Are you an entrepreneur who has financially suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic? Small businesses in Wisconsin will be able to apply starting Monday, June 15, for a new grant program through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm Tuesday, June 23.

The “We’re All In” Small Business Grant program will provide 30,000 Badger State small businesses with grants worth $2,500 each, the WEDC said in a news release. The program, the department said, “is designed to help small businesses get back on their feet amid the COVID-19 pandemic while also encouraging them to adopt best practices to keep employees, customers, and communities safe.”

“Small businesses have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. The ‘We’re All In’ Small Business Grants are intended to provide the ‘starter fluid’ to get these economic engines running again.” –Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. 

“Small businesses have been hit especially hard 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.”

Funding for the grants comes primarily from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

If you think your business may qualify for the grant, here’s some further information on applying:

FAQs about the grant and the materials businesses will need to apply can be found at wedc.org/WAI-Small-Business-Grant. The online grant application will be accessible at the same site from 8 a.m. Monday, June 15, through 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 23. Sunday, June 21.

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

• Was in business in February 2020. Businesses that started in 2020 are not eligible;
• 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 revenues.

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

• Part of a national chain, unless the business is a third-party franchise;
• Industries covered by other Wisconsin CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund programs are ineligible for this program. These are: Crop Production, Animal Production or Aquaculture, and Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings.

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. (If you started your business in 2020, you are not eligible for this grant.)
• Signed W-9 form available at www.irs.gov.
• An email or letter of acknowledgement from a community organization indicating your 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
  • U.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 their business. This information may be included in a business’s tax return, or through the NAICS website.

Grant recipients will become “We’re All In” businesses by pledging to safety protocols and using them 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 the broader We’re All In initiative, along with support from major Wisconsin businesses, communities and other associations to show support for best health and safety practices in the workplace.