Montana Growth Through Agriculture Program (GTA)
Montana Department of Agriculture
Closed June 30, 2023
The Growth Through Agriculture (GTA) program is a grant and loan program established by the Montana Legislature to strengthen and diversify Montana's agricultural industry through the development of new agricultural products and processes. Examples of eligible project activities involve equipment purchases, construction costs, advertising and promotion, and consultant services for engineering. The GTA program is administered by the Agriculture Development Council (Council) which is attached to the Department of Agriculture.
New in 2023
The Growth Through Agriculture Program has added two new options this year:
The Business Acceleration Program will award grants of up to $20,000 over two years to support early business development or expansion.
The Market Development Program will award grants of up to $5,000 to help eligible businesses access and develop new markets for their goods.
Cost-share Requirement
50% cost-share is required for all types of Growth Through Agriculture proposals including both grants and loans. For example, the GTA Program can reimburse 50% of an invoice paid by the business, thereby confirming cash cost-share, or “match” is in place.
Types of Funding Available
Maximum - $150,000 made up of:
Up to $50,000 in the form of grant funding
Up to $100,000 in the form of loan funding
Eligibility
Projects should primarily add value to Montana’s agricultural products, have prospects for achieving commercial success given the current personnel, experience and resources of the applicant and have the possibility to create and/or retain jobs in Montana. In addition, projects should either benefit additional agricultural producers and/or companies, and/or projects should accomplish research that will benefit Montana’s agriculture industry as a whole. An applicant that receives any two GTA grants within a two-year period will have a one-year cooling off period before applying again, starting in the current calendar year. Please contact GTA staff for any questions on this recent adjustment.
Additional Loan Eligibility Requirements:
The Council has the option to offer high and low interest loans up to $100,000 for those projects that meet the general criteria for funding listed above.
To be eligible for a low interest loan, the applicant must have unencumbered collateral to secure the full amount of the loan.
The Council can select up to two targeted areas for projects which would be eligible for low interest loans. These targeted areas will encourage specific types of projects and will inform the public of the Council’s particular interests. These targeted areas must be announced 60 days prior to becoming effective.
Additional Grant Eligibility Requirements:
The Council may award grants up to $50,000. In addition to meeting the general criteria for funding, grant applicants must demonstrate through their application that they meet at least one of the following additional criteria:
The project will benefit additional agricultural companies,
The project will accomplish research that will benefit agriculture as a whole, or
The applicant is a nonprofit entity.
Eligible Costs:
Eligible costs under the GTA program include, but are not limited to:
Equipment
Consultant Services (professional, technical, operational)
Travel
Advertising and Promotion
Supplies and Materials
Communication (telephone, postage, printing, etc.)
Data Processing
Terms
$1 for $1 match is required for all types of Growth Through Agriculture proposals including both grants and loans.
Maximum $150,000 made up of:
Up to $50,000 in the form of grant funding
Up to $100,000 in the form of loan funding
Application Instructions
Read the GTA Program Guidelines in order to determine whether or not your project is eligible and learn more about the details of the program to begin the GTA application process.
Contact Food and Agriculture Development Center network and/or Small Business Development Center network before you begin the application process. These organizations can assist with the application as well as required financial projections, key financial assumptions, business plan, and marketing plan. Templates for business plans, financial projections and financial assumptions are available on the GTA website at www.gta.mt.gov.
Register and apply online through Amplifund at this link.
Resources
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Details
Deadline
June 30, 2023
Organization
Financial Instrument
Grant, Loan, Cost Share
Maximum Award Amount
$150,000
Updated August 19, 2024
Image Credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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