Bill > HB757

This bill revises the criteria for awarding cultural and aesthetic project grants in Montana by establishing a two-part ranking system for grant applications. First, the bill prioritizes applicants based on their previous grant history, with the highest priority given to first-time applicants and descending priority for organizations that have received one, two, or three grants in the previous three funding cycles. Second, the bill ranks applicants according to their annual operating budget, giving the highest priority to smaller organizations with budgets under $100,000 and progressively lower priority to organizations with larger budgets up to $500,000 or more. The bill also allows the advisory committee to adjust budget limits periodically to account for inflation. Additionally, the legislation provides a waiver option for smaller organizations (with budgets under $100,000 that do not use federal funds) from obtaining a federal System for Award Management (SAM) number if doing so would be burdensome. The bill amends existing law to incorporate these new prioritization criteria and provides flexibility for the cultural and aesthetic projects advisory committee in reviewing and recommending grant proposals to the legislature.

Budget and Finance

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC2597