SUMMARY
Administering Agency: Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Montana Energy Bureau
Funding Amount: Approximately $10.34 million available statewide
Grant Size: $50,000 minimum award, $1.5 Million maximum award
Match Requirement: Cost share depends on applicant type:
- Small utilities (<4 million MWh annually): minimum 33% match plus 15.5% additional match
- Other eligible entities (>4 million MWh annually): 100% match plus 15.5% additional match
Applications Due:
- Phase 1 Draft Application: September 17, 2026, at 2:00 PM MT
- Phase 2 Final Application: November 12, 2026, at 2:00 PM MT
Eligible Applicants: Electric grid operators
- Transmission owners/operators
- Distribution utilities/providers
- Electricity generators
- Electricity storage operators
- Fuel suppliers
Applicants must serve projects located within Montana.
Program Purpose: This program supports projects that improve the reliability and resilience of Montana’s electric grid, reduce outage impacts, mitigate wildfire and severe weather risks, and strengthen the state’s energy workforce. Funding is provided through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid Formula Grant Program authorized under IIJA Section 40101(d).
Eligible Project Types:
- Grid hardening and resilience upgrades
- Undergrounding electrical infrastructure
- Fire-resistant technologies and wildfire mitigation systems
- Advanced monitoring and control technologies
- Adaptive protection technologies
- Advanced grid modeling tools
- Utility pole management
- Vegetation and fuel load management
- Reconductoring and relocation of power lines
- Microgrids
- Battery storage components supporting resilience
- Replacement of aging conductors and underground cables
- Workforce training directly tied to eligible infrastructure project
Ineligible Projects:
- New electric generation facilities
- Stand-alone battery storage projects not tied to resilience benefits
- Cybersecurity-only projects
- Projects outside Montana
- Demonstration projects using non-commercial technologies
- Costs incurred before award execution
Link: https://deq.mt.gov/energy/Programs/grid
