​City shares 'We’re All In' small business grant opportunity

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The City of Wisconsin Rapids encourages the small business community to take advantage of a timely grant opportunity. The We’re All In Small Business Grant will provide $2,500 grants to 30,000 Wisconsin small businesses to assist with the costs of business interruption or for health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages and inventory.

Funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is NOW accepting applications online. The deadline to apply is 11:59 pm on Tuesday, June 23rd.

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.
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.
• Signed W-9 form available at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf
• An email or letter of acknowledgment from a community organization indicating your business was in operation in February 2020.
• Three-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code that best fits their business. This information may be found on a business’s tax return, or through the NAICS website: www.naics.com/naics-code-description.

The Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce is accepting requests for letters of acknowledgement. Businesses looking to secure an acknowledgment letter should download the template from the WEDC website and email their request with the filled form to Krista Coon, Vice President for the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, at vp@wisconsinrapidschamber.com. If you prefer to receive a letter of acknowledgement from the City of Wisconsin Rapids, please contact Kyle Kearns, Director of Community Development, at kkearns@wirapids.org.

“Our local small businesses are vital to the future of our community,“ Mayor Shane Blaser said. “I hope that this opportunity can provide much-needed support to businesses as they navigate changing, challenging conditions.”

​For questions about the grant opportunity, visit wedc.org/wai-small-business-grant-frequently-asked-questions/ or call WEDC at 608-210-6700. For media inquiries or general questions, please contact the Mayor’s Office at mayor@wirapids.org.