MT · State guide

Business loans in Montana

Montana businesses can reach three separate pools of money: lenders that publish availability here, the state's own financing programs, and federal SBA lending through local participants. We have 8 state programs on file with published terms, and 1 still linked from live government pages that is no longer open.

2 cities covered Checked 14 Sep 2026
Get funding in Montana See the shortlist

Where to start in Montana

No lender here publishes a state-by-state availability list naming MT, so this is the directory ranked by how much each one puts on the record. Absence from a list nobody publishes means nothing.

  1. 100%

    Forward Financing

    $5K – $500K Same day Credit from 500
    9/9 on the record
  2. 100%

    ROK Financial

    $10K – $5M 1-3 days Credit from 500
    9/9 on the record
  3. 100%

    South End Capital

    $1K – $5M Same-day funding available Credit from 650
    9/9 on the record
  4. 89%

    Bizcap US

    Up to $2M Same day Credit from 550
    8/9 on the record
  5. 89%

    ByzFunder

    Up to $500K Same day Credit from 525
    8/9 on the record
  6. 89%

    Fora Financial

    $5K – $1.5M As little as 24 hours Credit from 570
    8/9 on the record
  7. 89%

    Fox Business Funding

    Up to $1M As little as 2 business days Credit from 550
    8/9 on the record
  8. 89%

    National Funding

    $6K – $500K As fast as 24 hours Credit from 600
    8/9 on the record
  9. 89%

    Straight Line Source

    Partner
    $5K – $10M Same day Credit from 500
    8/9 on the record
  10. 78%

    Biz2Credit

    $25K – $2M Decision as fast as 24 hours Credit from 650
    7/9 on the record
  11. 78%

    CAN Capital

    $2K – $400K As fast as the next business day Credit from 600
    7/9 on the record
  12. 78%

    Credibly

    $5K – $10M As fast as 4 hours after approval Credit from 550
    7/9 on the record
published not published Ordered by disclosure, not by what anyone pays us. The score is a count of what a lender publishes, not a rating of the lender.

Lenders that exclude Montana

A published no is worth as much as a published yes, and almost nobody shows it.

Biz2Credit

What Montana itself funds

Montana State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI 2.0) Loan Participation Program (LPP)Administered by Montana Department of Commerce, delivered through participating CDFIs and nonprofit revolving loan funds. "The program is structured to participate directly in a lender loan at a participation rate of 50%." Eligible loan uses include real estate, equipment, working capital, and non-speculative new businesses. Targets rural communities and Native American entrepreneurs. Published amounts: Maximum participation of $1 million per loan; transactions exceeding $20 million are ineligible; participation above $1M requires management approval where the borrower demonstrates revenue growth and employment increases. Fixed interest rate on the SSBCI portion by amortization period: up to 3 years - 50 basis points; 3-5 years - 100 basis points; 5-7 years - 150 basis points; 7-10 years - 200 basis points; 10-15 years - 250 basis points; 15-20 years - 300 basis points. Non-monthly payment schedules add 50 basis points. Eligibility as published: New or existing Montana businesses with fewer than 750 employees that need capital to stabilize, pivot, expand, or restart operations.
Microbusiness Finance ProgramAdministered by Montana Department of Commerce, delivered through certified Microbusiness Development Corporations (MBDCs). Loans to Montana microbusinesses, plus training, technical assistance, underwriting and loan servicing delivered by the certified MBDCs. Since 1991 the program reports over $33.6 million distributed across 1,312 loans. Published amounts: Loans up to $100,000. Interest rates and repayment terms are not published on the state page (they are set by the individual MBDC). Eligibility as published: Montana-based businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees and "gross annual revenues under $1 million".
Business Loan Participation ProgramAdministered by Montana Board of Investments (MBOI). Fixed-rate financing for commercial business loans through approved lenders, funded from the Coal Tax Trust Fund in-state loan program. Published amounts: "Fixed-rate financing up to 25 years"; maximum MBOI participation of 80% where loan-to-value is 75% or less; rates may be reduced "up to 2.50%" via job credits; government-guaranteed loans available for "up to 30 years". Eligibility as published: Montana businesses working through an MBOI-approved lender; job-creation credits available to reduce the rate.
Value-Added Loan ProgramAdministered by Montana Board of Investments (MBOI). Business loans for value-added agricultural and other value-adding operations. Published amounts: "Maximum 15-year loan term"; rates depend on jobs created (2-4% for five years); "Minimum loan size of $250,000"; maximum MBOI participation 75%; "Total amount allocated for the program is $70 million". Eligibility as published: Businesses creating or retaining jobs; must apply through an MBOI-approved lender.
Infrastructure Loan ProgramAdministered by Montana Board of Investments (MBOI). Infrastructure improvements that support basic-sector businesses. The local government is the borrower; the benefiting business creates the jobs. Published amounts: Loan sized at "$16,666" per job with a "$250,000" minimum; "Total amount allocated for this program is $80 million". Eligibility as published: Local government applicants; the benefiting business must create "at least 15 full-time jobs". Full underwriting required.
Intermediary Relending Loan ProgramAdministered by Montana Board of Investments (MBOI). Loans to local economic development organizations that then re-lend to businesses; funds may be used as matching funds. Published amounts: "Maximum loan size is $500,000"; "Interest rate of 2% for 30 year term"; "Total amount allocated for the program is $10 million". Eligibility as published: Economic development organizations serving as lending intermediaries.
Sawmill Revitalization Loan ProgramAdministered by Montana Board of Investments (MBOI). Reopening and revitalizing closed Montana sawmills. Published amounts: "Fixed rate financing up to 25 years"; rates "not to exceed 4%"; maximum MBOI participation 80% where loan-to-value is 75% or less; government-guaranteed loans for "up to 30 years". Eligibility as published: Businesses applying through an MBOI-approved lender; job credits available.
Montana Facility Finance Authority - Economic Development Bonds, healthcare loans/planning grants, and Last Best PACEAdministered by Montana Facility Finance Authority (MFFA), attached to the Montana Department of Commerce. Three initiatives: Economic Development Bonds providing "access to low-cost capital through access to private activity bond financing"; healthcare programs delivering "low-interest loans and planning grants for nonprofit healthcare organizations"; and the Last Best PACE program for Montana businesses making energy efficiency, renewable energy, or building-resilience improvements. Eligibility as published: Nonprofits and businesses seeking capital financing; nonprofit healthcare organizations specifically; Montana businesses undertaking energy efficiency, renewable energy or resilience improvements.

Programs you may still see linked that are not open

Each of these is still reachable from a live government page, and none of them is currently accepting applications. A live link is not an open program, and finding that out after you have built a plan around one costs weeks.

Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund (BSTF) - Job Creation and PlanningCLOSED PROGRAM STILL LINKED FROM A LIVE STATE PAGE. The program page states verbatim: "Commerce is not accepting applications at this time." No reopening date given. Award amounts and per-job amounts are not published on the page.

Federal money behind these programs

Montana was allocated up to $61.3 million under the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative, which is what funds most of the credit enhancements above. SSBCI money reaches businesses through participating lenders rather than from the state directly, so the application still goes through a bank or a CDFI.

What we could not confirm

CENSUS: All four QuickFacts values present, none suppressed as 'X'. SSBCI: Montana's "up to $61.3 million" is confirmed by the Treasury press release PDF dated August 19, 2022 and independently by SSTI (https://ssti.org/blog/treasury-announces-five-more-states-plans-approved-ssbci). The Montana Department of Commerce SSBCI page itself does not state the total allocation. CLOSED PROGRAM FOUND: the Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund page is live and fully linked from Commerce's business assistance navigation but states "Commerce is not accepting applications at this time" - recorded as appears_active=false. PARTIAL CLOSURE: the SSBCI Loan Participation Program's original funds are fully committed and three of eleven participating lenders are explicitly listed as not currently accepting applications. NOT INCLUDED: the Montana Board of Investments INTERCAP program (https://investmentmt.com/INTERCAP/) was checked and is restricted to "eligible Montana government units as defined under 17-5-1604, MCA" - private businesses are not eligible, so it is excluded from this business-financing list. The Montana Department of Commerce business assistance index page (https://commerce.mt.gov/Business/Business-Assistance/) returned a redirect loop on 2026-09-10 and could not be fetched; individual program pages were reached directly instead. CITIES: populations are 2020 decennial census counts. The Wikipedia municipalities table is alphabetical with 129 rows running from Alberton to Wolf Point; an initial single fetch silently omitted Anaconda, Belgrade, Whitefish and Laurel, so the table was re-queried twice (once for all rows 5,000+, once naming ~29 specific municipalities) to confirm completeness at the 8,000 threshold. Whitefish (7,751) and Laurel (7,222) are just under 8,000 and are retained as near-threshold entries so the list is not left too thin, per the ~8,000 instruction.

Cities in Montana

BillingsMissoula

More for Montana

GuideSmall business funding in Montana: the highest small business employment share in the country Two-thirds of Montana's workers are employed by small businesses, and the state's loan participation programme is running on recycled money.

Business funding in Montana — common questions

Can I get business funding in Montana?

Yes. 12 funders in this directory serve businesses in Montana, and 0 of them name Montana explicitly in their published availability rather than being included by default.

Does Montana require lenders to disclose the cost of business financing?

Montana's position is set out on this page. As of 2026 only a small number of states require a commercial financing disclosure, and in the rest you will not receive one — which means you have to ask for the total dollar cost, the term and every fee in writing yourself.

Are there state programmes for small business capital in Montana?

3 state-level programmes are recorded here with a link to the administering agency. Programmes open and close, so confirm the current position on the agency's own site before relying on one.

Is a merchant cash advance legal in Montana?

Commercial financing generally sits outside the consumer credit rules most people have heard of, and most state usury caps do not reach business-purpose transactions. What varies is disclosure, broker registration and lender licensing. This is general information, not legal advice for your situation.

How do I check for liens filed against my business in Montana?

Through Montana's UCC filing office, which is named on this page. Search your exact registered entity name — a filing under a slightly different name will not come back, and neither will a stale one nobody terminated.

Which lenders will not fund in Montana?

Where a funder publishes an excluded-states list, this page shows it. Many publish nothing, which is not the same as being available — it means you have to ask.

Does being based in Montana change what I pay?

Not directly in most cases. What changes is what you are told before you sign, and what recourse you have afterwards, both of which depend on your state's rules and on the jurisdiction clause in the contract.

What should I have ready before applying?

Three months of business bank statements, your time in business from a verifiable date, average monthly deposits, your entity's good standing, and a clear figure for what you need and what for.

How current is this page?

Every figure carries the date it was checked. Where a check has passed its review date the page says so rather than presenting as current.