Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced Thursday morning that funds from the Milwaukee Restart grant program will be sent to recipients in the next two weeks.
The Milwaukee Restart grant program, which was funded with federal CARES act money, will disburse a total of about $4 million to more than 400 Milwaukee businesses. The grants are designed to provide financial support for small Milwaukee businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Among the recipients of the grants was Johanna's Cakes & Desserts (1239 S. 11th St.), a bakery that opened in October 2019. Johanna Ortiz, owner of Johanna's Cakes & Desserts, said "Some of the funds we receive will be used to build outdoor seating outside our cafe."
Qualified businesses will receive up to $15,000 for physical adaptations to their facilities, the purchase of personal protective equipment and restocking perishable inventory. To be eligible, these established Milwaukee businesses must have 20 or fewer employees and annualized gross revenue under $2 million.
More than 40% of grant applicants identified themselves as minority-owned businesses. More than 40% said they are women-owned. Grant applications came from all across the city.
When the grant program was announced in late May, the Department of City Development estimated that a total of as much as $20 million could be disbursed as part of the grant program. On Thursday, Mayor Barrett said the city looks forward to the next phase of the program.
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