New MMAC grant program to help damaged businesses
Peaceful protests turned destructive at nightfall
Small businesses in Milwaukee were already struggling to deal with the revenue lost due to a once-in-acentury pandemic. After two and a half months of a statewide shutdown — in which businesses shuttered and workers faced furloughs, reduced hours and termination — another historic event, albeit man-made, emerged.
Protests in response to the death of George Floyd, and police brutality toward blacks more broadly, spread to Milwaukee on May 29. The demonstrations started peacefully, but an element of destruction surfaced by nightfall. By the morning of June 1, dozens of establishments had been looted, damaged and vandalized.
To help small and local business owners get back on their feet, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce has launched a grant program called Rebuild and Revitalize. The $500,000 worth of funds will be vetted and distributed by the MMAC’s Community Support Foundation in cooperation with Milwaukee’s Department of City Development.
“We support passionate and peaceful protests here in Milwaukee,” the MMAC said in a statement. “Unfortunately, several businesses have been damaged in areas such as Martin Luther King Drive, Harambee, Sherman Park and the Near South Side neighborhoods.”
Affected businesses in those areas and elsewhere can apply for the immediate short-term grants to repair their establishments, replace inventory and assist with other losses.
But first, owners in need should apply for the city’s COVID-19 Restart Grant Program, if eligible, said Pat O’Brien, president of MMAC’s Milwaukee Development Corp. The deadline is 5:30 p.m. Friday.
“Our goal is to fill the gap,” said O’Brien, referring to coverage provided by COVID-19 funding and other financial hardship resources. “The only question right now is whether or not we have enough dollars to fill the gap. We probably don’t, so we’re trying to reach out to other businesses, entities and foundations.”
T&M Partners and Kelben Foundation, a charity for medical, poverty and family issues, seeded the initial $500,000 for the grants.
Ted Kellner, who established the foundation along with his wife, Mary, said, “We need to get those businesses back on their feet and those employees back to work for those businesses.”
To apply, businesses should contact Marjorie Yoshida, the administrative manager for the Milwaukee 7 Economic Development Partnership, at myoshida @mke7.com. All applicants are asked to provide the owner’s and establishment’s names, contact information, address, and the type and extent of damage.