Small businesses eligible for $225 million in COVID-19 grants

WEST CHESTER » State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, encouraged Chester County small businesses to apply Monday for grants to offset lost revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown order.

“COVID-19 continues to have a significant and unprecedented impact on small businesses across Chester County and Pennsylvania,” Dinniman said. “These grants are designed to provide critical assistance to local and family small businesses in order to put them on stronger financial footing as we begin to reopen and recover.”

The COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance program provides $225 million in grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to eligible businesses.

The program, funded by the federal CARES Act, began Monday.

To be eligible, a business must:

Be physically located, certified to do business, and generate at least 51 percent of their revenues in Pennsylvania;

Have annual revenue of $1 million or less prior to the impact of COVID-19; and

Have 25 or fewer fulltime equivalent employees prior to Feb. 15, 2020.

The first application window will remain open for 10 days. Applications will continue to be accepted after 10 business days but will be considered for future rounds of funding, as this is not a first-come, first-served program. Applications will be prioritized and selected for funding based on the program criteria.

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) will distribute the funds to the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which will then administer the funding in the form of grants.

Eligible businesses will be able to use the grants to cover operating expenses during the shutdown and transition to re-opening, and for technical assistance including training and guidance for business owners as they stabilize and relaunch their businesses.

The funds will be available through three programs:

• $100 million for the Main Street Business Revitalization Program for small businesses that experienced loss as a result of the governor’s March 19, 2020, order relating to the closure of all non-life-sustaining businesses and have or will incur costs to adapt to new business operations related to COVID-19.

• $100 million for the Historically Disadvantaged Business Revitalization Program for small businesses that experienced loss as a result of the business closure order, have or will incur costs to adapt to new business operations related to COVID-19, and in which socially and economically disadvantaged individuals own at least a 51 percent interest and also control management and daily business operations.

• $25 million for the Loan Payment Deferment and Loss Reserve Program, which will allow the CDFIs the opportunity to offer forbearance and payment relief for existing portfolio businesses that are struggling due to the impact of

COVID, as well as shore up the financial position of the CDFIs that are experiencing significant increased defaults in their existing loan portfolios.

This project is financed by a grant from the federal Department of U.S. Treasury, under the administration of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania CDFI Network. The PA CDFI Network is a group of 17 PA-based community development financial institutions that primarily provide financing options for small businesses.