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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-06-26 Correspondence - MT Dept of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 31From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 31Date:Thursday, August 6, 2026 2:02:12 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. Aug. 6, 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. 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 Montana Main Street Program is offering a grant pre-application training on Aug. 26 from noon-1 p.m. Only MMS communities are eligible; interested applicants must contact the MMS Program coordinator. Applications are available on the grants and loans portal. The CDBG Program is hosting a pre-application workshop on Sept. 2 at 10 a.m. The CDBG Public and Community Facilities Application Guidelines have been updated and are available for review. The funding opportunity will be in the grants and loans portal soon. Applications are due Oct. 30 by 11:59 p.m. 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. Business SHOT Show sponsorship opportunities are now available: Commerce’s business attraction team announces the availability of sponsorship opportunities for Montana's SHOT Show 2027 presence in Las Vegas next January. This show is one of the premier events for the shooting sports and hunting and outdoor recreation industries. It also helps the team promote Montana manufacturers, recruit new businesses and strengthen industry partnerships. Sponsorships support Montana's signature networking events and the new Montana Room at the show while providing valuable brand exposure and networking opportunities for participating organizations. Oct. 16 is the sponsorship deadline. For more information, see this sponsorship flyer or contact Business Attraction Coordinator Cameron Johnson at camjohnson@mt.gov or 406-471-4418. Draft Agritourism Grants Program guidelines will be available for public comment later this summer. The purpose of these grants is to assist Montana’s rural and tribal agricultural businesses and communities and to promote diversification and support in Montana. Commerce will administer agritourism grants in accordance with these guidelines. Read more about the 2026 funded Agritourism Grant projects. Commerce’s export team will offer its “Grants for International Sales” training webinar on the State Trade Expansion Program Grant and international marketing activities. The webinar is set for Aug. 12. The 2027 Made in Montana Trade Show will highlight the creativity and talent of Montana artists through a bag design contest. Commerce is seeking a unique, eye- catching design that reflects the spirit of Montana craftsmanship, community and entrepreneurial pride. The winning design will be printed on official MIM trade show shopping bags used by attendees and exhibitors. Artists who are part of the MIM Program are encouraged to submit original artwork that celebrates what it means to be Made in Montana, Grown in Montana and Native American Made in Montana. The contest runs from Aug. 1-31. Eligibility, rules and regulations. We look forward to seeing everyone's work. Commerce is presenting the revised Montana Automation Financing Program consisting of two parts: a collateral support program and a direct loan program. These programs support Montana-based manufacturing businesses seeking to upgrade, replace or expand their equipment through automation and modernization investments. The direct loan is serviced through Commerce; the application window is open Sept. 1 through Oct. 23. Loans of up to $100,000 will be available for eligible projects. The collateral support application window will open later this year. For details, contact Business Resource Specialist Josh Bennett at josh.bennett@mt.gov or 406-841-2748. Commerce implements the Montana Automation Financing Program guidelines regarding available financial assistance to Montana-based manufacturing enterprises seeking to upgrade, replace or expand their equipment through automation and modernization investments. Commerce accepted public comment on the proposed guidelines and received one comment. Commerce declined to implement the requested change due to limited funding. The final document is implemented as originally drafted. The Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Matching Funds Program closes for applications on April 30, 2027. The Matching Funds Program helps technology-based Montana companies by providing additional funding that can be used for technology development or other purposes 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 develop products and services that could 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 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.” Approximately $44,952 in cash funding is currently available. Contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@mt.gov or 406-841-2594 for more information. 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 Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: The Aug. 10 MBOH public meeting has been cancelled. The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 14. Montana Board of Housing - Board Training: Oct. 19. Montana Board of Housing Public Meeting: Oct. 20. Commerce News/Upcoming Events Research and Information Services: When an area or community seeks to establish a resort tax, the RIS Bureau is responsible for determining if the proposed resort area or community qualifies. Currently, the resort tax is levied in the resort communities of Columbia Falls, Red Lodge, Virginia City, West Yellowstone and Whitefish. The tax is also levied in the resort areas of Big Sky, Cooke City, Craig, Gardiner, St. Regis and Wolf Creek. There are also several additional communities and areas that received RIS designation, but the locality did not vote to enact the tax. The Montana resort tax is a voter-approved, local-option sales tax that certain small, tourism-dependent communities can impose, up to 3% under state law, on specific goods and services like lodging, restaurants, alcohol, recreational facilities and defined “luxuries” to fund local services and provide property tax relief. The policy rationale is to let places with many visitors but relatively few residents use visitor spending to cover infrastructure wear and tear and community services, instead of relying solely on local property taxpayers. At least 5% of resort tax revenue must be used to offset municipal property taxes; the remainder can fund housing initiatives, infrastructure, parks, streets, trails and other voter‑approved local purposes. Register today 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. UPDATE SUBSCRIBER PREFERENCES Montana Department of Commerce 301 S Park Ave, Helena, MT 59620 Contact Us: 406-841-2700 commerce.mt.gov Social media icons 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 Granicus Communications Cloud on behalf of: MontanaDepartment of Commerce · P.O. Box 200501 · Helena, MT 59620-0501