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Home My WebLink About09-17-26 Correspondence - MT Dept of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 37From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 37Date:Thursday, September 17, 2026 2:01:13 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. Sept. 17, 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 Commerce received 14 applications from 10 applicants for CDBG-Housing, Housing Trust Fund and HOME Investment Partnership Program funds. The applicants have requested close to $17 million; Commerce has just over $7 million to award. Announcements are expected in late November or December. The 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan, which covers the period from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, summarizes the actions, activities and resources available for the State of Montana’s Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Housing Trust Fund and Emergency Solutions Grant. Commerce took public comment on its 2026-2027 AAP through July 17, before HUD had announced the 2026 HTF allocations on Aug. 4. Therefore, HUD now requires Commerce to submit a substantial amendment to its AAP that includes information regarding Commerce’s 2026 HTF allocation of $3,311,933.19. The draft amendment is available for public comment until Sept. 29; it's posted on Commerce’s website or a hard copy can be requested. MBOH Board Training: Oct. 19. MBOH Public Meeting: Oct. 20. 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 Technical Assistance Program can 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 Dec. 10 in Billings. Grant applications to be considered at this meeting are due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 26. Visit the grants and loans portal to apply. The Montana Emergency Tourism Assistance Program is accepting applications until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 28. The application guidelines are posted on the METAP web page; the funding opportunity is available on the grants and loans portal for applicants. The Community Development Block Grant Program is accepting applications for the Public and Community Facilities Program through Oct. 30 by 11:59 p.m. Eligible applicants are limited to counties, incorporated cities and towns and consolidated city- county governments. The application guidelines are available on the CDBG website; interested parties can apply through the grants and loans portal. Business Commerce's Film Office is offering a new funding opportunity: the Film Fest and Theater Sponsorship Program. The sponsorship program, with a maximum funding limit of $10,000, aims to support Montana-based film festivals, film tours, screening series and conferences related to the film industry. Additionally, theaters may receive sponsorship for one-time projects. Program guidelines and application information are available at commerce.mt.gov. The online application closes Sept. 30 and must be completed and submitted in the Montana Grants and Loans Portal. Awards will be announced in December. Commerce’s Opportunities in Rural Economies Loan Participation Program is expanding support for rural business growth and community development with a new application cycle. The application cycle will open Oct. 1 and close Oct. 30. The program will make $8 million available to help finance eligible projects across Montana’s rural communities. Eligible projects will be required to provide a one-to-one match. Economic development organizations can apply to enroll in the ORE Program. Enrollment is open-ended; organizations involved in regional economic development and business assistance are encouraged to participate. Lenders interested in partnering with the ORE Program are encouraged to contact program staff. Participating lenders must execute a General Lender Loan Servicing Agreement. For program information or lender participation details, contact Business Resource Partner Josh Bennett at 406-841-2748 or josh.bennett@mt.gov. The Agritourism Grant Program will accept applications through Oct. 22. These grants support tribal and agricultural businesses and rural communities by assisting with diversifying operations, developing and enhancing agritourism opportunities and generating tourism revenue for the benefit of local Montana economies. Agritourism Grant Program webinars will include an overview of the program, the 2027 application, scoring criteria, the timeline and a Q & A session. They are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7 at noon and Tuesday, Oct. 20 at noon. SHOT Show sponsorship opportunities are available: Commerce’s business attraction team announces the availability of sponsorship opportunities for Montana's SHOT Show 2027 presence in Las Vegas in 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 participants. 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. The Montana Automation Financing Program offers two funding opportunities for Montana-based manufacturing businesses seeking to upgrade, replace or expand equipment through automation and modernization investments: direct loans and collateral support. The direct loan application window is open through Oct. 23. Commerce will service eligible direct loans of up to $100,000. The collateral support application window opens later this year. For details, contact Business Resource Specialist Josh Bennett at josh.bennett@mt.gov or 406-841-2748. The Wood Products Revolving Loan Fund is accepting new applications. The program offers a loan participation structure for requests of 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; nearly $1.4 million is currently available. For more information, contact Program Specialist Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@mt.gov or 406-841-2594. 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 Commerce's 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. Commerce News/Upcoming Events Register to join the Montana Housing Partnership in kicking off its inaugural affinity groups on Sept. 23 from noon to 1 p.m. Affinity groups will bring together practitioners to work on shared challenges and solutions, identify resource gaps, share best practices and collaborate on tangible activities to grow industry capacity. During the kickoff call, attendees will learn about the Montana Housing Partnership’s proposed asset management/property management and housing preservation and development affinity groups, along with next steps on how to participate in these new convenings. Register now for the 2026 Governor’s Summit on Montana Food and Agriculture, which will be held Oct. 23-24 in Helena. The summit, hosted by the Grow Montana Food Policy Coalition in partnership with the Montana Department of Agriculture and the Governor’s Office, aims to gather Montanans to design a strategic roadmap toward solving pinch points in the state’s supply chain. This event will feature speakers and regional work sessions focused on identifying gaps and opportunities in the distribution, marketing, production and retailing of food grown and produced in Montana. 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 yourSubscriber 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 59620 406-841-2700 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