The Centre County Board of Commissioners, in partnership with the SEDA Council of Governments, announces the opening of grant applications for the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Relief Program (CHIRP).
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania awarded Centre County with $1.8 million to help support the hospitality industry. Applications will open on Monday, March 15 with grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to alleviate revenue losses and pay eligible operating expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligible hospitality industry businesses include hotels, restaurants, bars, and taverns. These businesses must have a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) designation which include the Accommodations subsector (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector (722). Please refer to the NAISCS code list..
The following criteria must be met for a hospitality business to be eligible for consideration:
- It has fewer than 300 full-time equivalent employees.
- It was in operation on Feb. 15, 2020, remains in operation and does not intend to permanently cease operations within one year of the date of application.
- COVID-19 has had an adverse economic impact on the eligible applicant which makes the grant necessary to support the ongoing operations of the applicant.
- It can demonstrate a minimum 25% decline in quarterly revenue when comparing quarterly revenue between 2019 to 2020.
Priority will be given to businesses that:
- Did not already receive COVID relief funds.
- Were subject to closure following the disaster emergency declared by Governor Wolf on March 6, 2020.
- Had more than a 50% reduction in gross receipts from March 31, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020, when compared to the same time period in 2019.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, under Act 1 of 2021 (SB 109), created an initiative known as the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP). Act 1 allocated $145 million in funding assistance to hospitality industry businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the State Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
Applicants can find eligibility information at the Community Giving Foundation’s website: www.csgiving.org beginning on Monday, March 15. Properly completed applications will be awarded on a rolling basis. Incomplete applications will not be considered until such time as the application is correct and complete.
The application window will be open March 15 through June 15 or earlier if all funds are allocated.
For more information, visit http://centrecountypa.gov/2251/COVID-19-Hospitality-Industry-Recovery-P..