MADISON — Today, Rep. Alex Joers (D-Middleton) and Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) announced the introduction of legislation to continue the successful Main Street Bounceback grant program. Originally created in 2021, the program supported small businesses and has provided more than 9,400 grants across all 72 counties in Wisconsin. This legislation seeks to make this program permanent with an annual appropriation of $25 million.
Rep. Joers and Sen. Roys released the following statement:
“The Main Street Bounceback Program has made crucial investments in thousands of small businesses across the state. These grants directly improve the Main Streets of our communities, enabling businesses that want to occupy or expand the chance to turn vacant commercial spaces into vibrant downtowns. Every county in the state has benefitted from these revitalizations, and it’s past time to make this program permanent.
“The goal of this program is to allow businesses to occupy underutilized storefronts and to increase the likelihood that businesses can open, remain, and expand long term. Wisconsin main streets deserve our support, and by investing in these downtown areas we are benefiting every aspect of our local economies and the people in them.
“This strengthens our state, community by community. When we invest in our main streets, we’re investing in the future of our state.”
