont Hot Springs Resort directly to reserve your lodging; be sure to mention you're attending the MBOH Annual Compliance Conference. Registration is $550 per attendee. Click here to register. World Trade and Investment Day will be held May 12 in Butte. This event brings together exporters, importers, investors, policymakers and service providers to explore global market opportunities, supply chains, foreign direct investment and the real-world challenges Montana firms face doing business internationally. Registration is now open for the 2026 Housing Partnership Conference, May 18- 20 at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. Early bird pricing is available for a limited time. This conference brings together housing professionals, policymakers, developers and advocates from across the state and nation to explore innovative solutions, share expertise and collaborate on the future of affordable housing in Montana. This year’s agenda features inspiring plenaries, practical breakout sessions and meaningful networking opportunities designed to strengthen housing solutions across our state. 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 this spring. Business The Opportunities in Rural Economies Program is accepting applications from economic development organizations to enroll in the program through our online application portal. The enrollment period is open-ended, and organizations that are engaged in active economic development are encouraged to apply. Lenders interested in participating in the ORE Loan Participation Program are encouraged to contact program staff for more information and, if eligible, will be required to execute a General Lender Loan Servicing Agreement with the Montana Department of Commerce. For more information, contact Business Resource Partner Josh Bennett at 406-841-2748 or josh.bennett@mt.gov. 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 approximately $1.4 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-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 web page. Native American Collateral Support Program funding is available. The NACS Program is now accepting applications online, which can be found on the website under “Application Process.” Currently, approximately $61,235 in cash funding is available. For more information, contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@mt.gov or 406-841-2594. Public Notice: Regional Assistance Program Guidelines. Pertaining to the Tourism Grant Program of the Office of Tourism, Destination MT Division, the Montana Department of Commerce proposes the Regional Assistance Program Guidelines. Updates to the guidelines are intended to streamline the process to apply for Regional Assistance Program funds for eligible CVBs and regions to build capacity and grow rural and under-visited tourism opportunities to support local economies. Comments must be received by March 12 at 5 p.m. The Rural Tourism Asset Grant Program will accept applications now through March 26. The TAG Program supports projects that strengthen rural communities by enhancing visitor experiences with amenities, improving tourism assets and fostering economic growth. Visit the link to find webinar information, grant guidelines, a pdf version of the application, the budget template and scoring information. Free Webinar from the Montana World Trade Center: The “Ins and Outs of ATA Carnets": March 11. If your company moves goods, tools, equipment or merchandise across borders temporarily for trade shows, testing, repairs, installations or even hand- carried shipments, this webinar is for you. Join ATA Carnet Specialist Kiel Ursin of Boomerang Carnets for a walkthrough of how ATA Carnets work, what qualifies and how to avoid costly customs mistakes. Kiel’s tips can save your firm both time and money at the border. 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! The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program is returning to Montana, and applications are now open until May 18 to small business owners ready to grow. This tuition-free, 12-week program offers one-on-one advice and personalized guidance, as well as better tools, clearer financials, stronger strategy and a trusted peer network to help grow small businesses. Participants will learn practical, immediately usable skills from experienced faculty and join a national community of entrepreneurs who keep collaborating long after graduation. Businesses must be at least two years old, have at least two employees and have revenues over $75,000 in the most recent fiscal year. Classes start in September. Join Commerce’s export team for a trade mission to Argentina and Uruguay, Sept. 7-11, to initiate or expand your business profile. Montana companies are well- positioned to benefit from exports and increase their international sales in these countries. For more information, contact our export team. Housing Housing Coordinating Team Meeting: March 12. Join us for a discussion on housing and community needs assessments. The Montana Board of Housing will share its intention to procure a statewide housing needs assessment and will solicit feedback from stakeholders on this call. Additionally, attendees will learn about MSU Extension’s housing education and community coaching for rural communities, and the Commerce Community MT Division’s Community Technical Assistance Program. Montana Board of Housing public meeting: March 16 Montana Board of Housing public meeting: April 14 Public Hearing: Fiscal Year 2027 Public Housing Authority Annual Plan and Administrative Plan: April 15 at 10 a.m. Commerce announces the public hearing for the Fiscal Year 2027 Public Housing Authority Annual Plan and Administrative Plan for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the Moderate Rehabilitation Program and related voucher programs. The PHA Annual Plan, which includes the 2027 Administrative Plan, has been developed and published to incorporate new federal regulatory requirements and other administrative modifications. The public is now encouraged to review the draft document and provide feedback. The hearing will be held on Zoom; presentation materials will be available on Commerce’s website in advance. The public hearing will provide attendees with an opportunity to respond to Commerce’s FY2027 PHA Annual Plan and Administrative Plan. Commerce will consider any comments or views provided orally during the public hearing or in writing during the comment period, beginning March 2, 2026, and ending April 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. Infrastructure and Planning The Montana Coal Board will hold a quarterly meeting on March 12. The Uniform Application for Montana Public Facility Projects, which is part of Commerce’s Montana Coal Endowment Program’s application, has been updated and is available for use. The updates include a preliminary engineering report outline with requirements for irrigation projects, an application that now requests information regarding short-lived assets and contact information including links and phone numbers. The Montana Coal Endowment Program will host a pre-application training for the 2029 Biennium MCEP Application and Guidelines application cycle. The training will be held in person at 301 S. Park Ave. in Room 228 and via Zoom on March 20 at 10:30 a.m. This training will cover updates to the 2029 biennium application guidelines and walk prospective applicants through details of the ranking criteria. Commerce will accept applications for the Montana Coal Endowment Program March 9 through May 19 at 11:59 p.m. Application guidelines can be found on the MCEP web page; eligible parties should visit the grants and loans portal to apply. The Montana Main Street Program seeks nominations for the Excellence on Main Street Awards. The award categories include best event, best education project or activity and small business of the year. The nomination deadline for is March 15. Click here for Excellence On Main Street Awards Guidelines. 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. 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 59620406-841-2700 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