HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-26 Correspondence - Montana Department of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 25From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 25Date:Thursday, June 25, 2026 2:02:05 PM
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June 25, 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.
Housing
The Montana Department of Commerce will host a free webinar regarding
housing voucher programs on June 29 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 these 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.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development request for information on
Build America, Buy America-compliant products: HUD is seeking public comments,
especially from product manufacturers, suppliers and distributors on domestic
availability of the product, if the product is BABA-compliant and the domestic capacity
to produce at scale. HUD is looking to capture information on a wide variety of
manufactured products and product categories but is especially interested in
information on the following items: HVAC systems, plumbing fixtures, door hardware,
elevators, fire alarm and suppression systems, solar panels, electrical components and
wood trusses.
The Request for Information was published June 18 and HUD will be accepting
comments for 30 days after published. Please share the RFI with your partners,
especially the general contractors you have been working with already. It's important
that HUD receives as much information as possible, as comments will help HUD
determine future guidance or other actions related to BABA implementation.
American Rescue Plan Act Update: On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan
Act was signed into law and established the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund
and Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, which together make up the Coronavirus
State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program. This program was intended to
support state, territorial, local and tribal governments in responding to the economic
and public health impacts of COVID-19 and in their efforts to contain impacts on their
communities, residents and businesses. This funding was used to provide ARPA gap
funds that ensured affordable housing development projects already in the pipeline that
were impacted by pandemic cost escalations will be completed. This will result in more
than 700 quality, affordable homes for Montana’s lower-wage workforce, seniors and
persons with disabilities.
The Montana Department of Commerce was required by the United Stated Department
of the Treasury to describe whether and how evidence-based interventions or program
evaluation were incorporated into our SLFRF program. In the absence of an evidence-
based intervention, projects were required to go through a rigorous program evaluation
designed to build evidence. You can now view the final evaluation report under the
"Reports" tab. It was completed in partnership with the University of Montana’s Center
for Children, Families and Workforce Development.
Infrastructure and Planning
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.
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. Comments 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.
Business
The Montana Facility Finance Authority is hosting a free, in-person educational
session in Billings on Wednesday, July 22 from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Billings Library
Community Room, 510 N Broadway. This discussion will explore tax-exempt and
taxable bonds and how Montana’s C-PACE Program, Last Best PACE, can be
leveraged to finance development projects, create opportunities for expansion and
support long-term financial goals. The session will be followed by time for Q & A. Light
refreshments will be served. RSVP to mffa@mt.gov by Monday, July 20.
The 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 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.
Commerce News/Upcoming Events
Gov. Gianforte Spotlights Innovation, Investments in Montana’s Rural
Communities
Governor Gianforte Announces Montana To Participate in Great American State
Fair
A public hearing for the 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan is set for July 9. The 2026-
2027 AAP, 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 until July
17. 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, at 10 a.m. MST. The hearing will be held
via Zoom; presentation materials will be available on Commerce’s website prior to the
hearing, which 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 would like to share the
2025 county population data published by the U.S. Census. The data shows that
Montana’s population continues to grow faster than the national average, increasing
5.3% since 2020 and 0.6% in 2025. Growth has slowed from its post-pandemic peak.
This growth is driven entirely by in-migration, as births and deaths have remained flat
or negative statewide. Western and amenity-rich counties like Gallatin, Flathead and
Ravalli continue to lead. For full data and county-level details, visit the U.S. Census
Bureau's website.
Early bird registration is open until July 10 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!
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