Montana Emergency Tourism Assistance Program

Eligible applicants may use SB 540 funds to purchase or provide tourism-related emergency services.

Funding recipients generally may use METAP grant funds for the following activities:

• Ambulances;
• Police vehicles;
• Firefighting vehicles or equipment;
• Hospital or emergency response equipment; and
• Search and rescue team supplies or equipment.

A project related to tourism-related emergency services other than those listed above also may be approved by the Department. Please contact Community MT Division staff prior to submitting an application for additional guidance.

METAP grant funds generally cannot be used to pay for the following activities:

• Operation and maintenance of costs or expenses;
• Grant administration and management expenses;
• Research or other grant opportunities;
• Financial expenses, including but not limited to interest expense, bond issuance costs, or any other debt related costs or expenses; or
• Any otherwise eligible project costs incurred prior to the date of announcement of the grant award by the Department.

A project related to tourism-related emergency services other than those listed above also may be approved by the Department (please contact Community MT staff prior to submitting an application for additional guidance).

The maximum amount that will be awarded for a METAP grant is $75,000. Applicants may apply for one (1) METAP grant per funding cycle. Applicants with an open METAP grant generally are ineligible to apply for an additional grant until their current project is completed and closed out, unless approved in writing in advance by the Department.

Application Submission and Award Process

Commerce will assist cities and towns with administration and awards of funds as defined in SB 540. Please see program guidelines and requirements for the administration of projects here:

• METAP Grant Application and Guidelines (PDF)
• METAP Grant Application and Guidelines (MS Word)

To be considered for priority funding, an eligible applicant must apply by 5:00 p.m. on September 30, 2024. Applications received after September 30, 2024 may be reviewed by the Department if additional funding is available. Applications will be reviewed in the order received.

To apply for grant funding, an applicant must upload the application to the State of Montana File Transfer Service (FTS). To access the FTS, an applicant must register with OKTA. To register with OKTA, go to the FTS page and select "Register now!" from the Login screen and follow the prompts. After registration, an applicant can access the FTS to upload the application for submission. Please see these instructions for additional help.

Commerce will review and award applications in the order they are received. Applications that meet all of the eligibility requirements described above will be awarded up to the max amount until all grant funds are obligated.   

All applicants will be notified of award decisions by email.

The disbursement of grant funds for awarded projects are subject to grantee’s completion, and submission to Commerce, of the following: 

1. a completed budget and implementation schedule for the project;
2. a completed contract with Commerce, a provision of which must include an attestation that funds will only be used for rural tourism-related emergency services.

Commerce shall disburse grants by reimbursement as grant recipients incur eligible project expenses in accordance with the terms of the contract. If actual project expenses are lower than the projected expense of the project, Commerce may, at its sole discretion, recapture the amount over actual costs for redistribution to other applications.

As required by Commerce, Grantees shall provide a quarterly progress report, including  completing Commerce’s invoice tracking sheet, identifying the following:

1. work that has been undertaken on the project;
2. the percentage of work completed;
3. the amount of funds expended to date;
4. remaining funds;
5. a description of any significant problems; and
6. whether the project encountered any modification necessary to the scope of work, budget, or

If the project is completed in an efficient manner, all of these items may occur in a single reporting effort.

The quarterly report and invoice tracking sheet can be found on Commerce’s website.

Grantees also must submit a final report to Commerce at the completion of the project. The final report must confirm the project was completed as intended  from the applicant.

The grantee is fully responsible for managing the project and ensuring that it is completed on time and within budget. If cost overruns occur, the cost of the overrun is the full and sole responsibility of the grantee. 

Projects must be completed by December 31, 2026. The grantee may request a one-time extension, which Commerce may approve at its discretion. 

At the Department’s sole discretion, the grantee will be required to and agrees it shall return to the Department any and all funds that are determined by the Department to have been spent in violation of the terms and conditions of the grant contract.