Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund (BSTF)
Documents & Links
Appendices: (Forms)
Category I:
- A Economic Development Application
- B Subrecipient Agreement
- C Management Plan
- D Assistance Agreement
- E Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement
- F Sources and Uses of Funds
- G Credit Check Release
- H Budget Form
- I-1 Job Creation Report Word / Excel
- I-2 Job Creation Report - For Training Word / Excel
- J Job Creation Certification
- K Request for Payment Form
Category II:
- A Planning Grant Application
- B Budget Form
- C Sub-Recipient Agreement
- D Management Plan
- E Request for Payment Form
- F Professional Services Contract
- G Preliminary Architectural Report Outline
2010 BSTF Guidelines Now Available for Public Comment - All comments must be provided in writing by March 10, 2010.
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NEW! As of October 1, 2009, Tribal Governments are now eligible to apply directly to the BSTF Program for both Category I and Category II Project Grants - see below for descriptions of these types of projects.
Tribal Governments must submit a Tribal Resolution, Tribal Chair or President Authorization Letter in addition to the rest of the required BSTF application materials.
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Program Summary
The Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund (BSTF) program is a state-funded program created by the 2005 Legislature. It is designed to aid in the development of good paying jobs for Montana residents and promote long-term stable economic growth in Montana. The BSTF program is designed to provide financial assistance in the following two categories:
Category I: Economic Development Job Creation Projects 75% of BSTF earnings shall be awarded to local and tribal governments in the form of grants to assist businesses in creating net new eligible jobs. Applications will be accepted on an open-cycle basis until all available funds are committed to approved projects.
Category II: Planning Grants 25% of BSTF earnings shall be awarded to Certified Regional Development Corporations (CRDC), tribal governments and other qualified economic development organizations in areas not covered by a CRDC, in the form of a grant for planning activities such as feasibility studies, business plans, preliminary engineering reports(PERs) and preliminary architectural reports(PARs). Applications will be accepted throughout the year on a quarterly basis.
Please reference the attached guidelines for further information on the eligible activities and requirements for funding under this program. It is highly recommended that potential applicants contact the Department directly by calling Angela Nelson, Program Manager at (406)841-2792 or Quinn Ness, Section Manager at (406)841-2758 for guidance and funding availability before submitting a formal application. This is especially important due to the limited funding available statewide.
The application guidelines are in PDF and Microsoft Word formats. You can download Adobe Acrobat for free in order to view and/or print the files. If you are unable to open the documents or need the files in any other format please contact the Department.
BSTF Application Guidelines PDF / Word - Category I Job Creation / Category II PG
