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.

 *Please NOTE - this will be the only application deadline for Growth Through Agriculture for fiscal year 2021 (July 2020 - June 2021).*

It is recommended that you begin working on your application as early as possible. For assistance in planning your project and working on your application, please contact your local Food and Agriculture Development Center Network www.foodandag.mt.gov or Small Business Development Center sbdc.mt.gov by September 1, 2020 for the best possible assistance.

*All times in Mountain Standard Time

**Call information will be posted on the GTA website: www.gta.mt.gov

Targeted Areas - Current targeted areas for funding that are also eligible for the low interest rate are as follows.

• Businesses expanding or investing in commodity processing infrastructure; and

• Projects utilizing new or innovative solutions to diversify, add value, or provide substantial growth opportunities and resiliency for Montana’s agricultural economy or food security.

To begin the Growth Through Agriculture application process:

1. Program Guidelines – Read the Program Guidelines in order to determine whether or not your project is eligible and learn more about the details of the program.
   
2. Resources - View the Growth Through Agriculture Resources and FAQs at www.gta.mt.gov

3. Contact your local Food and Agricultural Development Center Network www.foodandag.mt.gov, or Small Business Development Center sbdc.mt.gov, for specific guidance to your project and to request assistance in applying for a Growth Through Agriculture grant or loan or assistance in developing the  financial projections for the application. You are also welcome to work with your local economic development organizations.

4. Register with the Montana Secretary of State. If your company is not already registered with the Montana Secretary of State, you may need to do so before going further with the application process. Organizations other than Sole Proprietorships must be registered with the Montana Secretary of State prior to submittal of the GTA application. If you are using an Assumed Business Name (ABN) / DBA – the ABN must also be registered with the Montana Secretary of State at www.sos.mt.gov. Any application from an organization that is not registered with the Montana Secretary of State will not be accepted.

5. Register Online. Before you can fill out an application, make sure that you have registered and received a username and password at funding.mt.gov - see attached instructions below "Webgrants Registration Instructions"

6. Log In. After registering, log in with your username and password and click "Start a New Application". Then follow the steps in the "GTA Application Instructions" attached below.

7. Prepare Financial Statements. Prepare the projected financial statements to accompany your application. All applications must include:

              1) Projected financial statements,

              2) current financial statements, and

              3) a list of all key financial assumptions. 

    

Forms are available at: www.gta.mt.gov and in the below links and attachment section. The list of key assumptions should provide the basis for all major financial projections. Any application that does not include these items in the prescribed form will not be accepted.

       8.   Credit Check Release Form. Attached below. This form must be received by the application deadline. 

          Complete the form and submit it by fax, submit electronically at www.transfer.mt.gov, or mail to:

              Growth Through Agriculture Program
            Montana Department of Agriculture
            P.O. Box 200201
            Helena, Montana 59620-0201
 

Deadline:  December 7 by 2:00pm

Deadline for confirmation check: Friday, November 30^th: If you would like to receive confirmation from the Department prior to the deadline that all items have been received before the deadline, submit your application by no later than November 30 to allow time to check for completion and time to respond to any technical issues you may have prior to the deadline.

 ***Incomplete Applications will not be considered.***

Final Checklist: Double check that the following have been submitted:

1. Credit Check Release Form (Submitted separately – not online – see instructions above)

2. Application form submitted on funding.mt.gov

3. Financial projection spreadsheet attached to application submitted on funding.mt.gov – must be projected 3 years to be considered.

4. Key Financial Assumptions attached to application submitted on funding.mt.gov - Applications must be submitted with corresponding key financial assumptions submitted with the application.

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Budget - Important Eligibility Dates for Consideration:

GTA Funds – Reimbursement date: Costs incurred after December 7, 2020

Matching Funds -  Matching funds will be considered from December 7, 2019

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Application Scoring Scale to be invited to Council Interview

The council will review applications and presentations and rank on a scale from low (1) to high (6) funding priority.

Priority ranking will be based on the Council’s overall assessment of the below listed considerations (defined in the General Application Review Criteria for funding listed in Attachment A).

• Basic Business Considerations
• Agriculture Impact     
• Economic Impact     
• Potential for Success                          
• Innovation/Originality
• Geographic Considerations  

Additional Items to Note:

Decision Timeline. The Council will tentatively meet around the third week of February 2020 (tentative - final dates TBA) to determine which projects to fund, and may elect to fund a project through grants or loans or both a grant and loan funding.

Reimbursement Awards. All awards are provided on a reimbursement basis, unless otherwise specified by the Council.

Collateral/Security Required for both Grant and Loan Awards. Security provisions are required for both grant and loan awards and are structured on an individual case basis.

NOTE: File Formats - Please contact program staff at the contact information above if you are having any technical issues with file formats or versions. 

Resources:

Farm and Food Business Start-up resources are available at: http://agr.mt.gov/Start-a-Business

Start-up Business?  Check out the Business Start-up Checklist, including business plan templates at http://sbdc.mt.gov/startup

Small Business Administration Resources – www.sba.gov – see business guide resources to plan start-up or expansion of your business: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide