MEDA Membership Update: The count for members of MEDA that are Certified Economic Devlopers continues to go up. Our latest member, Kellie Danielson, CEcD, is the Director of
Community & Economic Development, City of Kalispell. Kellie has in the past served on the boards of both the AEDC and IEDC.
Welcome, Kellie!
Print the MEDA Membership Directory.
Grant and Funding Opportunities:
Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund (BSTF) Program Funding Available:
Approximately $400,000 will be Available for Category I - Economic Development Projects: 75% of BSTF earnings are awarded to local governments in the form of grants and loans for economic development projects that create new qualifying jobs for Montana residents.
Approximately $200,000 will be available for Category II - Planning: 25% of BSTF earnings are awarded to Certified Regional Development Corporations and other qualified economic development organizations in Counties not covered by a CRDC in the form of grants for planning activities. Eligible planning activities include feasibility studies, business plans, workforce surveys, target industry analyses, preliminary architectural reports and preliminary engineering reports.
The Montana Department of Commerce, BSTF Program will accept applications through December 31, 2007 to be considered in the next quarterly application cycle. To review the application requirements and obtain application forms, you may visit the BSTF Web site at: http://www.businessresources.mt.gov/BRD_Trustfund.asp Questions? Contact Angela Nelson, BSTF Program Manager at anelson@mt.gov or by phone at (406) 841-2792.
The HOME Application Guidelines are now published on their website. The deadline for HOME Applications is February 15, 2008. Please read all application instructions very carefully as there have been some changes in the application guidelines. Also, you should note the Ranking Criteria point structure reallocations. Questions? Contact Linda Schofield, Program Assistant, HOME Program - Housing Division, Phone: 406-841-2820 or
lschofield@mt.gov
SEGP Applications Available: The Special Events Grant Program (SEGP) recently increased its 2008 grant funding to $80,000. This is an increase of $30,000 from the previous years. SEGP grants are designed to be matching funds for non-profit organizations involved in developing new annual ongoing events. The grants are awarded based on a 3-tier approach that ranks counties on the basis of lowest per capita income, slowest population growth and highest unemployment. Events established prior to May 30, 2005 are not eligible for funding. The application deadline is December 7, 2007. Applications are available online at www.travelmontana.state.mt.us/forms or by contacting Carol Crockett, 406-841-2769 or via email at ccrockett@mt.gov.
Working Groups...Are Working!:
Take advantage of the research these groups are doing - learn from what they are learning as chances are you are dealing with the same issues.
Housing
The MEDA Housing Working Group held a face-to-face workshop on Tuesday, November 20, in Great Falls, 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Representatives worked on the various action committees including Housing Development, Public Policy and Communications. Under each topic, issues were identified, solutions suggested and finally, next steps were listed. Minutes of the workshop will be available soon at http://www.medamembers.org/housing.html
Energy
The MEDA Energy Working Group, (Susan Ockert, Chair) held a conference call on November 19th and discussed building action items on to the existing energy document for Montana. Review the minutes at http://www.medamembers.org/energy.html. Several energy resources have been added to this website as well including
BEAR Please see the paragraph below.
Opportunities For You: Interested in sharpening your professional skills as an economic and community development practitioner? Looking for new tools to place in your economic development tool box? Check these out.
Learn about wind potential in this interview with Mike Carlson: Wind Power Offers Business Opportunities Read the article.
MSU Extension and the Montana Horizons program are hosting a Rural Community Conference, January 15-16 at the Holiday Inn Grand, Billings. WHO: The Rural Community Conference is for service providers, educators, researchers, private citizens, policy-makers, business and civic leaders, faith leaders and more – anyone looking for proven or emerging community-focused strategies to build thriving communities in rural Montana. WHAT: The Rural Community Conference is designed to give community members and service providers the tools they need to move from waiting to leading — from talk to action. It will touch on a wide range of solutions in a variety of venues, highlighting best practices for community success, emphasizing proven strategies and introducing emerging ideas. Break out sessions • Panel Discussions • National Keynote Speakers. Visit www.ruralcommunityconference.org to register for the conference, review the agenda and learn about the presenters and keynote speakers.
Save the Date: Glendive, MT – Reserve Thursday January 10, 2008 for the sixth annual “Gateway to Opportunity”-a regional entrepreneur and small business development forum to be held at Dawson Community College.
New-to-me website: National Carbon Offset Coalition, Inc. (NCOC) increases understanding of this topic.
MSU Extension and The Local Government Center are pleased to announce their new publication, “Serving On County Boards, Districts, Commissions and Committees in Montana: A Handbook for Members, Local Government Officials and Citizens” authored by Paul Lachapelle, MSU Community Development Extension Specialist and Mary Anne Anderson, MSU Extension Agent in Park County. The publication (No. 4500) is available for $10 through the MSU Extension Distribution Center (http://extn.msu.montana.edu/publications.asp). Lachapelle is available to present this material through workshops in your area. Please contact him at: Paul Lachapelle, Ph.D. Office (406) 994-3620 E-mail paul.lachapelle@montana.edu
The
Tax Credit Finance Course
provides an in-depth examination of the application of tax credit programs in greater economic development finance efforts. From urban redevelopment and historic preservation to housing and high tech infrastructure, a myriad of tax credit programs exist to help communities create jobs and energize their economies. Yet these innovative tools remain under utilized throughout the country. This course explores these programs through lecture, case study review and interactive class exercises by focusing on the actual application of successful tax credit programs. Taught by the country's leading experts, this course will help you understand how tax credits can encourage job growth, stimulate new investment and support local economic development efforts. Click on the link for full info.
MONTANA BEAR Report: Learn what is new in your region with the statewide Montana BEAR Program.
Please review the progress of the statewide Montana BEAR program by reading the monthly report. The MEDA BEAR Working Group is scheduled for a conference call on January 14, 2008 at 10:00am.
According to data entered into the ExecutivePulse software, 22 business visits were conducted around the state. Even more impressive...a whopping 17 referrals were closed. That means 17 businesses had issues, questions, needs that were responded to and resolved by BEAR team members. Susan Hanken, of Livingston Job Service, led the way with six interviews this month.
