October 1, 2026
To: Counties, municipalities, tribes
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR), State and Local Finance Division, is happy to inform you of the upcoming Innovation Grants Second Application round opening today, October 1. The Innovation Grant was created under
2023 Wisconsin Act 12 and was modified under
2025 Wisconsin Act 15 to benefit local governments and tribes to support the implementation of transfers of an
allowable service/duty to another local government, tribe, nonprofit organization, or private entity.
Grant Information
-
Second application round – nearly $228 million in funding is still available for counties, municipalities, and tribes. DOR will conduct application reviews in two phases:
- Phase 1: Applications received Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2026 (anticipated first payment by March 31, 2027)
- Phase 2: Applications received Jan. 1 – March 31, 2027 (anticipated first payment by June 30, 2027)
-
First application round – DOR allocated a potential total five-year award distribution exceeding $72 million, distributing nearly $14.5 million in initial innovation grant payments in June 2026
Next Steps
- DOR encourages counties, municipalities, and tribes to explore eligible collaborative transfers and apply for this grant
- County and municipal clerks, tribe representatives, or their designee can e-file the Innovation Grant application (Form SL-405) through
MyDORGov
by March 31, 2027
Available Resources
Visit our
Innovation Grants web page for these resources:
- Factsheet
- Project examples
- Common questions
- And more…
Questions?