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Office of Governor
Scott Walker 
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IMPORTANT: As of July 1st, 2011, functions once performed by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce have been moved to other state agencies and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The former Commerce web site will continue to exist for the next several months as resources are moved to new web site locations. We will make every attempt possible to direct our users to the new locations as web resources are moved.
State Energy Program - Frequently Asked Questions What is the deadline to apply for SEP-ARRA funding?Prospects will be processed, reviewed and awarded on a first come, first served basis until all funds are obligated. The ARRA requires expeditious deployment of all funds. If my company is not a manufacturing business, am I eligible for SEP-ARRA?No. Please see the set of links on the SEP-ARRA home page to explore other resources for which you may be eligible. Does my project have to be "shovel ready" to receive SEP-ARRA funding?High priority will be given to projects that have obtained other necessary financing pieces, have zoning and environmental permits and clearances, and are otherwise ready to begin. My project needs a grant, not a loan, to move forward. Can I receive a grant instead of a loan from SEP-ARRA? No. In order to stretch the limited resources in this fund,
Wisconsin will make very low interest loans under this program and
deposit repayments into the Clean Energy Wisconsin Revolving Loan Fund
so that more loans can be made from the fund to assist Wisconsin
businesses. Moreover there are significant Recovery Act energy tax
provisions that many of these projects will be able to apply to lower
the project costs. A list of these provisions can be found at IRS.gov.
Please consult this and your tax professional for tax guidance on using
these tax provisions for your project. Are non-profits eligible for SEP-ARRA?No. Please see the set of links on the SEP-ARRA home page to explore other resources for which you may be eligible. I'm not sure if my project fits any of the categories described. Is there anyone I can contact to clarify the categories?Please contact your Commerce Area Development Manager to discuss your project. You may also discuss your project with Dave Jenkins, Office of Energy Independence, at davidj.jenkins@wisconsin.gov or Amy Young Cumblad, Commerce, at amy.cumblad@wisconsin.gov . Is there a minimum or maximum award size?There is no minimum or maximum award size, but SEP-ARRA funds should be considered gap financing, and Commerce typically funds no more than 25% of a project's capital costs. Factors that come into play in determining award size include number and quality of jobs created and/or retained, leveraged funds and economic and energy impact of the project. We also expect demand for these funds to far outweigh available resources. How long will the application process take?For those who submit a Request for Qualification prescreen, we have a goal (depending on volume of requests) of notifying prospects within a week as to whether or not they are invited to submit a full application for consideration. Full applications received will be reviewed by a SEP-ARRA Project Representative with a goal of developing a funding recommendation within 15-20 business days. If I'm approved for a SEP-ARRA loan, when will I receive the funding?You will first receive a Commitment Letter describing your award and outlining its terms and conditions. You will be contacted by your Project Representative and have 14 days to accept the award. After acceptance of the award you will work with your Project Representative to complete the contracting process. Once the contract has been executed it will take about five business days to set up the account with Commerce Fiscal Department and you can submit requests for disbursements. In general, repayments will be deferred until all funds are drawn. Why can't my project receive funding for land, buildings or research and development activities?US Department of Energy rules and federal statutes governing the state energy program prohibit these activities (the following is from the US DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0000052):
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