If you are looking for help applying for grants, working through your business plan, identifying local resources, or any other business-related questions, you should first look to the business development groups in your region.
For one-on-one assistance consider reaching out to:
- Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) offer free or low-cost one-on-one business advising and can assist entrepreneurs with connecting with local and state resources.
- Food and Agriculture Development Centers are business development resources that focus specifically on food and ag businesses. Specialties include food processing, cooperative development, renewable energy, revolving/micro lending, federal contracting, etc.
- Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) There are CDCs and CDFIs in cities across Montana, local institutions aimed at revitalizing their communities through affordable housing, business assistance, and a wide array of other resources. For example, in Missoula and Bozeman, Montana CDC specializes in providing business loans to people who do not qualify for bank financing. They offer standard term loans or lines of credit ranging from $1,000 – $1M, with flexible terms and rates typically 1-2% higher than a bank. Below is a list of CDFIs in Montana. There is not currently a list of all of the CDCs in Montana although you can find many of them by clicking here.
Gateway Community Federal Credit Union | Missoula | www.gatewaycommunityfcu.com |
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc. | Great Falls | www.greatfallsdevelopment.org |
Lake County Community Development Corp. | Ronan | www.lakecountycdc.org/ |
McCone County Federal Credit Union | Circle | mcconecu.com |
Missoula Federal Credit Union | Missoula | www.missoulafcu.org |
Montana Community Development Corporation | Missoula | www.mtcdc.org |
Montana Homeownership Network | Great Falls | www.nwmt.org |
NACDC Financial Services Inc. | Browning | www.nacdcfinancialservices.com |
Native American Development Corporation | Billings | www.nadc-nabn.org |
Wolf Point Federal Credit Union | Wolf Point | www.wpfcu.com |
Other Resources
The Montana Indian Business Alliance promotes private Indian business development by maximizing and developing resources that encourage and support Montana Indian Entrepreneurs.
The Montana Economic Developers’ Association website has a list of members that includes many more people and organizations that work with small businesses across Montana. If you can’t find anyone on these lists that is in your community, consider reaching out to MEDA directly as they have a broad network and may know someone else in your community who could help.