Small Business Opportunities

Here are select news items that our team thought might be of interest to you!

Greater Milwaukee/Waukesha Area Opportunities

BizStarts

BizStarts is a one-stop resource center that helps entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Work with a coach or a mentor, and make connections to reach your goals.

Brew City Match

Brew City Match is an innovative collaboration that will fuel commercial corridor revival and the resurgence of entrepreneurship in Milwaukee. The program is being launched within the Historic King Drive, North Avenue & Fond du Lac, and Cesar Chavez Drive corridors.

Greater Milwaukee Foundation ThriveOn Small Business Loans

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation through impact investing has committed $1 million in Milwaukee’s Harambee, Halyard Park and Brewers Hill neighborhoods to curtail the negative impacts COVID-19 on small business and the subsequent economic crisis which continues to affect small businesses owned by Black and Brown entrepreneurs.

Second Mortgage Program

Working with conventional lenders, MEDC offers low interest financing to businesses and entrepreneurs for projects that create new employment opportunities, retain jobs, and stabilize neighborhoods.

Capital Access Program

The Capital Access Program provides access to financing for companies in the state of Wisconsin, especially start-ups and small businesses, which may not be able to obtain conventional financing.

MEDC Venture Capital Fund

The M7 Venture Capital Fund provides debt financing in collaboration with equity investment from accredited investors in a non-dilutive manner. This funding is intended to increase the ability of emerging growth companies to access capital that will increase liquidity as well as their ability to reach cash flow break-even and beyond.

MEDC Community Advantage

Community Advantage is a pilot initiative by the SBA aimed at increasing access to capital for underserved communities and borrowers.

Milwaukee County Small Business Recovery Initiative Grant

Grants will be made in amounts ranging from $7,500 to $20,000. MEDC will use the funding to provide grants to businesses facing immediate financial pressure because of Covid-19.

Milwaukee County Revolving Loan Fund

The Milwaukee County Revolving Loan Fund allows Milwaukee County companies to take advantage of low-interest loans to assist in financing their business projects.

Scale Up Milwaukee

Scale Up Milwaukee is, at its very core, an initiative to infuse a greater ambition and capacity to grow into our region. By working directly with ambitious entrepreneurs and the stakeholders that support them, Scale Up Milwaukee helps companies grow, accelerating the environment that makes growth a core, self-sustaining part of the fabric of Milwaukee.

Waukesha County Revolving Loan Fund

The Waukesha County Revolving Loan Fund allows Waukesha County companies to take advantage of low-interest loans to assist in financing their business projects.

Kenosha/Racine/Walworth County Opportunities

Racine Community Foundation

United Way of Racine County has joined forces with Racine Community Foundation to advocate for the needs of local Racine County social service agencies – with a focus of basic needs, who are currently receiving funding from UWRC and/or RCF. The fund has been established to provide flexible financial resources to 501(c)(3) organizations working with clients who are impacted by the Coronavirus.

Greater Madison Area Opportunities

UW-Madison Financial Education Center - Online Modules

In these online modules, you can learn about your financial strengths, gain new money management skills and build knowledge you can share with others–your kids, your spouse, friends, co-workers, and more. Start with the Financial Strengths module below. Then choose another topic you’d like to learn more about.

UW-Madison Financial Education Center

The center is offering services to get you through COVID-19– counseling, educators, coaching, and other online services for free.

Dane County Small Business Pandemic Support Program

There is $10.8 million of available funding to support Dane County locally-owned small businesses with employee retention and to mitigate losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant awards will range from $1,000 to $50,000.

Green Bay/Appleton/Fox Valley Area Opportunities

Southwest Wisconsin Area Opportunities

Rock County Small Business Loan Fund

Rock County Board of Supervisors recently approved a $1 million dollar emergency loan program. This fund, known as the Rock County COVID-19 Emergency Small Business Loan Fund (SBLF), is designed to assist small businesses in Rock County that are experiencing financial difficulties which are directly attributed to the global COVID-19 pandemic

Statewide Opportunities

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation

Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and in all industries are demonstrating resilience, ingenuity and commitment in their response to COVID-19. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is recognizing and rewarding these companies with Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding through the We’re All Innovating Contest (wisconsininnovates.com) administered in partnership with the Wisconsin Technology Council. Applications are due October 18th.

The Aspen Institute

We also host public events and webinars that highlight industry trends, share research results, and illuminate strategies for addressing issues relating to business ownership and economic opportunity. Many of our events are co-sponsored with our colleague programs at the Aspen Institute.

MyWay to Credit

MyWay to Credit is a referral platform that connects small businesses to business mentors and credit options from trusted community lenders. Through our compliant, simple-to-use, and flexible marketplace, we are reinventing the customer experience for small business owners, community organizations and banks.

The HartBeat of Main Street

As the economy continues to deal with the effects of COVID-19, we are committed to supporting small businesses as they work to reopen safely. In partnership with The Hartford, we have created a grant program to support brick-and-mortar businesses in commercial districts as they enter the next phases of reopening across the country.

CTC Quick Chats

CTC will be hosting weekly or bi-weekly “Quick Chats”, where experts from various agencies, organizations, and programs will share their experience with CTC. These 20-30 min chats are a great way to get an introduction to new resources, funding, and programs.

Commercialization Micro-grant

The Business or Commercialization Planning assistance micro-grant can fund up to 75% of the costs, limited to $4500, spent on hiring an approved, independent, third party to write a comprehensive business or commercialization plan for a Wisconsin business.

CTC Webinars

Continual skill development is integral for successful entrepreneurs on along their journey. Explore all of the Institute’s events and webinars around the state for prospective and current business owners across any industry in any part of Wisconsin.

Small Business Fund

The Grow With Google Small Business Fund supports minority and women-owned small businesses, and other underserved local businesses, are facing unprecedented challenges as they navigate COVID-19.

Google Grant Program

OFN and Google.org launched the Google.org Grant Program to provide critically needed funds to CDFIs lending to entrepreneurs in the most financially underserved communities across the U.S. This equity capital will enable CDFIs to offer lower cost, more flexible loan products and build capacity to support both the short-term recovery and long-term financing needs of America’s small businesses, including nonprofits.

Small Business Finance Forum

On June 16 and 17, OFN held its ninth annual Small Business Finance Forum. This year’s Forum focused on ensuring a shared recovery for financially underserved small businesses across America impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic decline, and persistent racial inequity. This site includes both free and paid content from the live virtual event and will be accessible until July 2021.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories were able to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000.

Express Bridge Loans

Express Bridge Loans enable small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.

Wisconsin Small Business Development Center

Explore all of the SBDC’s events around the state for prospective and current business owners looking to expand their skill set, network, receive guidance or connect to the Wisconsin entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Small Business Administration

The Small Business Administration Learning Center has courses for business owners.

Social Enterprise Alliance Mentorship Program

Introducing SEA’s Mentorship Program, an initiative that gives members the opportunity to connect with seasoned, successful social enterprise leaders and business experts for advice, instruction and support.

Social Enterprise Alliance Webinars

This webinar series will explore the growing landscape of conscious online marketplaces and equip social enterprises with the knowledge and tools they need to access these markets and sell their products. Many social enterprises only sell on their own websites, thereby missing out on opportunities for expansion of their audience and profits.

Score Classes

Our on-demand classes allow you to learn at your own pace on a variety of small business topics.

Score Mentoring

Navigating this unprecedented crisis is new for small business owners, so it helps to have trusted mentors who can provide guidance along the way. And we know you need advice quickly. This new method of mentoring shortens the time a client connects with a SCORE mentor from days to minutes.

Score Webinars

SCORE hosts free, LIVE webinars every week on small business tips and strategies. See our upcoming offerings.

Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority

WHEDA offers many tools to help Wisconsin businesses grow and thrive!