A
new COVID relief grant for eligible hospitality industry businesses opens for
applications March 15, 2021.
The
Montour County Commissioners are urging businesses to apply as soon as possible
for the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) grants since
funds may be quickly exhausted.
Businesses
can apply at the Community Giving Foundation’s website at www.csgiving.org from March 15,
2021 until the funds are exhausted or June 15, 2021.
Grants
will range from $5,000 to $50,000 and the funds will alleviate revenue losses and
pay eligible operating expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Montour
County Commissioner Ken Holdren said that the new grant program is a
much-needed lifeline to businesses during this time.
“We
are thankful to have this additional funding program to help our hospitality
industry businesses. Time is limited for these funds, so we encourage
businesses to apply as soon as they are able,” Holdren said.
The
county has contracted with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) to manage
their $206,480 grant program on their behalf.
SEDA-COG will receive the applications and determine eligibility and grant
amounts in partnership with Harry Mathias, a contractor with SEDA-COG who also
served as a former math teacher and Central Columbia Schools superintendent.
SEDA-COG also will disburse the funds to awarded businesses.
Mike
Fisher, SEDA-COG assistant executive director, said SEDA-COG is honored to
partner with its counties on this effort to help the local hospitality
industry.
“We
are honored to be able to further assist our counties in this way. We know that
the economic effects of the pandemic have crippled our local hospitality
industry, so we trust this will alleviate some of that pain. This pandemic has
left gaping holes of need and we are here to help our communities and
businesses meet those needs,” Fisher said.
Eligible
hospitality industry businesses include hotels, restaurants, bars, and taverns.
These businesses must fall within eligible industry codes which include the
Accommodations subsector (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector
(722).
Eligibility
includes, but is not limited to, having fewer than 300 full-time employees; a
net worth that does not exceed $15 million; a 25% reduction in gross receipts
in 2020 compared to 2019; and be located within Centre, Clinton, Columbia,
Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, or Union counties.
Priority
will be given to businesses that did not already receive COVID relief funds;
that were subject to closure following the disaster emergency declared by Gov.
Tom Wolf on March 6, 2020; and had more than a 50% reduction in gross receipts
from March 31, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019.
For a full listing of eligibility requirements and prioritization guidelines,
visit www.csgiving.org.
The
grant program was created from Act 1 of 2021, which was passed Feb. 5.
Statewide, it provides $145 million in funding assistance to the hospitality
industry businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the
state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
For more information, contact SEDA-COG Grants
Manager Betsy Lockwood at 570-522-7265 or elockwood@seda-cog.org.