Opportunity Overview
The Montana Department of Commerce 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Public and Community Facilities program supports construction and rehabilitation of public infrastructure and community facilities that principally benefit low- to moderate-income Montana residents.
Funding and Deadline
The maximum CDBG award is $750,000. Applicants generally must provide matching funds equal to at least 25% of the CDBG funds requested, unless Commerce approves a match waiver based on the program’s hardship criteria.
The Commerce program page identifies the current application due date as October 30, 2026. The controlling August 2026 application guidelines state that CDBG Community and Public Facilities applications are due by 11:59 p.m. MST on the due date. Atlas therefore records the deadline as October 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. MST, preserving the time-zone label published by Commerce.
Eligible Applicants
Under the controlling 2026 guidelines, direct applicants are Montana cities, towns, and counties. Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, and Missoula are not eligible for State CDBG funds because they receive separate entitlement allocations. A local government may apply for an eligible public or community facility owned and operated by a qualifying nonprofit organization, and potential partner organizations may include school districts and other capable entities.
Healthcare and School Relevance
Eligible community-facility activities include new construction or rehabilitation of public facilities such as nursing homes, mental health centers, Head Start centers, senior centers, food banks, domestic-violence shelters, youth homes, and transitional housing facilities. The program also allows certain permanent furnishings, equipment, and fixtures when they directly implement the approved construction scope. Temporary furnishings, fixtures, or equipment are ineligible.
Projects must satisfy the CDBG low- and moderate-income national objective. Depending on the project, applicants generally must document that at least 51% of beneficiaries are LMI persons or qualify through a permitted limited-clientele method.
Application Requirements
Applicants must complete the CDBG application and supplemental materials through the Montana Grants and Loans Portal or another permitted submission method. The guidelines require supporting materials including the applicable preliminary engineering report or preliminary architectural report, governing-body authorization, CDBG certifications, and other project-specific documentation. Applicants must also complete the required public-participation process, including at least two public hearings before submission.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 80/100. This is substantial, verified Montana capital funding with direct healthcare, early-childhood, senior-services, and community-facility relevance. The program is strongest where an eligible city, town, or county has a mature facility need, documented LMI benefit, required planning work, and match capacity or a defensible waiver request.
N9+ Solution/Partner Fit: 8/100. Dr. Miltie Direct Applicant Fit: 0/100. Dr. Miltie Direct-Vendor Fit: 0/100 absent a project-specific procurement match. CDBG is primarily a construction and rehabilitation program. The guidelines permit permanent furnishings, equipment, and fixtures that directly implement the approved construction scope, but expressly exclude temporary equipment. Atlas therefore does not treat the portable Nonagon N9+ remote physical examination platform as a general CDBG fit. A role for Dr. Miltie or N9+ would require a specific eligible facility project, a clearly allowable scope, and any required applicant procurement process.
Next Action
Qualified Montana local governments should confirm project eligibility and LMI documentation, complete the required public hearings, finalize the preliminary architectural or engineering report, document the 25% match or waiver basis, and assemble the full application well before the October 30 deadline. Atlas should prioritize healthcare and school-adjacent projects where an eligible local government is sponsoring a nursing home, mental health center, Head Start center, senior center, youth facility, or other qualifying community facility.
Official source: Montana Department of Commerce, CDBG Public and Community Facilities.