In response to the strain placed on small businesses by the COVID-19 pandemic, WEDC has funded the Ethnic Minority Emergency Grant (EMEG) initiative. This initiative will award grants of $2,000 per company to ethnic minority-owned businesses with five or fewer full-time equivalent employees (including the owner) in the retail, service or hospitality sectors that have not received assistance through the Small Business 20/20 Program or the federal CARES Act and/or Paycheck Protection Program.

This one-time, temporary initiative will accept applications from May 18-24, 2020. Companies that meet the program criteria can apply through one of Wisconsin’s Collective Ethnic and Diverse Organizations during the application window. If the applications received exceed the funds available, companies will be selected at random from the pool of pre-qualified applicants that meet all program criteria.

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