Neillsville Selected for 2026 Thrive Rural Wisconsin Program

Friday, March 6th, 2026 -- 10:00 AM

Ten rural communities, including Neillsville, have been selected for the 2026 Thrive Rural Wisconsin program, which provides up to $50,000 in grants plus two years of planning and grant-writing assistance through WEDC’s Office of Rural Prosperity.

Thrive Rural partners work with selected communities on projects ranging from housing and downtown redevelopment to childcare, outdoor recreation, cultural spaces, and trail-based tourism.

Other participants are Adams County, Shawano/Wittenberg, Gilman, Red Cliff, Three Lakes, Vilas County, Gillett, Norwalk and Viroqua. WEDC Secretary and CEO John W. Miller notes that Thrive Rural helps small communities turn big ideas into action by providing expertise and capacity often unavailable in rural areas.

The Neillsville Improvement Corporation Inc.’s application, for the City of Neillsville, recognizes that creating a westbound non-motorized pedestrian/bike trail to The Highground and other Clark County locations, like Levis Mound and Hatfield, would create a significant impact on our local rural economy.

Outdoor recreation contributed more than $11 billion to Wisconsin’s economy in 2023 and that number continues to rise. Local trail systems that connect to regional trails create opportunities for branding and destination-based economies.

The project also includes the exploration of further ways to redevelop Neillsville’s downtown, encouraging trail users to stop, shop, and dine locally. Achieving this goal will require a thoughtful community engagement process, as well as the identification of resources to support plan development and the creation of conceptual design plans.

For this part of the project, assessment of building conditions, accessibility, and business mix will help define possible downtown redevelopment efforts.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.