Milwaukee County Exec David Crowley pitches $10K grants to boost small businesses
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has announced a potential new funding avenue for small businesses.
Crowley introduced the county's Department of Administrative Services' "Building Bridges" program, which aims to expand businesses or help establish brick-and-mortar businesses and fuel commercial corridors across the county.
In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported roughly 20,000 small and micro businesses in Milwaukee County — an increase of 4.7% since 2012.
"We all know small businesses are the backbone of Milwaukee County's local economy," Crowley told supervisors at a May 12 hearing. "They create significant portions of local jobs. They add value to our tax base and help to create our identity right here throughout our community."
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation had previously awarded $200,000 to the county through its Small Business Development grant.
As a part of his pitch to supervisors, Crowley and his administration requested authorization to pull from the county's economic development reserve to fund the "Building Bridges" program, which would allow the county to support small businesses through grants of $10,000. The grants would be available and eligible in all 18 supervisory districts across Milwaukee County.
At the county's finance committee on May 15, supervisors voted 4-1 to approve adoption of the proposal, with Supervisor Steve Taylor voting no and Supervisor Shawn Rolland excused from the meeting. The County Board of Supervisors will take a vote on May 22.
The program would collaborate with the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Southeastern Wisconsin, the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, the African American Chamber of Commerce, the Legacy Redevelopment Corporation, and UW Extension.
The Building Bridges program would also create a four-year, limited-term small business liaison position focused on fostering communication, collaboration and partnerships between Milwaukee municipalities and the local business community. Additional funds will be put toward marketing and branding.
Among previous efforts to leverage support for Milwaukee's small businesses, the county has infused $1 million in small business grants for entrepreneurs over the last five years, and eight loans valued at $1.3 million for small businesses.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Daviid Crowley pitches $10K grants to boost small businesses
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
After the S.F. exodus, these are the groups of people who are coming back
Between 2020 and 2022, thousands of people left San Francisco as part of a pandemic- and remote work-fueled exodus from the city. And while recent state data suggests the recovery is stalled out, a new dataset from the Census says otherwise. It also shows what kind of people have been most likely to return. The Chronicle analyzed detailed data from the U.S. Census Bureau released today that estimates populations each year by age, sex, race and ethnicity. To determine the demographic groups most likely to have come back from their pandemic exodus, the Chronicle examined percent changes in population groups between 2020 and 2022 — the year the city's population hit a low — and again between 2022 and 2024. Overall, San Francisco's estimated 2024 population of just under 828,000 is still about 6% lower than April 2020's 878,000. But it's 1.6% higher than its 2022 low of just over 814,000. Not all growth came from back-migration. The group that grew the most between 2022 and 2024 was Asian females between 70 and 79 — a group whose population also grew between 2020 and 2022, part of a trend in aging populations in both San Francisco and nationwide. But the next few fastest growing demographic groups suggest some 'bouncing back'. Top among those were Hispanic females between 25 and 29. The cohort's population declined by 14% in the two years that the pandemic shut down much of city life — part of a trend among all racial and ethnic groups in the late twenties age bracket. But since July of 2022, the number of Hispanic females between 25 and 29 increased by almost 10%. While that leaves the total number still about 5% below what it was in 2020, it's one of the largest gains in the last two years among groups that lost people during the pandemic. Broadly, all kinds of people aged 20 to 24 also returned in large numbers in the last two years as well, likely due to a bounce back in the number of college students on campuses in the city. And some types of people returned in such numbers that they actually gained population between 2020 and 2024: Asian females between 35 and 39 and Asian males between 40 and 44 each lost population between 2020 and 2022 — both around just 4% — but gained even more in the two years after. That increase meant both groups saw 2% increases between 2020 and 2024. Still, at least one group that left largely stayed away: younger white people. Around a quarter of white residents in their late 20s and early 30s, and to a lesser degree Asian residents in the same cohort, left and haven't returned to the city. From 2020 to 2024, the non-Hispanic white population declined nationwide too — but only by about 1%.
Axios
3 days ago
- Axios
The surprising housing age gap in homebuying trends
Des Moines homebuyers are purchasing a greater share of newer homes than buyers in most major U.S. cities, thanks to new construction and a residual impact from the pandemic. Why it matters: America's housing stock is aging, but building in some metros is better meeting demand, which can affect housing affordability. The big picture: The median age of a U.S. home purchased last year was 36 years — the oldest since at least 2012, according to Redfin records. In the DSM metro, the median home purchased last year was 24 years old. Stunning stat: DSM has among the oldest housing stock in the nation, with nearly 28% of homes built in 1939 or earlier, compared with 12% nationally, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Reality check: Older homes are generally more affordable, but owners can struggle with increased upkeep, a situation that has led the city of DSM to consider widespread redevelopment as part of a larger draft housing strategy. By the numbers: Almost 27% of DSM-area homes bought last year were built in the previous five years, while about 45% were more than 30 years old. The median cost of a DSM-metro home over 30 was nearly $222,000, while a house built in the last five years had a median cost of $365,000, per Redfin's data. What they're saying: New construction sales were significantly higher during the pandemic because fewer older homes were on the market, Les Sulgrove, a local Realtor and former president of the DSM Area Association of Realtors, tells Axios. Yes, but: The share of new construction in the DSM metro's home sales inventory has declined in recent years, dropping from a peak of approximately 71% in February 2022 to below 50% this year, according to a review by Kalen Ludwig Real Estate Specialists. That's mainly because the inventory of resales has increased, according to Ludwig.
CNBC
5 days ago
- CNBC
Here's the salary Americans say they now need to earn to live comfortably
With higher prices now firmly entrenched, and President Donald Trump's tariffs fueling inflationary concerns, most Americans say they need an income boost to get by, according to a new report. Nearly half, or 45%, of all adults said they would need to make $100,000 or more a year to feel financially secure, Bankrate's financial freedom survey found. Roughly one-quarter, or 26%, said they need to make $150,000 or more. Fewer — 16% — put the bar at over $200,000. By comparison, the median household income in 2023 was a little over $80,000, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Altogether, the share of Americans who said they do not feel completely financially comfortable rose to 77% in 2025, up from 75% in 2024 and 72% in 2023, according to Bankrate's survey, which polled more than 2,200 in May. Here's a look at other stories affecting the financial advisor business. While Americans might have different definitions of what living comfortably entails, being in "a financial sweet spot," often means "you are able to cover your bills and everyday essentials but also have money left over for eating out and vacations," said Bankrate's economic analyst Sarah Foster. However, the recent period of high inflation and economic uncertainty has chipped away at most consumers' buying power, according to Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and founder of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida. "One major issue is that wages have been stagnant for a large majority of the population over that time, and prices continue to rise," said McClanahan, who also is a member of CNBC's Advisor Council. "Add that to the backdrop of political instability everyone is feeling, and I think that is a perfect formula for people not feeling financially secure." Further, households are also facing surging child-care expenses, ballooning auto loans, high mortgage rates and record rents along with the resumption of student loan payments. But a deterioration of the American dream has been decades in the making, according to Bankrate's Foster. "It starts long before the pandemic," she said. "There has long been this perception that we used to be in this golden age where you could own a home, a car, and get by on a single income — that is a bygone era." A separate survey by Edelman Financial Engines from 2024 had similar findings: 58% of adults said they would need to earn $100,000 on average to not worry about everyday living expenses, and one-quarter said they would need to earn more than $200,000 to feel financially secure. In most cases, feeling financially secure is not based on how much you earn, but rather a commitment to save more than you spend and maintain a well-diversified portfolio, experts often say.
