MADISON, Wis. — The Dane County Board is expected to approve $15 million in funding Thursday night for a small business grant program meant to help local small businesses recover from the pandemic.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi initially announced the additional funding for the county’s Small Business Pandemic Support Grant Program in mid-March.
“So many of our businesses are continuing to struggle to make ends meet and rebound from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year,” Parisi said. “While recovery will not happen overnight, these grants play a crucial role in helping our local economy and area businesses bounce back. A huge thank you goes out to Dane Buy Local for partnering with us on this effort and working to get these grants out and into our community as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Funds for the grant program will come from money the county received from the federal American Rescue Plan passed earlier this year.
The grant program was first launched in April 2020 with $800,000 in funding. In January of this year, Dane Buy Local awarded $4 million in grants to more than 400 businesses in Dane County. The average grant amounted to $10,000.
Dane Buy Local plans to administer the third round of grants once approved by the county board. Applications will be available starting next week on Dane Buy Local’s website. Applications will remain open until funds run out.
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
