Montana Geospatial Information Act (MGIA) Revenue & FY2026 Grants Update

Last spring the Montana State Library announced that it was tracking historically low revenue from the fees collected for recording documents used to fund geospatial coordination and grants in Montana. As a result, the State Library suspended its Montana Geospatial Information Act grant program for fiscal year 2025. Revenue collections have not returned to a level at which the State Library can afford to fund new grants. At the January 16, 2025 Montana Geospatial Advisory Council meeting, the State Library announced that MGIA grant program remains suspended through fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026). The Montana State Library will conduct an internal review of the MGIA Grant Program and present findings to the Council at the September 2025 Council Meeting.
Thank you for your understanding and support. As always, please let me know if you have questions.
Jennie Stapp, State Librarian
Montana State Library
jstapp2@mt.gov

In accordance with the Montana Geospatial Information Act  (MGIA), the Montana State Library administers an annual grant program to distribute accumulated funds from the Montana Geospatial Information Account, established by MGIA. Grant applications are evaluated by the State Library and its advisory council, the  Montana Geospatial Information Advisory Council,  and follow the  MGIA Council Code of Ethics . Grant criteria are established based on the original intent of the MGIA and the goals and objectives of the annual Montana Geospatial Information Plan.

Please direct all grant program questions to MGIAGrants@mt.gov.

Awarded Grant Projects:

• View Awarded Grant Projects: Link
  
• MGIA Grant Projects History Dashboard (FY20-24): Link

MGIA Grant Trainings & Educational Materials:

• MGIA FY2025 Grant Writing Seminar Series #2 - 1/24/23 - YouTube Recording Link and Presentation Slides.
• Application Registration Process Demonstration Video - Link
• 2023 Grant Proposal Writing Workshop - January 27, 2023
• 2022 Grant Writing Workshop Recording - vimeo
• 2019 Grant Writing Workshop Recording - vimeo

Eligible Grant Recipients

The MGIA grant program was established for the purpose of implementing the Montana Geospatial Information Plan  --  MCA 90-1-404

Eligible grant recipients:

• state agencies
• local governments/agencies
• Indian tribal governments or tribal entities