Grant program to help small businesses find homes in Wisconsin

SHAWNA KONIECZNY

The Wisconsin Tomorrow Main Street Bounceback Grant Program is a newly formed program to help small businesses establish themselves in Wisconsin. On Wednesday, the program was announced at Huey’s Hideaway Children’s Museum on their new outdoor stage.

In April, Gov. Tony Evers announced the state would dedicate $50 million toward helping small business owners open physical locations and helping communities fill vacant storefronts. Funded by the state’s share of the federal American Recovery Plan Act, businesses and nonprofits eligible could receive $10,000. The grant money may be used for rent or mortgage payments, operating expenses, building repairs, improvements, and more.

To be eligible to apply, businesses and nonprofits must be moving into a vacant commercial space within Wisconsin. The business or nonprofit cannot be vacating another location by relocating in order to be eligible. The grant program is meant to help new businesses find a physical location to operate and give support to existing businesses that want to expand. National and regional chains, unless owned by an independent franchisee, are ineligible.

While the focus is on main street, which has a lot of vacant spaces, the grant is available for any commercial vacant space in Medford. It was emphasized that they want as many people and businesses applying as possible as it is anticipated that one million dollars gets brought into the region through this program. The application process opens on Monday, Aug. 9 and will remain open through June 2022.

In order to help promote the program and assist businesses and nonprofits in getting grant money, the Medford Chamber of Commerce is hosting a workshop on Wednesday, Aug. 11 for people to come in and get assistance on the application. The workshop will be at the Chamber of Commerce at 104 E. Perkins St. at 2 p.m.