The programs
There are two different kinds of money here, and they answer two different questions. One is money for your building or your property. The other is money for training the people who work for you. Nothing below is a promise: these are the programs, their real limits, and who each one is for.
Money for your building or your property
These are City of Madison and Madison Development Corporation programs. The first three are tied to the tax incremental districts, which means whether you can use them depends on where your building sits. That is the part the address check answers in a few seconds, free.
Building Improvement Grant grant
- What it is
- A grant. You do not pay it back. It covers the capital cost of renovating a retail space, inside and out.
- Who it is for
- Retail, restaurants and retail services, spas and salons included, that are independent. Independent means at least 51% owned by people who live in Dane County. Offices, consulting, health, insurance and banking are not eligible, and neither are nonprofits.
- Where
- Inside an eligible Madison tax incremental district: 44, 46, 50, 51, 52, 53 or 54.
- When
- Open now, on an ongoing basis until the money runs out. You have to be approved before you start the work. Anything already under way or finished does not count.
- Checked
- City of Madison program page, August 28, 2026.
Small Cap TIF Business Loan loan
- What it is
- A loan at 0% interest that forgives itself. The balance drops 20% for each year you stay and operate in the district, and after 5 years none of it is owed. Leave early and you owe the rest, which is why it is a loan and not a grant. Up to $250,000 to buy, improve or expand real estate, and up to $150,000 for machinery and equipment.
- Who it is for
- For-profit businesses with 5 to 100 people that intend to stay in the district at least 5 years. Principals holding 20% or more sign a personal guarantee, and there is an equity requirement: 10% of what you need to borrow for an existing business, 20% for a start-up.
- Where
- Inside Madison tax incremental district 44, 46, 51, 52 or 54, or within the half-mile boundary around one.
- Who runs it
- The Madison Development Corporation makes the recommendation and the City of Madison lends the money.
- Checked
- City of Madison program page, August 28, 2026.
Commercial Ownership Assistance loan
- What it is
- A loan at no interest, for buying the building instead of renting it. The amount is up to $250,000 or 25% of the building price, whichever is smaller. You owe nothing month to month. If you sell, refinance for cash, transfer the property or stop running a business there within 7 years, the whole amount comes back. Between years 8 and 14 it is half. Still own it after year 15 and it is forgiven.
- Who it is for
- A City of Madison resident who owns a for-profit business in the City, has been operating at least two years, owns no property other than their own home, has not had this money before, and is buying or expanding commercial property in the City.
- Where
- In or within a half mile of Madison tax incremental district 44, 46, 50, 51, 52, 53 or 54.
- Checked
- City of Madison program page, August 28, 2026.
Madison programs that have nothing to do with the districts
These three run on their own rules and their own boundaries, so the address check on this site does not decide them. We look them up by hand when somebody asks.
Facade Improvement Grant grant
- What it is
- A grant for comprehensively restoring or beautifying a storefront. Requests up to $10,000 are mini grants and need no match. Above $10,000 you match the city dollar for dollar, up to $20,000 for one street-facing facade, $40,000 for two, and $50,000 for a flatiron building.
- Who it is for
- Owners of commercial or mixed-use buildings, and business tenants whose lease runs longer than a year.
- Where
- Inside the program's own target area or emerging commercial node. That is a different boundary from the tax incremental districts, so our address check does not decide it.
- When
- Open now, on an ongoing basis until the money runs out. It has to be approved before you start the work: anything already under way or finished does not count.
- Checked
- City of Madison program page, August 28, 2026.
Healthy Retail Access Program grant
- What it is
- A grant for projects that put affordable, healthy and culturally appropriate food within reach of a neighborhood that does not have it. It has paid for build-outs, equipment, SNAP equipment and shuttle service.
- Who it is for
- Food retailers such as grocery stores, larger convenience stores and co-ops, and organizations working directly with them.
- Where
- The store has to sit inside, or directly serve people inside, the city's Food Access Improvement Map areas of focus.
- When
- Open now, rolling, as long as there are funds. The city does not publish a maximum award, so we do not quote one.
- Checked
- City of Madison program page, August 28, 2026.
Kiva, with the city's match loan
- What it is
- A loan at 0% interest with no fees, raised from community lenders on the Kiva platform, which the City of Madison then matches dollar for dollar at no cost to you. You pay the lenders back monthly.
- Who it is for
- A small business endorsed by one of eight partner organizations, among them the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County, the Hmong Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, the African Center for Community Development, Dane Buy Local and WWBIC.
- Where
- There is no district or map. The endorsement is what qualifies you.
- Checked
- City of Madison program page, August 28, 2026.
Money for training your people
This is a different question with a different answer, and it is open to businesses anywhere in Wisconsin, not just Madison. The state pays for training your existing staff. Your building and your address have nothing to do with it.
Wisconsin Fast Forward grant
- What it is
- A state grant that pays for training your own staff. The state reimburses you for the trainer's fees after the training happens, so you pay the bill first and the state pays you back. Nothing spent before the contract is signed counts.
- Who it is for
- Employers in any industry. The state's announcement is open for all industry sectors. You need to have been in operation at least 24 months, be registered and in good standing with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, be current on taxes and unemployment insurance, and be able to match 50 cents for every dollar awarded.
- The match
- The wages you already pay your people while they are in training can count as the match. Those wages are never reimbursed by the grant, but they count toward your half.
- The catch worth knowing
- For staff you already employ, the state counts a trainee as placed only when they finish the course, earn the credential where one applies, and get a wage increase. Decide on the raise before you apply, not after.
- When
- Applications are due 3:00 p.m. Central on Monday, October 5, 2026.
- Checked
- Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Grant Program Announcement DET-19973-FF263-P, read in full August 28, 2026.
A second state training grant, WisTRAIN, closed its application round and is not open right now. The state has said it will announce whether it takes more applications on a rolling basis. We check that monthly. Checked August 28, 2026.
What a tax incremental district is, in plain terms
When a municipality creates one, it freezes the property-tax base inside the boundary. Growth in value above that frozen line goes into a fund the municipality controls, instead of being split among the school district, the county and everyone else. That fund pays for things inside the district: roads and sewers, cleaning up contaminated ground, and in many places direct grants and low-interest loans to businesses improving a building.
So the practical question for a business owner is a narrow one. Is my address inside a district, and does this municipality use its fund for business projects? The first half is a boundary question, and it is the half we answer in a few seconds. The second half is a conversation with the municipality.
Start with your address
It is free, it takes a few seconds, and you do not have to give us your name to see the answer. If your address does not fit any of the first three, tell us what you are planning and we will check the rest by hand.
Outside Madison? Find your city or village in the statewide directory.