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Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on June 5

This program is designed to help small businesses get back on their feet amid the COVID-19 pandemic while also encouraging them to adopt best practices to keep employees, customers and communities safe. Funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and announced by Governor Evers on May 18 We're All In Announcement, the grants will help small businesses with the costs of business interruption or for health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages and inventory.

A business may apply for the We’re All In Small Business Grant if it: 

• Was in business in February 2020. Businesses that started in 2020 are not eligible;
• Is Wisconsin-based and for-profit;
• Employs 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, including the owner; and
• Has more than $0 but less than $1 million in annual revenues.

Businesses will not be eligible for the grants if they are: 

• Part of a national chain, unless the business is a third-party franchise

Industries covered by other Wisconsin CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund programs are also ineligible for this program. These are:

• Crop Production
• Animal Production or Aquaculture
• Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/LocalGovtsGrants/COVID-Grants.aspx)

To prepare for the online application process, businesses should be ready to upload the following documents to the WEDC application: 

• 2018 or 2019 federal tax return for business. (If you started your business in 2020, you are not eligible for this grant.)
• Signed W-9 form available at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9
• An email or letter of acknowledgement from a community organization indicating your business was in operation in February 2020. 

Letters or emails can be from any of the following:

• Chamber of commerce
• Main Street or Connect Communities organization 
• Local business improvement district
• Neighborhood economic development association 
• Local economic development organization
• County economic development organization 
• Municipality, including tribal government
• County
• Local bank, credit union or community development financial institution
• Regional UW Small Business Development Center
• U.S Export Assistance Center - Wisconsin 
• Regional economic development organization
• Regional Planning Commission
• Trade association

Contact our office if you need a letter!

The application period for this grant will open on June 15 at 8 a.m. More detailed information is available at https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/wai-small-business-grant/

Origina source can be found here.