Montana small business grants, loans and training funds (2026)

What each Montana program actually pays

Sort a program by its payout before you apply:

• Loans you repay, with state money inside. MT SSBCI 2.0, the Opportunities in Rural Economies (ORE) Loan Participation Program and the Montana Automation Financing Program ⁠¹⁠³⁠⁶.
• Microloans from regional nonprofits. Microbusiness development corporations lend up to $100,000 ⁠¹³.
• Grants with a narrow purpose. Growth Through Agriculture, the SBIR/STTR match, STEP export reimbursements, Incumbent Worker Training and the tribal business grants ⁠¹²⁠¹⁰⁠¹¹⁠⁷⁠⁸.
• Grants that are closed. The Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund is not accepting applications ⁠¹⁵, and the 2026 Indian Equity Fund window ended September 30, 2026 ⁠⁸.

Montana’s SSBCI money: recycled dollars only

Under the Loan Participation Program, Commerce buys a share of a loan that a bank or community lender makes. Commerce’s share is capped at $1 million per borrower, and the program will not join any transaction above $20 million ⁠¹⁠². Borrowers need fewer than 750 employees. The money can cover startup costs, working capital, franchise fees, equipment, inventory, and buying or improving a place of business you operate. Passive real estate investment is excluded ⁠².

Non-monthly payments add 0.50%. Each lender may charge a service fee of up to 0.50% ⁠¹.

These rates apply only to the state’s share; the lender prices the rest of the loan. Working capital loans can run up to seven years, and equipment and real estate loans up to 10 ⁠². Recycled-fund deals need at least 70% private capital. Loans certified as owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals may use a 60/40 split instead. If private money covers at least $3 for every $1 of recycled state funds, the state’s rate drops by 0.50% ⁠².

As of October 2026, Commerce lists these lenders as accepting applications: Beartooth RC&D (Joliet), Big Sky Economic Development (Billings, statewide), Great Falls Development Authority, Mission West Community Development Partners (Ronan), MoFi (Missoula, statewide), Prospera Business Network (Bozeman, statewide through the Montana Women’s Business Center), Southeastern Montana Development Corporation (Colstrip) and Sweetgrass Development (Great Falls). Montana Business Assistance Connection, Montana West Economic Development and Snowy Mountain Development Corporation are not accepting applications ⁠¹.

ORE rural participation loans open each October

The Opportunities in Rural Economies Loan Participation Program is a separate state pool within the Big Sky Economic Development Program, and it has $8,000,000 available with nothing obligated yet ⁠³. Commerce’s share of a loan can reach $2 million, and the business or private financing must supply a 50% match ⁠⁴. The state’s fixed rate runs from 1.00% for loans up to three years to 4.00% for 10-year loans, and lenders may charge a service fee of up to 1.00% ⁠⁴. Eligible uses include lowering the interest rate on a commercial loan for a basic-sector expansion, relocation costs, lease buy-downs, short-term working capital and job creation ⁠⁴. A project cannot move jobs from one Montana town to another ⁠³.

You cannot apply on your own. An enrolled economic development organization or participating lender completes a qualification checklist with you, then files a preliminary application ⁠³. The 2026 window runs October 1 to 30 ⁠⁵. “Forgivable” here is narrow: Commerce considers forgiving its share only for loans already paid as agreed, and only with documented extraordinary circumstances ⁠⁴.

Manufacturers: the Montana Automation Financing Program

Montana-based manufacturers that earn at least 51% of revenue from manufactured goods can borrow directly from Commerce to automate or modernize equipment ⁠⁶. Direct loans go up to $100,000 at 2.00% fixed for terms up to five years or 2.50% for five to seven years. Commerce may defer payments for up to a year ⁠⁶. If the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center prepares a Capital Investment Justification Report showing a positive return, the rate drops by 1.00% ⁠⁶. The direct loan window is open through October 23, 2026. The collateral support side, where Commerce pledges up to 40% of a lender’s loan to a maximum of $500,000, opens to lenders later in 2026 ⁠⁵⁠⁶.

The grants Montana does offer, and who qualifies

Growth Through Agriculture (GTA). The Agriculture Development Council funds projects that add value to Montana agricultural products, with grants up to $50,000 and loans up to $100,000, or $150,000 combined. Every dollar needs a matching dollar ⁠¹². The pre-application opened October 5, 2026 and closes at 5:00 p.m. on November 9, 2026. Selected applicants get a full application in mid-December, with a deadline of February 8, 2027 and awards in March 2027 ⁠¹².

Montana SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program. If your company already holds a federal SBIR or STTR Phase I award, Commerce adds up to $30,000 per phase. You can apply at any time while that year’s appropriation lasts ⁠¹⁰. A Phase II request must arrive within 90 days after your Phase I project’s scheduled end date, and you must file quarterly reports ⁠¹⁰.

Tribal business grants. The Tribal Tourism Small Business Grant takes applications until 11:59 p.m. on November 30, 2026. It is open to enrolled members of Montana’s federally recognized tribes who live in Montana and are 18 or older ⁠⁹. You can request up to $30,000 from a $240,000 annual pool. There is no match up to $25,000, and requests from $25,001 to $30,000 need a 10% cash match. Payment comes as reimbursement ⁠⁹. The Indian Equity Fund Small Business Grant (up to $40,000) had a 2026 window of July 1 to September 30, so it is now closed ⁠⁸. Tribal governments and tribally owned businesses can apply for the Tribal Business Development Grant from November 17 to December 31, 2026 ⁠⁸.

Training and export reimbursements

Incumbent Worker Training. The Department of Labor & Industry has $540,000 a year to reimburse employers for training existing workers. The caps are $2,500 per full-time employee (35+ hours a week) and $1,000 per part-time employee (20 to 34 hours) ⁠⁷. Your business must have operated in Montana for at least a year. Trainees must be Montana residents with at least six months on the job. You pay 20% of training costs and in-state travel and 50% of out-of-state travel, and wages paid during training can count as the match ⁠⁷. FY 2027 applications are open for training that starts before June 30, 2027. Funds go out by quarter until each quarter’s share runs out ⁠⁷.

STEP. Export Montana reimburses 50% to 75% of eligible international marketing costs, up to $10,000 per activity and $30,000 per company per year. Covered costs include foreign trade shows, market research, translation, compliance testing, international IP protection and EXIM credit insurance ⁠¹¹.

Microloans and advising through regional partners

Seven certified microbusiness development corporations lend up to $100,000 to Montana businesses with fewer than 10 full-time-equivalent employees and less than $1 million in gross annual revenue. They also provide training. They are Bear Paw Development (Havre), Great Falls Development Authority, Great Northern Development (Wolf Point), Headwaters RC&D (Butte), Montana Business Assistance Connection (Helena), MoFi (Missoula) and Montana West Economic Development (Kalispell) ⁠¹³. Since 1991 the program has made 1,312 loans totaling more than $33.6 million ⁠¹³. The Montana SBDC runs 10 regional centers with free one-on-one counseling, including loan packaging and financial projections ⁠¹⁴.

Getting a Montana deal done, step by step

1. Book a free SBDC session

   Use Request Assistance on the SBDC site and bring a business plan, recent financial statements or projections, and the amount you need ⁠¹⁴. Ask the counselor which of the programs above fits.

2. Pick the right front door for a loan

   For SSBCI, call a lender marked “Currently accepting applications” on Commerce’s list ⁠¹. For an ORE loan before October 30, 2026, contact your regional economic development organization or bank right away, because it files the application ⁠³⁠⁵.

3. Register with the Secretary of State and create an OKTA account

   GTA rejects organizations that are not registered ⁠¹². Commerce’s ORE, automation and tribal applications run through the ServiceNow Grants and Loans Portal, which requires a State of Montana OKTA login ⁠³⁠⁶⁠⁹.

4. File time-limited grants first

   Submit the GTA pre-application by November 9, 2026 ⁠¹² and the Tribal Tourism Small Business Grant by November 30, 2026 ⁠⁹. Manufacturers should file an Automation direct loan application by October 23, 2026 ⁠⁵.

5. Get training approved before it starts

   Submit IWT requests on Submittable before the class starts, since DLI will not reimburse training it has not approved in advance ⁠⁷.

6. Keep receipts for reimbursement grants

   IWT, STEP and the tribal grants pay after you spend, so plan cash flow for the gap ⁠⁷⁠⁹⁠¹¹.

7. If you are turned down, change lenders or wait for the next cycle

   An SSBCI credit decision belongs to the lender, so another participating lender may see your deal differently ⁠¹. ORE’s application period is expected each October ⁠⁴, and GTA takes pre-applications once a year in the fall ⁠¹².

Other Montana help is on the Montana overview. See also Montana cash assistance, or compare states on the small business grants hub.