The Renewable Resource Grant Program

General Information

 

The Montana Legislature established the Renewable Resource Grant and Loan Program to fund the conservation, management, development and preservation of Montana’s renewable resources.  Administered by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the program provides both grant and loan funding for public facility and other renewable resource projects.

Project Eligibility

Projects that conserve, manage, develop or protect Montana’s renewable resources are eligible for funding.  Numerous public facility projects including drinking water,  wastewater and solid waste development and improvement projects have received funding through this program.  Other renewable resource projects that have been funded include irrigation rehabilitation, dam repair, soil and water conservation and forest enhancement.

Applicant Eligibility

Eligible applicants include political subdivisions of state, local and tribal government including state agencies and universities, counties, incorporated cities and towns, conservation districts, irrigation districts, water/sewer/solid waste districts and tribes. 

 

Funding Limitations

 

Grants are limited to $100,000 per project;  loans are limited by the applicant’s debt capacity.  Emergency grants and loans may be available for projects that, if delayed until legislative approval can be obtained, will result in substantial damages or legal liability to the entity seeking assistance.   Emergency grants are usually limited to $30,000 per project, and, again, loans are limited by the applicant’s debt capacity.

Applications are due on or before May 15th of even-numbered years.  

 

For Public Facilities: Uniform Application and instructions.

                                                RRGL Uniform Application Supplement

For Other Renewable Resource Projects:  application

 

 

 

The Renewable Resource Loan Program

 

This program makes loans to communities for renewable resource projects. The program was started in 1981 by the Montana Legislature, which granted a total of $250 million in coal tax bonding authority. 

 

The Renewable Resource Public Loan Program has been evolving into a new role over the last decade.  Prior to 1990, the Public Loan Program was one of the few low cost sources of public loan funds that municipalities had available.  Many of the early loans in the Public Loan Program were for municipal water and wastewater projects.  However, since the creation of the Water Pollution Control and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan Programs, municipalities are borrowing funds at 4 percent from the SRF programs.  This has freed capacity in the Public Loan Program for other types of projects.  In fact, there has been a steady increase in the number of irrigation loans that the program has funded, which reflects the need for repair of aging ditches, diversions, and other irrigation infrastructure as well as the lack of any federal assistance for these projects.  The Public Loan Program also provides a safety net for municipal projects, such as solid waste projects, that may not qualify for SRF funding.