Delco STRONG PA C.H.I.R.P.
Pennsylvania CV- 19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program

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We have volunteers who are bi-lingual willing to assist Delaware County Small Business owners to complete an application for this program. If you are a small business owner in Delaware County and need assistance in making application because of a language barrier, please call or email with your name, email, phone number, and preferred language, so we can assist you.

 

ATTENTION: 
This program is ONLY available to business entities that operate in Delaware County, whose primary business is in Accommodations or Food Services and Drinking Places, where accommodations, food and drink is served to or provided for the public, with or without charge.
Applications from other industries are not eligible in accordance with PA Act 1 of 2021.

 Grant eligibility and instructions are being made available in advance of the application period to allow buisness the opportunity to collect needed documentation, and prepare their application in advance.
Applications will begin to be accepted on March 15, 2021 at 8:00AM
Applications received through April 12, 2021 3:00PM will be reviewed.
It is anticipated that the fund for this program will be depleted with applications received through April 12th.

It is anticipated that this will be a competitive funding round.
Only fully completed applications will be considered.
Not all applicants will be funded.

Assistance:

For technical assistance with application submission please email [email protected]
For questions on the application, and qualification please email [email protected]
Assistance is available only through e-mail Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

Background

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has allocated $145 million under Act 1 of 2021(Act 1) to counties for a grant program to provide financial relief to businesses whose primary activity is in NAICS Code sector 72:  721 (Accommodations) and 722 (Food Service and Drinking Places).

Delaware County is receiving approximately $6.4 million in funding to provide grants to eligible Delaware County businesses through this program. EDOB (Delaware County Economic Development Oversight Board) has been appointed the administrative entity for this program as the CEDO (Certified Economic Development Organization) for Delaware County.

 

Eligible Entities:

• Primary activity of the business entity within Delaware County must have a NAICS designation within Accommodations subsector (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector (721).
• Business entity must be operational as of February 15, 2020 and located in Delaware County.
• Business entity must have fewer than 300 full-time equivalent employees company wide.
• Business must have a demonstrable & documented 25% revenue loss due to financial impact from COVID-19 as reflected in the financial statements submitted with the application.
• Business entity must have a tangible net worth of less than $15,000,000 in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
• Applicant business must have intent to operate for a minimum of one year from the date of application.
• Business must be for-profit and not a publicly traded firm.
• Business must be complaint with all laws and taxation at all levels of government.
• During the period beginning on January 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2021 the applicant may not receive another grant under this statewide CHIRP program.
• Priority applicants will be those as defined in Act 1.  In anticipation of this being a competitive program, preference for applications that do not meet priority criteria but are in alignment with the legislation will assist in determining awards to eligible applicants.

Grants:

Grant amounts will be awarded in increments of $5,000 and will not exceed $50,000.
Grant determination will be made based on the submitted financial data required with application submission, and not exceed the following based on annual revenue of the business entity:

 

Eligible Grant Uses:

• • Grant funds may be used for alleviating revenue losses and paying eligible expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 up to the date of application.  Eligible operating expenses are defined as an operating expense, including a payroll and non-payroll expense that is both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in an eligible applicant’s industry. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for an eligible applicant’s trade or business. For purposes of determining an eligible operating expense, the following limitations shall apply according to statute.:
• For a mortgage obligation, the mortgage must have been in force before February 15, 2020.
• For rent, under lease agreements, the lease agreement must have been in force before February 15, 2020.
• For utility costs, service must have begun before February 15, 2020.
• If an existing mortgage obligation or lease agreement in force before February 15, 2020, is refinanced or restructured after February 15, 2020, the mortgage obligation or lease agreement is deemed to have been in force before February 15, 2020.

Ineligible Grant Uses:

Awardees must certify that grant funds are not being used for any operating expenses that are impermissible as described below in addition to the other prohibitions detailed in the program grant agreement:

• • Eligible operating expenses for which an eligible applicant receives or already received payment, reimbursement, and/or loan forgiveness from the following sources:
• Any Delco Strong Grants received in 2020 or 2021.
• Any PA Small Business Grant Program of 2020 administered by the CDFI Network.
• Any US SBA EIDL Advance (grant portion) and PPP funds.
• Any CARES Act or Consolidation Appropriations Act, 2021 money that is not required to be repaid to the Federal Government Between March 1st, 2020 through the date of application for this program.
  • Providing funds, directly or indirectly, for a dividend distribution, return of capital, or otherwise to owners, partners or shareholders of the business enterprise.
  • The payment of any local, school district, county, state, and/or federal tax obligations (including the remittance of Sales Tax, the Hotel Occupancy Tax, or any other tax obligations to a government entity).
  • To finance a business, project, activity, and/or location primarily located outside the geographic boundaries of Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

How To Apply:

• Application must be made electronically through our program website: https://delcostrong.delcopa.org/
• All required supplemental application documents MUST be in PDF format.
• Program website will begin to receive applications on March 15, 2021 at 8:00AM

To access the application portal, go to the program website listed above and click the “Apply Here” button at the bottom of the page.

• It is anticipated that the fund will be exhausted by April 12, 2021  Complete applications received between March 15th 8:00AM and April 12, 3:00PM 2021 will be reviewed.

The portal may remain open through June 15th to expend grant funds if needed.

• A full and complete application will include:
• • • Answer program questions in web application. (paper will not be accepted)

• • • 2019 Federal Business Tax Return or Full, Complete, and Signed.  Must upload entire Full, Complete, and Signed 2019 Federal Personal Tax Return for businesses that report on Schedule C.

• • • Business Profit and Loss by calendar quarter and total calendar year for 2019.

Business that began operating in 2019 should complete for quarters they were in operation and provide yearly totals.

• • • Business Profit and Loss by calendar quarter and total calendar year for 2020.

Business that began operating on or before February 15, 2020 should complete for quarters they were in operation and provide yearly totals.

• • • If business has an address on the tax return or PA registration outside of Delaware County and business leases property in Delaware County to operate, the full, complete, current executed lease agreement should be submitted.
    • A list of business owners with 20% or more interest in the company.  Please include percentage of ownership, and home mailing address.  If an owner is another entity, include the legal signer for that entity.

Additional Program Material:

• Application Questions and Attestations   Download PDF
• Sample Profit and Loss   Download PDF
• Application Checklist     Download PDF
• Where To Find Your NAICS Code   Download PDF
• What is a NAICS Code?   Learn More at CENSUS.GOV

 

Complete applications received between March 15th 8:00AM and April 12th 3:00PM, 2021 will be reviewed.
It is anticipated that all program funding will be exhausted by April 12th.
The portal may remain open through June 15th to expend grant funds only if needed.
It is anticipated that this will be a competitive funding round.
Not all applicants will be funded.

When to Apply:  March 15th, 2021 8:00AM
(Link Coming Soon)

Assistance:
For technical assistance with application submission please email [email protected]
For questions on the application, and qualification please email [email protected]
Assistance is available only through e-mail Monday through Friday during normal business hours.

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