2007 was a good year for economic development funding in Montana..

Happy New Year to everyone! 2007 was a good year for economic development funding in Montana. The next page identifies those organizations that were successful in their requests for grant or loan funds from USDA Rural Development in 2007. Congratulations to those organizations.

Other news from 2007 is that Montana’s USDA Rural Development organization has successfully restructured its delivery system with all 5 Area Offices now the contact point for all programs (Housing, Water & Wastewater, Community Facilities, and Business Cooperative Programs).

To see a map of the service areas or for contact information please visit our website at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/mt

For 2008, the good news is that Congress and the President have completed the spending bill that provides funding for all of our programs. Over the next several months there will be many funding opportunities announced in the Federal Register. Most deadlines will be between now and May 30th. We will accept applications for all programs at any time and we will again have a state allocation for Montana in the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program meaning these funds can be used any time so long as they are used by June 30th.

For more information on these programs or for application forms and application checklists, please visit our website above. Thank you very much and we look forward to assist you making economic development happen for you.

/s/

JOHN D. GUTHMILLER

Business Cooperative Programs Director

Bozeman, MT

Montana’s Business Cooperative Programs 2007 Funding Recipients

Rural Business Enterprise Grant
Butte Local Development Corporation, Butte
Farms for Families, Bozeman

Fort Peck Community College, Poplar
Heritage Capital, Glasgow
Lake County Community Development Corporation, Ronan

Montana Community Development Corp., Missoula

Ravalli County Economic Development Authority, Hamilton

Ravalli County Economic Development Authority, Hamilton

Southeastern Montana Development Corporation, Colstrip

TechRanch Foundation, Bozeman

Two Rivers Economic Growth, Inc., Glasgow

Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, Pablo

Intermediary Relending Program

Butte Local Development Corporation, Butte

Jobs Now, Inc., Kalispell

Great Northern Dev. Corp., Wolf Point

Snowy Mountain Development Corporation, Lewistown
Rural Business Opportunity Grant

Kootenai River Development Council, Inc., Libby

Rural Cooperative Development Grant
Montana Cooperative Development Center, Great Falls

Lake County Community Development Center, Ronan

Rural Economic Development Grant

Glacier Electric, Cutbank

Value Added Producer Grant

La Cense Beef, LLC, Dillion