What could Montana Main Street mean for Boulder? That question was on the minds of area residents last week when a representative of that program, Tash Wisemiller, came to town. Grant funding restrictions and attached strings were a common concern.
Wisemiller said there are reporting requirements, but described them as less cumbersome than people might think. A two-page form due quarterly is required for Montana Main Street grants, he said. He also said there are no restrictions on selling a building after the program grants have been used to renovate, he said. Program officials try hard to help communities find grant awards, he said. “We’re trying to work at getting to ‘yes’,” he said. Matching funds for the grants are not as high as the more typical one-to-one match required in other grants, he said. The program requires a one-to-five match, said Wisemiller.
The grant application timeline is about six weeks to two months, but once the applicant receives the award letter there may be some delays as the community works to get contracts lined up, he said. Roughly $100,000 is currently available in the grant pool, and that money is assigned quickly after the application deadline, Wisemiller said. He said program staff is “eager to work with you and make it workable for the community.”
