Opportunity Zones

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) established Opportunity Zones to invite private investment in designated economically challenged communities throughout the United States. Private investment in Opportunity Zones is encouraged through tax incentives.

Wisconsin has 120 designated Opportunity Zones, covering more than 40 counties in rural, urban and tribal areas in the state. Opportunity Zones are low-income census tracts nominated by governors and certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury into which investors can now put capital to work financing new projects and enterprises in exchange for certain federal capital gains tax advantages. The country now has over 8,700 Opportunity Zones in every state and territory. 

The City of Whitewater straddles both Walworth and Jefferson counties. The City's designated Opportunity Zone sits entirely in Walworth County. 

List of designated Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs):  This spreadsheet was updated on December 14, 2018, by Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI). 

• For a map of all designated QOZs, click here.
• To view all designated QOZs, click on the “Layers” tab on the menu on the right-hand side of the screen. Select “Opportunity Zone Tract” and unselect “2011-2015 LIC Census Tract,” and zoom in to a specific area on the map. Designated QOZs will appear in blue. (Please note that if other layer options are selected, it will change the colors of the tracts.)
• To view a specific census tract, enter the tract number in the search bar, select “2011-2015 Census Tract” by clicking on the mailbox symbol on the left of the search bar, click search, and select the census tract number that appears in the results below.

Additional guidance on visualizing designated QOZs can be found in this user guide.

Additional Resources

IRS Revenue Procedure: Provides information on the eligibility criteria for census tract designation as a Qualified Opportunity Zone and the nomination and designation process.

Opportunity Zones Information Resource, with sortable lists by State of all census tracts originally eligible for designation as a QOZ.

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund

Statewide Opportunity Funds

• Alpha Opportunity Zone Fund 1
• P & R Opportunity Zone Fund 1, LP
• Opportunity Zone Fund Directory