We’re here to provide a return on investment.
For the team at WEDC, Wisconsin’s success is our reward. We’re constantly evaluating our return on investment to maximize our impact. We employ a variety of measures to gauge the effects of our economic development investments, which range from tax credits for investments in early-stage companies to export readiness programs, industry cluster advancement strategies, and downtown redevelopment financing. Tallied here are the total measurable outcomes of WEDC’s FY26 economic development investments, including capital investment and job impact data as required in this report.
| RECIPIENT | ASSISTED BY WEDC | FY26 GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 1,085 | 1,287 |
| Communities | 173 | 166 |
| Partner Organizations | 47 | 84 |
Financial Awards
| Award Type | # of Awards | Award Amount | Leverage Ratio* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonds | 1 | $10,000,000 | – |
| Grants | 225 | $39,264,796 | 10:1 |
| Investor Credits | 42 | $111,000,000 | 4:1 |
| Loans | 2 | $700,000 | 5:1 |
| Tax Credits | 76 | $189,874,180 | 22:1 |
| Tax Exemption | 1 | – | – |
| Venture Fund | 7 | $4,609,314 | – |
| Total | 354 | $355,448,290 | 15:1 |
| FY26 LEVERAGE GOAL | 16:1 |
* WEDC includes a project’s total project investment as reported by the company in this leverage ratio calculation in order to capture the complete impact of a project.
$4.7 Billion
Capital investment supported by WEDC awards
A note about capital investment:
The benefits of WEDC’s investments do not end with the capital investment made by the company receiving financial assistance. When a company spends millions of dollars on an expansion project, for example, much of that money is pumped into the local economy through the direct purchasing of contractor services.
Job Impact
| JOBS TO BE CREATED | JOBS TO BE RETAINED | TOTAL JOBS IMPACTED* | FY26 GOAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2,942 | 0 | 2,942 | 7,255 |
*WEDC tax credit programs do not provide direct incentives for retaining jobs. However, recipients are required to maintain specified employment levels to retain eligibility for awarded credits. Job retention may be reported as an outcome of the program, but it is not a distinct incentivized or contractually required metric.
2,942
Jobs supported by WEDC awards
A note about job impact:
Not all WEDC financial assistance contracts include a job impact requirement. For those that do, this measurement reflects the number of jobs that will be either created or retained as a direct result of the investment. That job impact number is recorded in the contract and the award is contingent upon its attainment. WEDC reports the total impact of the jobs in the year the contract is executed, and tracks performance progress to that impact goal throughout the life of the project.
