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Last Three Recipients Announced For Downtown COVID-19 Grants

By Staff Reports, posted Sep 21, 2020
Bottega Art & Wine, located at 723 N. Fourth St. in downtown Wilmington, was one of three businesses that received funds in the final round of the Re-3 grant program. (Photo courtesy of Bottega)
Wilmington Downtown Inc. (WDI) and the Longleaf Foundation announced Monday the final grants to small businesses through the Re-3 program.

The latest recipients are Wilmington Wine, Bottega Art & Wine and Warehouse 1856, each receiving $1,000 grants, Dane Scalise, chair of the WDI board, said in an email.

The $3,000 total in the latest and final round of grants is part of $113,000 that has been awarded to area businesses through the program, which started accepting applications for the grants in April.

"The grant greatly helped Bottega stay afloat during the pandemic and helped us to get things for the bar to make it safe for customers and employees. We are very grateful for the grant," said Addie Wuensch, owner of Bottega Art & Wine, located in the Brooklyn Arts district.

The program garnered nearly 150 applications before the grant application deadline, which closed April 17.

“The Re-3 grant program exceeded all of our expectations,” Scalise said in a news release. “Our downtown businesses absolutely still need your ongoing love and support, but this program truly highlights our community’s tremendous capacity for generosity."

Forty downtown Wilmington businesses have received grants through the program, which stands for re-stock, re-open, and re-cover from the COVID-19 downturn, according to the release.

The release said that with the latest announcement, the program, in its current form, comes to a close.

Scalise said the organization believes in the "Re-3 brand" and welcomes opportunities "to begin it again if circumstances (and funding) permitted.”

"For right now, the program is going into hibernation until we can find a way to relaunch/refund it," Scalise said, adding that WDI is continuously looking for ways to help downtown businesses, with more initiatives to come in the future.
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