Past email updates can be found HERE
DHS - Emergency Food Assistance Update
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced today more households will now be able to get food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), to ensure Wisconsinites have access to food during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Households with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL) are now eligible to receive a monthly share of locally grown, Grade-A foods that include meat, vegetables, fruit, juice, and more from a TEFAP food pantry. For a household of one, that income threshold is $38,280. The larger the household, the higher the income threshold. Previously TEFAP’s qualifying income threshold was 185% FPL, or $23,606 for a household of one.
For more information, read the full announcement from DHS HERE.
We're All In - Small Business Grants
HOW IT WORKS
Funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the We’re All In Small Business Grant Program will provide $2,500 grants to 30,000 Wisconsin small businesses to assist with the costs of business interruption or for health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages and inventory.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To be eligible, businesses must:
- be a Wisconsin-based, for-profit business;
- employ 20 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, including the owner;
- earn greater than $0 but less than $1 million in annual revenues (gross sales and receipts); and
- have started operating prior to Jan. 1, 2020, and have been in business as of Feb. 2020. (Seasonal businesses should use the highest total FTEs employed during the season.)
APPLICATION PERIOD
The online grant application will be accessible for one week from 8 a.m. Monday, June 15, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 21. A link to the application will be posted on this page. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will make clear on their webpage and through all of its communications channels when the application period begins and ends. Businesses interested in receiving notifications about funding and other pandemic recovery resources from WEDC can subscribe to receive regular alerts.
BE PREPARED
Applicants are encouraged to prepare for the one-week application period by gathering the following required documents:
- 2018 or 2019 federal tax return for business (If you started your business in 2020, you are not eligible for this grant). Applicable tax returns are:
- IRS form 1065 Partnership Return (no K-1s required)
- IRS form 1120 Corporation Return (no schedules required)
- IRS form 1120S S Corporation Return (no K-1s required)
- IRS form 1040 (sole proprietors) and the following:
- Schedule C, Profit and Loss from Business
- Signed W-9 and dated form available at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf
- A letter or email of acknowledgement from a community organization indicating your business was in operation in February 2020. The letter or email can be from any of the following:
- Chamber of commerce
- Main Street or Connect Communities organization
- Local business improvement district
- Neighborhood economic development association
- Local economic development organization
- County economic development organization
- Municipality, including tribal government
- County
- Local bank, credit union or community development financial institution
- Regional UW Small Business Development Center
- U.S. Export Assistance Center – Wisconsin
- Regional economic development organization
- Regional Planning Commission
- Trade association
- Sample text for a letter or email can be downloaded here (file will be saved to your downloads folder automatically). An electronic letter submitted to you via email is acceptable.
This information and more can be found on the WEDC website HERE. For a list of FAQs, click HERE.
Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program
Wisconsinites can apply for the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program (WRAP) announced last week through partners in the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association. This program provides rental assistance to residents facing economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They will begin taking applications for the program on or before June 8th, 2020.
Waukesha County:
Community Action for South Central Wisconsin, Inc.
Phone: (608) 237-1255
WRAP Pre-application HERE
Milwaukee County:
Social Development Commission
Phone: (414) 326-2888
WRAP Inquiry Form HERE
For more information on WRAP, click HERE.
REMINDER: 50 Piece Rule - June 10th
2019 Act 185, the legislation passed by the State Legislature and signed into law in April, contained an exemption from the 50 piece rule for the COVID-19 emergency.
Elected officials who become candidates for office could then send communications related to the public health emergency if made during the emergency period, or within 30 days after the emergency period ends.
The public health emergency ended on May 12th, thus the new 50 Piece Rule goes into effect on Wednesday, June 10th.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Our office cannot send out e-updates directly to our email list starting on June 10th. However, we will continue sharing COVID-19 updates on our social media pages, posting e-updates to our website, and responding to inquiries from constituents.
If you have any questions about the 50 piece rule, please let us know!
Department of Health Services Updates
For daily updated information on COVID-19 in Wisconsin, visit the DHS website HERE.
Updates on the Badger Bounce Back plan gating criteria can be found HERE.
COVID-19 CASES
Statewide
21,038 confirmed cases (increase of 203*)
2.7% of total tests are positive (for 6/8)
2,860 hospitalizations (14% of cases- increase of 12)
14,242 recovered cases (68% of all cases)
333,253 negative test results (increase of 7,386)
646 devastating deaths (-1 to correct a duplicate according to DHS)
14th District Counties
Milwaukee - 8,900 confirmed cases
Waukesha - 823 confirmed cases
*Changes over yesterday
Forward together,
