HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-11-26 Correspondence - Montana Department of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 23From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 23Date:Thursday, June 11, 2026 2:01:59 PM
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June 11, 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 Hearing for the 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan: July 9. The 2026-2027
Annual Action Plan, which summarizes the actions, activities and resources available
for the State of Montana’s Community Development Block Grant, HOME, Housing
Trust Fund and Emergency Solutions Grant Programs, is available for public comment
from June 15 to July 17, 2026. The 2026-2027 AAP covers the period from April 1,
2026 to March 31, 2027.
For more information and to provide oral comments, the public is invited to attend
a virtual public hearing on Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 10 a.m. MST. The public
hearing will be held via Zoom; presentation materials will be available on the Montana
Department of Commerce’s website prior to the public hearing. The public hearing will
give an overview of applicable requirements and takeaways from the 2026-2027 AAP.
The State of Montana will consider any comments or views submitted in writing during
the specified comment periods or orally during the public hearing.
Commerce's Research and Information Services Bureau and Business MT
Division are currently assisting Commerce Deputy Director Mandy Rambo in
inviting partners to nominate eligible census tracts for state-designated
opportunity zones. Opportunity zones are a federal incentive program aimed at
attracting private investment to economically distressed communities, particularly rural.
Following updated U.S. Census data, 58 low-income tracts in Montana qualify;
however, the governor may nominate only 25. Applications will be evaluated and
ranked based on criteria including community support, project feasibility and readiness
for investment before recommendations are submitted to the governor. This is the
second round of designations; an earlier round went into effect in 2018.
Each eligible tract may have only one application, requiring coordination among local
jurisdictions like tribal governments, economic development organizations, etc.
Nominations must be submitted by July 7, 2026 with final selections made by the
governor in September. Among the benefits of opportunity zones are deferral and
potential elimination of capital gains taxes, financial support of local economic
development, local businesses, real estate investment and additional tax base for
infrastructure improvements.
Early bird registration is open 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. Instead of standard
breakout sessions, rural immersive experiences will be offered and are designed to
show attendees what Montana's landscapes need to thrive. Register today!
Business
nThe Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer
Matching Funds Program will be open for applications on July 1, 2026 through
the online application portal and will close on April 30, 2027. The Matching Funds
Program assists technology-based Montana companies by providing additional funding
that can be used for technology development or other uses during the time that the
company is working on an SBIR/STTR project with a federal agency. This additional
funding increases the likelihood that technology-based Montana companies will be
able to develop products and services that can be successfully marketed. Grants of up
to $30,000 are available. For more information, contact Grants Coordinator Kathy
Bartlett at kathy.bartlett@mt.gov or 406-841-2792.
The Opportunities in Rural Economies Program is accepting applications from
economic development organizations through its online application portal. The
enrollment period is open-ended; organizations engaged in active economic
development are encouraged to apply. Lenders interested in participating in the ORE
Loan Participation Program may contact program staff for more information and, if
eligible, will be required to execute a General Lender Loan Servicing Agreement with
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. The
program offers a loan participation structure for requests up to $2 million and continues
to provide direct loans to eligible businesses for amounts under $1 million. The
application portal will remain open until all available funds are committed, with
approximately $1.4 million currently available. 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 is on the SSBCI web page.
Native American Collateral Support Program funding is available. The NACS
Program is accepting applications online, which can be found on the website under
“Application Process.” Currently, approximately $95,593 in cash funding is
available. For more information, contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan
at chris.ryan@mt.gov or 406-841-2594.
Join Commerce’s export team for a trade mission to Argentina and Uruguay,
Sept. 7-11. Montana companies are well-positioned to benefit from exports and
increase their international sales in these countries. For more information, contact our
export team.
Join Commerce’s export team for a trade mission to India, Oct. 5-9, to initiate or
expand your business profile there. For more information, contact our export team.
Housing
The Montana Department of Commerce will host a free webinar regarding
housing voucher programs on June 29, 2026 at 10 a.m. The voucher programs are
funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are
administered by authorized public housing authorities across the country. They offer
assistance payments directly to landlords on behalf of participating tenants. Commerce
is the only statewide public housing authority in Montana. The webinar will provide
information for existing and potential landlords on how the programs are structured, the
leasing process, programmatic requirements of tenants and landlords, property
maintenance requirements and the payment process.
Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: July 20.
Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: Aug. 10.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has published the following
income and rent limits for the HOME Investment Partnerships and Housing Trust Fund
programs. The new limits became effective June 1, 2026.
HOME income limits
HOME rent limits
HTF income limits
HTF rent limits
HUD also released the HOME per-unit subsidy limits, which Commerce applies to
HOME and HTF projects. They are now incorporated in the Maximum Subsidy tab of
the Pro Forma and Subsidy Review Spreadsheet on Commerce’s website. The per-
unit subsidy limits became effective May 11, 2026.
Housing Partnership Conference Update: Thank you to all who attended the 2026
Montana Housing Partnership Conference. We hope you found this year’s conference
to be a valuable use of your time and sponsorship.
The Montana Housing Partnership Conference steering committee is comprised of
leadership from NeighborWorks Montana, the Montana Department of Commerce and
the administratively attached Montana Board of Housing. The steering committee has
decided to shift from an annual in-person conference each spring to a biennial
conference alternating with the legislature's schedule. The next in-person conference
will be held in the spring of 2028.
While some attendees may be disappointed with this change, the Montana Housing
Partnership is dedicated to providing ways for housing professionals, policymakers,
developers and advocates to meaningfully connect. This change will allow for
expanded opportunities for professional development, networking and peer-to-peer
exchange on an on-going basis.
The Montana Housing Partnership looks forward to sharing more information soon
about its upcoming activities.
Infrastructure and Planning
The Lead Service Line Technical Assistance Program migrated to the Montana
Department of Environmental Quality on May 9. Contact Drinking Water Scientist
Jayde Duysen at DEQ at jayde.duysen@mt.gov or 406-444-0917 for help regarding
lead service lines.
The Montana Main Street Program seeks additions to its MMS murals catalog. MMS
members may submit a mural by visiting the project's web page.
The Community Development Block Grant Planning Program will accept
applications for a third round of funding now through 11:59 p.m. on July 10.
Application guidelines are available on the CDBG planning web page. Apply through
the grants and loans portal.
The Community Technical Assistance Program is available to help with community
planning needs, including growth policies, subdivision regulations, downtown master
plans or long- or short-range planning. Contact the CTAP team for more information.
The Montana Coal Board will hold its next quarterly meeting on Sept. 10 in
Billings. Grant applications to be considered at this meeting are due no later than 11:59
p.m. on July 27. Visit the grants and loans portal to apply.
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 July 3. The Community MT Division has scheduled a public hearing
for June 25 at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. 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.
UPDATE SUBSCRIBER PREFERENCES
Montana Department of Commerce
301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620
Contact Us: 406-841-2700
commerce.mt.gov
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Montana Department of Commerce
301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620
406-841-2700