The second round of the city of La Crosse’s small-business relief grants was announced on Tuesday, a follow-up to its first initiative earlier in the month aimed to help local businesses through the pandemic. The additional funding will provide 42 local small businesses with a total of $168,200 in emergency relief grants, which will help sustain 372 jobs.
Additional funding was needed after the city saw an overwhelming response from businesses in the grant program, many of them with shuttered doors and employees without work.
Originally, more than 100 businesses applied for the grant, requesting $1.17 million in emergency relief. But after narrowing down applications, city officials found about $750,000 in eligible requests, which far exceeded the funds it allocated for the program.
People are also reading…
The first installment of the grant gave $366,200 to 59 businesses in La Crosse, and the city went to work to lock down funding for the remaining eligible businesses.
Part of that funding came from about $500,000 the city received from the federal government through the CARES Act.
“I am excited to be able to put some of our employees back to work,” said James Powell, who owns Jimmy’s North Star, one of the grant recipients in this second round. “Without this grant, we could not do that.”
The city’s small-business relief grant has now given $534,400 to help sustain 1,320 jobs at 101 small local businesses.
Photos: A look at the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in the La Crosse area
The May 31 event was hosted by the Wisconsin National Guard and funded by the federal government.
Primitive Parlor Salon & Barber
Downtown La Crosse
Cameron Park Farmers Market
Dewey’s Side Street Saloon
Debo’s Vintage Emporium
Washburn Community Garden
Logan High School
Golf courses open
Weigent Park
AmeriCorps
Food Drive Fridays underway
Jackson Plaza
Cameron Park
King Gambrinus
Wisconsin voters woke up Tuesday with the choice to still head to the polls for the spring election, despite the present threat of the COVID-1…