Businesses everywhere are strapped for cash, and many non-profits in Eau Claire are wondering how they'll get their renovations paid for.

Some organizations like the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center are shifting their priorities to what can be accomplished first with the least amount of resources.

The dream project for the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center is a complete renovation and expansion of the entire building. But Ben Richgruber says that major project will now have to take a backseat, in favor of a cheaper art gallery project.

"It's a pretty small project considering the scope of what we could be doing in this building,” says Richgruber.

He says 60,000 dollars is more realistic than tens of millions of dollars.

"It's still money it's a tougher economy, but we're still optimistic,” says Richgruber.

At the downtown YMCA in Eau Claire, they've simply outgrown the space the fifty year old building has to offer. Executive Director Ken Van Es says a feasibility survey shows the costs of a new building would top 15 to 20 million dollars, and he says the cost is worth it.

"How much are you going to invest in a 50 year old building before you take a look at the next 50 years?" says Van Es.

The YMCA would like to focus on a new aquatic center, but needs the cash before any specifics are drawn up.

"Hopefully the economy will come back in the next 12 to 18 months and we'll be in a better position to get financial support," says Van Es.

The Eau Claire Children's Theatre also says it might turn to the ride-it-out strategy to raise the 265,000 dollars needed for a new performance space next door to its current building.

"The economy may lead to different strategies and maybe a different time frame to see how things rebound," says Executive Director Wayne Marek.

And there are other renovation projects around town struggling to get funding.

Director Stu Taylor says the Hobbs Ice Center projects its funds are 1.2 million dollars short of what was originally envisioned, so they have to scale back.

Plans for the 1.5 million dollar library renovation have been approved, but the price tag shrunk from the original 3.9 million dollar renovation library leaders had hoped for, because they just couldn't raise the funds.