Wisconsin Nonprofits Receiving Grants From WEDC to Help Small Businesses Grow

Monday, February 21st, 2022 -- 11:01 AM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) Five Wisconsin nonprofits aiming to help small businesses grow are getting grants from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

W E D C entrepreneurship director Ed Javier says the 170-thousand dollars in grants doesn't sound like a lot, but it's being targeted to places where it can do the most good. "This is kind of like in the startup world, we call this kind of like the pilots, right? Where to see if, hey, they have an idea of increasing entrepreneurship for the state. Let's give them some funding to try it."

Javier says they're putting some of that funding in Wausau and Rhinelander to help spur growth outside of southern Wisconsin. "Looking at what we called under-represented I either locations or populations and this was one of those that fit perfectly."

Javier says the state wants to build up Wisconsin's business ecosystem. "Make entrepreneurship be contagious where others see that, look what they're doing. I want to do that too!"

Groups receiving the funding include the Hmong American Center in Wausau, Nicolet College and Rising Queens in Beloit.

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