BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Employee Ownership Webinar | October 24, 9-10 am (Virtual) – Please join the UW Center for Cooperatives for a webinar to learn about the benefits of converting to a cooperative as a business succession plan! This webinar is free, but registration is required.

2024 FEED Summit in Milwaukee | October 28-29 (Milwaukee, WI) – The Community Food Systems Program’s Food Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (FEED) Initiative is a statewide program that promotes food entrepreneurship training and network development for value-added producers and individuals facing structural barriers to food entrepreneurship. Join us for business workshops, networking sessions, great local food, and field trips to Milwaukee food businesses!

21st Annual Women’s Business Conference | October 30, 7:30 am-4 pm (Eau Claire, WI) – Attend this phenomenal event featuring respected speakers, entrepreneurs, and visionaries! Designed to inspire and connect you with other empowering women, this event will provide you with the resources you are looking for to start, improve, or expand your business. At this full-day conference, you’ll learn from established members of the business community in Western Wisconsin, talk to business assistance providers, and network with other women in business.

COMMUNITY & PLACEMAKING

The League of Wisconsin Municipalities 126th Annual Fall Conference | October 23-25 (Madison, WI) – The League’s 126th Annual Fall Conference is a place for municipal staff and elected officials to find encouragement in a community of local government enthusiasts, share experiences, and together create the future. Our 2024 conference will uplift stories of excellent community service, inspirational ideas, and practical solutions. We will provide the building blocks to create better organizations. You will walk away inspiring ideas.

ECONOMY

2024 Wisconsin Economic Summit | October 15-16 (La Crosse, WI) – Each year, WEDC invites its network of economic development partners, its ambassadors, and industry experts to gather, connect, reflect, and learn from each other. This two-day event provides a recap of the economic successes and challenges of the past year, a look at the state of Wisconsin’s economy, and deep dives into trending economic topics that affect Wisconsin.

ENERGY

Climate Fast Forward 2024 | November 14-15 (Rothschild, WI) – The Climate Fast Forward conference, hosted by the Wisconsin Academy, will bring together over 400 stakeholders representing many different sectors and audiences, including climate change policy and planning, climate justice, natural climate solutions, building efficiency, resilient infrastructure, renewable energy, and more.

HOUSING

Incorporating AI into Housing and Community Development | October 17, 2-3 pm (Eastern Time – Virtual) – A 2-part presentation exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Extension projects that address critical community issues in the North Central Region. Part 1: AI-Driven Detection and Mapping of Manufactured Housing Communities. Part 2: Exploring the Potential Role of AI in Community Development.

BROADBAND

2024 Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access – This is the fourth annual report of the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access. Since the Task Force’s last report, the Wisconsin Broadband Office (WBO) at the Public Service Commission (PSC) wrapped up its planning efforts under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) Internet for All initiative by submitting the Wisconsin Digital Equity Plan and Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan.

Broadband Toolkit – This Broadband Toolkit prepares Wisconsin communities to increase broadband access for all by engaging local stakeholders in the planning process and developing a comprehensive implementation strategy. The Toolkit is designed to provide maximum flexibility to users – it can be utilized either sequentially, by starting at the beginning and working through each module in order, or selectively, by choosing individual modules based on specific needs and interests.

BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Entrepreneurial Policy Recommendations – As part of a grant with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation we have worked with entrepreneurs in the heartland to better understand the policy barriers they faced when starting and scaling their businesses. As part of these efforts, we hosted short conversations with small groups of entrepreneurs, midsize city mayors, gubernatorial offices and local elected officials working on small business and entrepreneurial issues.

Business Owners of Color in Wisconsin: Representation, Profitability, and Growth Report and Policy Brief – Wisconsin follows the nationwide trend of a relatively small yet growing number of diverse business owners. This recent growth suggests a promising and economically important future for diverse business owners despite evidence that they face significant challenges. This report and supporting policy brief outline data and trends within the state of Wisconsin and chart out strategies for entrepreneurial growth.

COMMUNITY & PLACEMAKING

Neighborhood Atlas –The Neighborhood Atlas website was created in order to freely share measures of neighborhood disadvantage with the public, including educational institutions, health systems, not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies, in order to make these metrics available for use in research, program planning, and policy development.

Native Community Data Profiles Tool – This data tool connects information on Native places and people. An innovative new resource expands access to community-level data on a variety of topics, helping to bridge data gaps in Indian Country. Explore the Native Community Data Profiles resource.

ECONOMY

WEDI Economic Development Toolbox Handbook – The Wisconsin Economic Development Institute (WEDI) Economic Development Toolbox Handbook is a catalog and overview of state economic and community development programs in Wisconsin. The Handbook has been developed to provide a one-stop, user friendly resource for economic development professionals on programs and incentives offered by Wisconsin state agencies to drive economic growth and prosperity. The platform provides information on how loans, grants, and tax credits can support economic opportunities in your communities.

Stronger Together – The Joint Planning Resource Guide by USDA Rural Development and US Department of Congress Economic Development Administration is a new web-based publication to share federal funding and planning opportunities designed to promote sustainable economic development in rural America. The Guide has four focus areas: Planning and Technical Assistance, Infrastructure and High-speed Internet Expansion, Entrepreneurship and Business Assistance and Workforce Development and Livability.

ENERGY

Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook – Need help finding funding via Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) programs for climate related activities?  The White House has issued this Guide Book to give a one-stop overview of the clean energy, climate mitigation and resilience, agriculture, and conservation-related investment IRA programs, including who is eligible to apply for funding and for what activities.

WORKFORCE

Female Labor Force Participation in the Post-Pandemic Era – As part of our Spotlight on Childcare and the Labor Market, a targeted effort to understand how access to childcare can affect employment and the economy, this article documents a striking change in the American labor market: The labor force participation rate for women is higher than it was prior to the pandemic. Most strikingly, women with young children at home, those most in need of childcare, have experienced the largest increases in labor force participation. In contrast, the labor force participation rate of men and the overall labor force participation rate are still below their pre-pandemic levels. Among women with young children, college-educated women have experienced the largest increases in labor market participation.

Geographic Access to Child Care in Wisconsin – The Applied Population Lab has created this story map looking at access to child care. This mapping is part of the PDG comprehensive Needs Assessment to further understand the impact physical access to care might have on families with young children. This analysis only shows the geographic dimension of access to child care and does not indicate whether a family can afford to pay for child care.

BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Red Letter Grant – Open to women throughout 18 counties in western Wisconsin who want to start a NEW business. We consider the start-up phase to be three years old or younger. Expansions of businesses older than three years and franchises are not eligible.

Small Business Development Grant Program – The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s (WEDC’s) Small Business Development Grant (SBDG) Program encourages communities and economic development partners to invest in their small businesses. The program offers financial incentives for these communities and organizations to develop innovative programs that directly support small businesses and small business creation.

Healthy Food Financing Initiative – The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) provides loans, grants, and technical assistance resources to improve and support access to fresh, healthy, affordable food in urban and rural underserved communities. HFFI is using additional USDA-allocated American Rescue Plan Act resources to expand its services and reach.

Intermediary Relending Program – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development provides funds to local lenders or “intermediaries” that re-lend to businesses to improve economic conditions and create new opportunities in rural communities.

COMMUNITY & PLACEMAKING

Recreation Economy for Rural Communities – The Recreation Economy for Rural Communities planning assistance program helps communities identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and revitalize their main streets.

Foundation for Rural Service Community Grant Program – Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) offers this program to support local efforts to build and sustain a high quality of life in rural communities. Focus areas include business development, community development, education, and telecommunications.

Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program – U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) offers funding for projects that reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity. The program seeks to award funding to rural and tribal communities that face unique challenges related to mobility and economic development.

Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program – This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program – This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

ECONOMY

Strategic Economic and Community Development – Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) funding is authorized through a Farm Bill provision that supports regional economic and community development planning. SECD supports projects that promote and implement strategic community investment plans. These plans use the unique strengths of rural communities to advance prosperity. USDA Rural Development helps finance these projects to build community prosperity by using community assets, identifying resources, convening partners and leveraging federal, state, local or private funding.

ENERGY

Weatherization Assistance Program – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offers funding to support the improvement of heating and cooling of dwellings by the installation of weatherization materials for efficiency modifications. Grantees may receive formula-based allocations and can perform weatherization retrofits.

Electric Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee Program – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development provide funds to finance the construction of electric distribution, transmission, and generation facilities, including system improvements and replacement required to furnish and improve electric service in rural areas, energy conservation programs and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems.

Renew America’s Schools – DOE’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers competitive grants to make energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative fueled vehicle upgrades and improvements at public schools.

Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants – The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

HOUSING

Rural Housing Site Loans – USDA Rural Development offers this program to acquire and develop sites for housing to be constructed by the Self-Help method. Rural Housing site loans provide two types of loans to purchase and develop housing sites for low- and moderate-income families.

Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program, also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.