WEDC will provide $2,500 grants to 30,000 businesses statewide

MADISON, June 15, 2020 – The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) today began accepting applications online for the $75 million We’re All In Small Business Grant (WSBG) Program. The online application will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23.

The program, which will provide $2,500 grants to 30,000 small businesses, is designed to help small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, while also encouraging them to adopt best practices to keep employees, customers and communities safe.

“Many small businesses are struggling to adapt to the changes brought by the pandemic,” said Missy Hughes, WEDC Secretary and CEO. “The We’re All In Small Business Grants are intended to provide the ‘starter fluid’ to get these economic engines running again.”

Funded primarily by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the grants will help small businesses with the costs of business interruption or health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages and inventory.

The online application, FAQs, and other information about the grant can be found at wedc.org/WAI-Small-Business-Grant. The online grant application will be open at the same site from 8 a.m. Monday, June 15, through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 23. WEDC anticipates releasing the first round of payments by the end of June.

A business may apply for the We’re All In Small Business Grant if it:

• Started operating prior to Jan. 1, 2020, and was operating as of Feb. 2020;
• Is Wisconsin-based and for-profit;
• Employs 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, including the owner; and
• Has more than $0 but less than $1 million in annual

Businesses will not be eligible for the grants if they are:

To prepare for the online application process, businesses should be ready to upload the following documents to the WEDC application:

• 2018 or 2019 federal tax return for business. (Businesses started in 2020 are not eligible for this)
• Signed and dated W-9 form available at irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf. An email or letter of acknowledgement from a community organization indicating the business was in operation in February 2020. Letters or emails can be from any of the following:
  • Chamber of commerce
  • Main Street or Connect Communities organization
  • Local business improvement district
  • Neighborhood economic development association
  • Local economic development organization
  • County economic development organization
  • Municipality, including tribal government
  • County
  • Local bank, credit union or community development financial institution
  • Regional UW Small Business Development Center
  • S. Export Assistance Center – Wisconsin
  • Regional economic development organization
  • Regional Planning Commission
  • Trade association

Sample text for a letter or email can be found at wedc.org/WAI-Small-Business-Grant.

• Three-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code that best fits the business. This information may be included in a business’s tax return, or through the NAICS website: https://www.naics.com/naics-code-description/.

Grant recipients will become We’re All In businesses by pledging to observe safety protocols in their shops, cafes and places of work to protect their customers, employees, and communities. This network of Main Street businesses will form the backbone of a broader We’re All In initiative to be joined by major Wisconsin businesses, communities and other associations to encourage support for and demonstrate best health and safety practices in public places.