Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program

Financing for publicly owned infrastructure that serves the needs of businesses and promotes economic development goals of Wyoming communities

Proposed BRC Rules changes

The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) is proposing major changes to the Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan program, which funds public infrastructure in communities to unlock economic growth. Program rule changes are intended to better align with the Council’s mission of reversing economic decline and building strong, self-reliant communities.

Learn More:

Public Comment period open until Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Review Existing BRC Rules on the Wyoming Secretary of State website.

Public Comment Goal 100 56

Proposed BRC Rules Public Comment Themes & Responses

First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who was involved in or provided the 57 official public comments we received about the proposed rule revisions to the Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan program. Reading and digging into these comments was incredibly helpful in the process of creating the best rules possible for today’s BRC program. These changes better focus BRC on addressing critical state and local barriers to economic growth. They also narrow the focus of these public investments to projects that are more focused on economic development than community or amenity development. We understand both are important to communities and their future growth; however, our goal is to serve all communities by addressing economic constraints that are holding them back from thriving. Other program and service offerings are available to help communities with their community development needs.

Bar graph depicting number of public comments received by Wyoming county for the 2025 proposed rule changes to the Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan program.
25% Match Requirement

Learn More:

The BRC Rules Revision Public Comment period closed on Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Proposed BRC Rules Public Comment Themes & Responses

First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who was involved in or provided the 57 official public comments we received about the proposed rule revisions to the Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan program. Reading and digging into these comments was incredibly helpful in the process of creating the best rules possible for today’s BRC program. These changes better focus BRC on addressing critical state and local barriers to economic growth. They also narrow the focus of these public investments to projects that are more focused on economic development than community or amenity development. We understand both are important to communities and their future growth; however, our goal is to serve all communities by addressing economic constraints that are holding them back from thriving. Other program and service offerings are available to help communities with their community development needs.

Bar graph depicting number of public comments received by Wyoming county for the 2025 proposed rule changes to the Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan program.
25% Match Requirement

Learn More:

The BRC Rules Revision Public Comment period closed on Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Application Process and Eligibility

Do these changes affect grant and loan application deadlines and timelines?

Learn More:

Public Comment period closed on Sunday, July 27, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. MST.

Public Comments 100 57

Supporting Community RESILIENCE

The Building Resilient Communities (BRC), formerly Business Ready Community, grant and loan program provides financing for community planning activites and publicly owned infrastructure that serves the needs of businesses and promotes economic development within Wyoming communities.

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

Public infrastructure eligible for funding includes 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.

Find A Regional Director To Discuss Your Project Ideas

Eligibility

Eligible Grant and Loan Activities

The Building Resilient Communities (formerly Business Ready Community) program is designed to support community infrastructure and planning needs.

An infrastructure project is a project that funds the construction of physical structures, rehabilitation of existing structures where eligible, and other public facilities that contribute to solving a barrier to growth, with or without the involvement of a committed business. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how the proposed infrastructure project will improve overall conditions and advance economic development efforts.

A planning project is a project in which an Applicant develops a community strategic planning process and the resulting plan, which contributes to addressing or identifying barriers to growth. The maximum award is $100,000, which will be awarded through a block grant process. Specific examples of plans and strategic planning processes will be posted on the WBC website.

Eligible Applicants

Cities, towns, counties and joint powers boards are the primary applicants for this program. State and local community development organizations can assist and provide project management development under contract to the primary applicant. The Council may enter into contracts/cooperative agreements with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe in order to promote the purpose of the program and fund infrastructure projects.

  • Applicants will be responsible for presenting their projects to the WBC Board of Directors and the State Land and Investment Board (SLIB).
  • An application must identify the barrier to economic growth, which must be identified in public notices.
  • Each application needs a clear plan and economic impact to be considered “complete and eligible”.

BRC Project Schedule

Application DeadlineBoard MeetingSLIB Meeting
February 1stMayJune
June 1stSeptemberOctober
September 1stDecemberFebruary
November 1stFebruaryApril

* Business Committed and Managed Data Center Cost Reduction applications can be submitted at any time.
** In anticipation of new rules currently in process that may significantly alter project types, we will accept applications for any project type during this cycle that contributes to solving a barrier to economic growth.

Team

John Wendling

Loan Portfolio Manager

Phone: 307-214-5864

Noelle Reed

Noelle Reed

Grants Portfolio Manager

Phone: 307-777-6578

Awards and Matches

Business Committed: $5 million maximum

Community Readiness: $5 million maximum

Community Project: Tier 1: $500,000 maximum, Tier 2: $750,000

Loan Program: $5 million maximum

Managed Data Center: $2,250,000 maximum (grant amount is determined by business match amount.)

Category One applicants are those municipalities with a population greater than 1,300 or are located in a county where the three-year average of the local government share of state sales and use tax per capita is more than 70% of the statewide average.

Category Two applicants are those municipalities with a population under 1,300 or are located in a county where the three-year average of the local government share of state sales and use tax per capita is less than 70% of the statewide average.

The updated category classifications will be effective for the June 1, 2023 application cycle.

BRC Applications

Online Grant and Report Management

Project Profiles

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Proposed BRC Rules changes

The Wyoming Business Council (WBC) is proposing major changes to the Business Ready Community (BRC) grant and loan program, which funds public infrastructure in communities to unlock economic growth. Program rule changes are intended to better align with the Council’s mission of reversing economic decline and building strong, self-reliant communities.