Yesterday, the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) announced it is accepting applications for over $33 million in grants designed to assist event venues, movie theaters and live event small businesses that were 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 program will provide funding up to $15,000 per screen, for a total of $11.25 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, including:
- $11.25 million for movie theaters; Applications started 9/16/2021
- $12 million for live event small businesses; Applications started 9/16/2021
- $10 million for event venues; Applications started 9/16/2021
- $10 million for local tourism investment projects;
- $75 million for lodging grants;
- $2.8 million for minor league sports teams;
- $15 million for destination marketing organizations;
- $8 million for summer camps;
- $1 million for the Wisconsin Historical Society to assist in reopening historical sites; and
- $7.5 million to increase marketing support for Wisconsin's tourism industry.
The grant applications launched yesterday will be administered by DOA, and will remain open until October 15, 2021. Grant recipients will be announced later this fall. Also, the other grant opportunities listed above are expected to be announced later this fall.
Additional information, including grant program criteria, is available on the program websites listed below. Applicants are encouraged to submit questions and check the program web pages for updates.
I have placed the quick links for all the applications here for easier review of the grant requirements:
