Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is currently accepting applications for over $33 million in grants designed to assist movie theaters, event venues, and the live event small businesses that support them, which were all impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Event Venue and Live Event Small Business grant programs will provide funding of up to $200,000 per eligible organization, for a total of $10 million and $12 million respectively, while the Movie Theater grant will provide funding up to $15,000 per screen, for a total of $11.25 million. Applications are open until October 15.

The funds are part of the governor's previously announced more than $150 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for Wisconsin's tourism and entertainment industries.

• Additional information about the Event Venue Grant Program is available here: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/EventVenueAssistance.aspx
• Additional information about the Live Event Small Business Grant Program is available here: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/LiveEventSmallBusinessAssistanceGrants.aspx
• Additional information about the Movie Theater Grant Program is available here: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/movietheaterassistancegrants.aspx

DOA is currently accepting applications for $10.8 million in grants designed to assist overnight, for-profit summer camps serving school-aged children and persons with disabilities, and Minor League sports team organizations that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minor League Sports Teams Grant program will provide funding of up to $200,000 per eligible organization, for a total of $2.8 million, while the Summer Camp Grant program will provide funding up to $50,000 per eligible organization, for a total of $8 million. The funds are part of the governor's previously announced more than $150 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for Wisconsin's tourism and entertainment industries.

Applications are open through October 15.

Entities that received a Beyond the Classroom grant under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, youth sports teams, recreational teams, and sports teams affiliated with higher education institutions are ineligible.  

• Additional information about the Summer Camp Grant Program is available here: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/SummerCampAssistanceGrants.aspx
• Additional information about the Minor League Sports Teams Grant Program is available here: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/MinorLeagueSportsTeamsAssistanceGrants.aspx

The Workforce Innovation Grant Program offers grants from $250,000 up to $10 million to regional economic development partners to design and implement innovative plans to tackle their communities’ most pressing workforce challenges.

The grants will be available to nonprofit or governmental entities to meet local workforce needs, such as childcare, transportation issues, upskilling and re-skilling workers, or career counseling and coaching services, and may be used to support initiatives like training, planning, marketing, or developing pilot programs that can be applied in other communities. Grant funds cannot be used to replace existing public resources.

The grants will be funded with federal ARPA funding and administered through an inter-agency effort that includes the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), and the Department of Administration (DOA). Applications are open through October 25, 2021.  

View a recording from recent informational webinar to learn how to submit your application.  

Grant applications, frequently asked questions, and program guidelines are available here: https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/workforce-innovation-grant/  

The Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program (WERA) provides up to 15 months of assistance with current or overdue bills to help households that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic avoid eviction. More than 15,000 Wisconsinites have already received help with rent and utilities statewide. Even with the end of the moratorium on evictions, help is still available for eligible households through WISCAP agencies and Energy Services. The program is funded by the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration.

Additional information about the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program is available here: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/WERA.aspx

Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) awarded more than $70 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to members of Wisconsin's lodging industry. Grants of up to $2 million were released on August 6, 2021 to 888 lodging businesses around the state, to help them offset some of the losses they incurred during the pandemic. 

Final list of grant recipients for this and other DOR-managed COVID-relief programs is available here: https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/OnlineServices/WAI-Search.aspx  

Additional information about the Wisconsin Tomorrow Lodging Grant program is available here: https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/TaxPro/2021/WITomorrowLodgingRecoveryGrant.aspx

The Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) program is currently under development, aiming to provide $92.7 million in grants to owner-occupied households who have experienced a COVID-19 related financial hardship, based on income level. Eligible types of expenses under this program may include: mortgage and interest payments, real estate taxes, condominium and association fees. Vacation homes, rentals, cabins, and second homes are ineligible for assistance through WHH.

Once approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, WHH will be funded through the federal homeowner assistance fund program established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

For more information and to view public hearing recordings, visit: https://doa.wi.gov/Pages/LocalGovtsGrants/Homeowner-Assistance.aspx  or  homeownerhelp.wisconsin.gov.