Opportunities in Rural Economies (ORE) — Grants

Opportunities in Rural Economies is Montana Commerce's rural business-support umbrella, and this record covers the grant side rather than the separate loan participation component. The program is built to accelerate new business opportunities, support job creation, and diversify the state's economy in rural places that need local development capacity. Two grant components are visible here: the Economic Development Organization Capacity Building Grant, which helps organizations strengthen community outreach, and the Planning Grant Program, which provides matching funds for projects with significant economic benefit to a community. The available material does not publish award sizes in the summary record, so the route is best understood through its use cases rather than a fixed grant table. ORE is a fit for rural economic-development organizations and community groups that can connect a planning or capacity project to durable local benefit. The program also rejects projects that simply move jobs between regions of Montana, so applicants need a genuine local-growth case rather than a relocation story. That points toward projects that build new activity, expand outreach, or lay groundwork for later investment.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.