One thousand ethnically diverse micro-businesses that have suffered losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be eligible to receive grants of $2,000 each under the Ethnic Minority Emergency Grant Initiative, Gov. Tony Evers announced recently.

“Small businesses in our minority communities face special challenges,” Evers said in a statement. “Many have not received federal or state assistance yet because they are unbanked or don’t have the relationships to financial institutions that other businesses do. Yet these micro-businesses are often the heart and soul of their communities and an important pathway for minority entrepreneurs.”

According to a release, businesses must be minority-owned with five or fewer full-time equivalent employees in the retail, service or hospitality sectors. In addition, they may not have received assistance through Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s (WEDC) Small Business 20/20 Program or the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through the federal CARES Act.

The grants will be administered through Wisconsin’s 19 ethnic and diverse chambers of commerce, regional economic development organizations and other partners across the state.

Applicants can apply online starting May 18-24.