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Home My WebLink About10-15-26 Correspondence - Montana Department of Commerce - Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 41From:Montana Department of CommerceTo:Bozeman Public CommentSubject:[EXTERNAL]Commerce Weekly Roundup - Volume 3, Issue 41Date:Thursday, October 15, 2026 2:01:16 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. Oct. 15, 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. Business 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. Commerce will host an Agritourism Grants Program webinar on Oct. 20 at noon. The webinar will include an overview of the program, the 2027 application, scoring criteria, the timeline and a Q & A session. 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. 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 is now open and closes 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 exhibitor application for the 2027 Made in Montana Trade Show is now open. MIM members can apply online now until Oct. 31. Current MIM members who want to grow their business through the wholesale market are encouraged to submit a trade show exhibitor application. Commerce's Tribal Tourism Grant is now open. This grant is available to the tribal nations of Montana for shovel-ready tourism projects. Updates to the TTG guidelines approved by the State Tribal Economic Development Commission include an increase in the award amount and a reduction in the match requirement. The grant closes at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30. Commerce's Tribal Tourism Small Business Grant is now open. This grant is available to enrolled citizens of Montana’s tribal nations aged 18-years old or older who operate or wish to start a tribal tourism business in one of these categories: Business that supports tribal tourism industry in Montana Hosted accommodations, tours or experiences Licensed food or beverage business, mobile or brick-and-mortar location Licensed outfitter or guide in hunting or fishing Native American Made in Montana producer or retailer Updates to the TTSB guidelines approved by the STED Commission include an increase in the award amount, changes to the match requirement and a cooling-off period on award frequency. Applicants are encouraged to meet with a Native American Business Advisor for technical assistance and business plan development. The grant closes at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 30. 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. Housing The Montana Housing Partnership has opened its Affinity Groups Launch Survey to gather input to help shape upcoming asset and property management, housing preservation and development groups. Feedback will guide topics, tools and early priorities. The survey closes Oct. 19. MBOH Board Training: Oct. 19. MBOH Public Meeting: Oct. 20. Infrastructure and Planning 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 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 Montana Grants and Loans Portal. 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 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 web page; interested parties can apply through the Montana Grants and Loans Portal. 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 Montana Grants and Loans Portal to apply. Commerce News/Upcoming Events The Montana Heritage Commission seeks concessionaires interested in running business operations in historic Virginia City, Nevada City and Reeder's Alley in Helena. A list of currently available opportunities can be found at commerce.mt.gov. Email mhc@mt.gov with any questions. Training opportunity: The 2026 Montana Co-op Academy is a two-track training and connection event for cooperative leaders, rising leaders, outreach staff, community partners and people supporting cooperative development work across Montana. Hosted by the Montana Council of Cooperatives and co-hosted with Montana’s credit unions, the event will bring together people working inside existing co-ops and people helping communities explore cooperative solutions. Trainings will be held Oct. 19-21 at the SpringHill Suites in Bozeman. Register here. These trainings are made possible with support from the Cooperative Development Foundation and Commerce. 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 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 Montana. Register now for the biennial Montana Invasive Species Summit which will be held Nov. 4-5 in Helena at the Montana Heritage Center. The summit, hosted by the Montana Invasive Species Council, brings together other state agencies, tribal nations, private landowners, industry, academia, nonprofit partners, policymakers and other stakeholders to review priorities and identify further initiatives for the state. 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 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