Baldwin – Family Friendly Workplaces (FFW), in partnership with the Pierce, Polk, St. Croix, and Burnett county economic development corporations (EDCs), announced receipt of a $165,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) designed to address the four-county region’s workforce shortage.
The $5 million Talent Recruitment Grant program was created in the most recent state budget to fund incentive payments to households moving to Wisconsin from outside the state. FFW was one of 17 applicants across the state to receive a grant, and will award ten $10,000 incentive payments as part of the program. The grant will also support marketing of the four-county region for families to learn more about western and northwestern Wisconsin.
The program will only award incentive payments to households that comply with one of two pathways. The first, called the Young Family pathway, is available to households that have a child under the age of 18, or are expecting a child. The second is the Employer pathway, which will be available to a household with an active job offer from an employer based in Pierce, Polk, St. Croix or Burnett county who is certified as a Family Friendly Workplace and a member of their local EDC.
“We are thrilled to have been awarded this grant,” said Neil Kline, Executive Director of FFW. “These two pathways ensure that this meaningful incentive is utilized to attract young families or households who are already committed to engaging in our local economy and workforce, and can make a long-term, positive impact on our communities.”
FFW’s partnership with each county’s EDC ensures that communities across the region are effectively marketed as part of this campaign. Each EDC will support updates to discovernwwi.com, which serves as the marketing hub for this initiative.
“We are excited to encourage new families and employees to move into the county and feature our great local communities as options for them to relocate to as part of this grant award,” said Melissa Meschke, Executive Director.
FFW is administering the program, and is preparing to accept applications for incentive payments in the coming months. Employers and others can contact FFW at nkline@familyfriendlyworkplaces.org to sign up to receive updates about this new program.