| State economic development agency | Montana Department of Commerce |
| State SBIR/STTR match or Phase 0 grant | State program (see below) |
| State small-business or supplier-diversity certification | None found |
| Signature grant programs cataloged | 2 programs |
The Montana Department of Commerce is the state's lead economic-development agency. Major programs include the Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund (BSTF), the Montana Board of Investments (MBOI) loan programs, the Workforce Training Grant program, and CDBG-state pass-throughs for economic-development infrastructure.
Primary site: Montana Department of Commerce
BSTF provides job-creation grants (awarded to local governments on behalf of businesses creating net new jobs) and planning grants for economic-development project assessment. Two-cycle annual application schedule.
State training grant reimbursing up to $5,000 per net new full-time job for training costs at Montana businesses. Wage thresholds apply.
We found no state small-business set-aside or MBE/WBE certification program for Montana state contracts (Montana law grants no small or disadvantaged business preference, reciprocal resident preference only). Federal SBA certifications (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB) still apply to federal contracts.
Montana supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the Montana SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program (Department of Commerce). Check the program page for current rounds and eligibility; the federal award itself is still applied for through the agencies listed at SBIR.gov.
Match amount: up to $30,000 per phase per year; rolling applications
Program page: Montana SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program (Department of Commerce)
MT Grants + Loans Portal handles applications for many Montana state programs. Some programs still use their own application pages, so confirm the link on each program page before drafting.
Portal: MT Grants + Loans Portal
Federal grants reach businesses in Montana through several pass-through channels: HUD CDBG-State dollars administered by Montana Department of Commerce that sub-grant to localities for economic development; EDA public-works and economic-adjustment grants, awarded through regional EDA offices to local governments, economic development districts and nonprofits; USDA Rural Development Business and Industry loan guarantees for rural businesses, plus Rural Business Development Grants that go to towns, tribes and nonprofits (not to businesses directly) to support local small businesses; and SBA loan programs (7(a), 504, Microloan) accessed via local lenders, alongside Treasury-certified CDFI lenders. Business eligibility for each channel depends on entity size, location (rural vs urban), and use-of-funds.
CDBG state administrator: Montana Department of Commerce (CDBG-state administrator)
EDA regional contact: US EDA regional office
State programs cover one half of the picture. Federal grant opportunities are listed on Grants.gov; the eligibility floor often overlaps with state programs. Use the GrantProbe Grant Map to search open federal opportunities by keyword, category and agency, and read our federal grants for startups primer for the framework behind every match.
Need help beyond business grants? The Montana section of the GrantProbe State Assistance Finder links the official rental, LIHEAP, SNAP, Medicaid and small-business programs for Montana.
Montana's economic development agency administers several grant and incentive programs for businesses, but most flagship programs require either an existing operation, a defined hiring commitment, or capital investment milestones. Pure pre-revenue startups should usually pair federal SBIR/STTR (where R&D-eligible) with Montana's SBIR/STTR support program (see above) and CDFI lending. See the signature programs section above for the named Montana programs and their eligibility thresholds.
Yes. Montana supports SBIR/STTR applicants through the Montana SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Program (Department of Commerce): up to $30,000 per phase per year; rolling applications. See the program page for current rounds.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program flows from HUD to Montana's state agency (Montana Department of Commerce (CDBG-state administrator)), which sub-grants to localities. Businesses do not apply directly to the state for CDBG dollars; they apply to participating cities or counties for economic development sub-awards (job creation, blight remediation, low-to-moderate-income workforce). Contact your local economic development office for current sub-awards.
MT Grants + Loans Portal handles applications for many state programs. Some programs still use their own pages, so confirm the link on each program page.