Evers Announces More Than $46M In Support To Small Businesses

Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) and the Department of Revenue, announced more than $46 million to support an estimated 9,300 small businesses across Wisconsin.

The announcement comes as WEDC released a new report, “Wisconsin Tomorrow: Building an Economy for All,” outlining the state’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

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“Our small businesses have had to innovate to stay afloat this past year and that’s why it’s critically important we make sure they have the resources to recover and bounce back from this pandemic,” Evers said in a press release. “The ‘We’re All In’ program has been a great way to help support our small businesses and their workers, and we’re going to keep doing more for our businesses and industries, our communities … in the months ahead.”

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The more than $46 million in new grants are funded through federal coronavirus relief. And while the funding was slated to expire at the end of 2020, the deadline has been extended until the end of 2021.

During the pandemic, Evers has used more than $370 million in coronavirus relief funds to support Wisconsin businesses, including nearly 53,000 small businesses, more than 15,000 farms, and the lodging, hospitality and tourism industries.

Demand for the program has exceeded available funding, and the $46 million in new grants will be distributed to small businesses that applied for pandemic relief through last year but for which additional funds were not available.

“The ‘We’re All In’ grants have been extremely important to Wisconsin’s business community,” said Missy Hughes, WEDC secretary and CEO. “I’m so happy that more funding is available to ensure that all qualified applicants will receive assistance.“

“The Department of Revenue will be processing these grants as quickly as possible to get needed aid to businesses quickly,” said Peter Barca, DOR secretary. “We have seen the difference these types of grants can make for small businesses.“