Racine County, in partnership with the Racine County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC), has received a $500,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) to help local small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So many small businesses in Racine County have been hit hard by COVID-19,” County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said. “I’m thankful this funding will help support our well-deserving local businesses as we work to end and recover from the pandemic.”
Eligible Racine County businesses are those with five or less employees that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and need funding for operations, consultant and coaching costs, or training. Because the source of the grant is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, low-to-moderate-income requirements will apply. This grant will not be available to businesses located in the City of Racine because the City received its own allocation directly from HUD.
“I truly appreciate the partnership RCEDC has with Racine County in our joint effort to support local businesses,” RCEDC Executive Director Jenny Trick said. “RCEDC’s lending team, led by Carolyn Engel, is diligently completing the administrative tasks required to establish the program, applications, and the review process to begin to distribute these dollars. I expect grant applications will be available in May 2021.”
More details about the grant program and application materials will be made available soon. For up-to-date information, please visit rcedc.org/cdbg.