Community Development Block Grant - Economic Development Program (CDBG-ED)

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Eligible Activities

  • Loans to Businesses: Activities include loans to businesses for acquisition, construction, installation, or rehabilitation of commercial and industrial buildings, facilities, equipment, or working capital.
  • Customized Employee Training: Employee training is a stand-alone project activity allowing up to a maximum of $400,000 in grant funding per local government in a program year for new and expanding businesses creating additional jobs. The intent is to assist businesses in providing needed skills and better-paying jobs for their workers. The goal is to facilitate the growth of companies in Montana, increase wages for trained workers, increase employee productivity, and assist in the skill development of employees. Preference is given to training that focuses on developing transferable skills in emerging industries such as information and advanced technology, health services, value-added agriculture and communications. Funding may also be distributed to a qualified educational or nonprofit training entity that provides job training targeted to developing specific employee skills needed by an aggregate of companies. The maximum grant amount to a for-profit business or non-profit organization for each employee trained is $5,000.
  • Technical Assistance Grants: A maximum of $15,000 per local government maybe requested to be used for a variety of planning activities, including the initial planning necessary to develop a CDBG-ED project, prepare a growth policy, economic development strategy, or other planning documents.
  • Business Infrastructure Projects: CDBG-ED funds may be used to build infrastructure such as water, sewer, streets or sidewalks in support of businesses. The businesses must be identified at the time the application is submitted. Applications that propose public improvements as assistance to businesses will be reviewed with similar procedures as for loans to for-profit businesses and must include a complete business plan, financial package and hiring and training plan for each business being assisted, must meet the same threshold requirements, demonstrate viability, and meet all other appropriate requirements contained in the Application Guidelines for the Community Development Block Grant - Economic Development Program.