Business Ready Communities Grants

The Business Ready Communities program provides financing for publicly owned infrastructure that serves the needs of businesses and promotes economic development within Wyoming communities.

What Grants are Available?

Business Committed:

• Infrastructure to facilitate the start-up, retention, expansion, or location of a specific committed business.

Managed Data Center Cost Reduction Funding:

• Managed Data Center means a center whose primary purpose is the centralized repository for storage, management and dissemination of data and information for multiple businesses.

Community Readiness*:

• No specific business is committed to expand or locate in the community. Infrastructure to prepare a community for future business development supported by community planning documentation.

Community Enhancement*:

• Assists communities that want to improve the aesthetic character or quality of life. Activities as landscaping, recreational or convention facilities and infrastructure to facilitate the start-up or expansion of a child care or senior care facility. These efforts must be documented through appropriate planning and show how the effort will make the community more attractive for business development.

Planning Grants*:

• Economic Development Plans.
  • Maximum award of $50,000 with a 25% match of the total project costs. These are plans that address the community as a whole and identify potential future economic development opportunities and further develop a community’s economic development strategy.
• Feasibility Studies.
  • Maximum award of $25,000 with a 25% match of the total project costs. These site-specific or industry-specific plans must determine the feasibility of a project or plan for a project that addresses an economic development objective.
• Promotional Plans.
  • Maximum award of $25,000 with a 25% match of the total project costs. These plans specifically address the promotion of a community’s economic development asset(s). Examples would be branding or downtown development.
• Tourism Plans.
  • Maximum award of $25,000 with a 25% match of the total project costs. These plans address economic development opportunities for a defined region or community that specifically focuses on the tourism and hospitality industry.
• Regional Targeted Industry Plans.
  • Maximum award of $50,000 with a 25% match of the total project costs. These plans encompass a defined region and potential targeted industries for economic development growth.

Who Can Apply?

Cities, towns, counties, joint powers boards and the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes are eligible to apply for funding.

What Public Infrastructure is Eligible?

Water; sewer; roads; airports; rights of way; telecommunications; land; spec buildings; amenities within a business park, industrial park, industrial site or business district; landscaping, recreation and educational facilities; and other physical projects in support of primary economic and educational development.

What is the Deadline?

Applications for the following programs are due on a quarterly basis. The next application deadline is September 1, 2017. Applications submitted by this deadline will be heard at the Wyoming Business Council Meeting on December 7, 2017.

*Applicants are limited to one Community Readiness, Community Enhancement and Planning application per calendar year.