Yellowstone National Park 
Program Overview
The ORE Program suite has two components: participation loans, including low-interest loans and forgivable loans, and grants.
- The Opportunities in Rural Economies Economic Development Organization Capacity Building Grant supports EDOs in strengthening their ability to provide outreach to their communities for economic development.
ORE Program loans and grants may not be used for a project that would result in the transfer or relocation of jobs from one part of the state to another part of the state. See § 90-1-203(1), MCA.
The Montana Department of Commerce has created the ORE LPP, the ORE EDO CBG and the ORE GP. The ORE Program suite exists within the Big Sky Economic Development Program authorized by §§ 90-1-201, MCA, et seq.
Purpose
The purpose of the ORE EDO CBG is to assist EDOs in increasing their internal capacity to:
- Provide outreach to underserved rural businesses.
- Deliver technical assistance to advance economic development in their regions.
- Invest in technological improvements and innovations to improve operations.
- Provide training and professional development opportunities for staff and local business partners.
Registration Requirement – OKTA
OKTA account registration is required to access the applications for the ORE Program Suite.
Applicants must complete and submit the ORE EDO CBGP Application Form during the open application period. The application period will be 20 business days and is expected to occur annually every January. Applicants may submit up to two applications per award cycle. The combined total request across all applications may not exceed the maximum grant amount of $65,000. Applicants are strongly encouraged to consolidate proposed activities into a single cohesive proposal when feasible. Separating unrelated or independently scoped initiatives into separate applications is permitted and may help streamline implementation and reporting.
Applications must include a narrative project summary, itemized budget, timeline, documentation of eligible match and a clear description of how the proposed activities will enhance the organization’s ability to support and implement the ORE LPP. Letters of support from community, industry or financial partners are encouraged, especially when demonstrating regional collaboration or alignment with economic development priorities.
EDOs wishing to enroll in the ORE LPP must do so online through the ServiceNow enrollment application.
| Total ORE EDO CBG Funding Available: | $1,000,000 |