Overview
The Indiana County Commissioners anticipate a grant award of approximately $952,241 through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under Act 1 of 2021 (SB 109), under an initiative known as the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP), which requires counties to establish a grant program for eligible businesses within the hospitality industry adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By March 15, 2021, the County shall establish program guidelines and make available an application to eligible businesses to apply for CHIRP funding through one or more Certified Economic Development Organizations (CEDOs) or Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), as may be determined. Applications from eligible businesses within the county will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the county’s CHIRP funds have been exhausted or the date of June 15, 2021, whichever occurs first.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants shall be hospitality industry businesses that have a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) designation within the Accommodation subsector (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector (722) and where accommodations, food or drink is served to or provided for the public, with or without charge. Eligible business will be required to have fewer than 300 full-time equivalent employees; have a maximum tangible net worth of not more than $15 million; was in operation on February 15, 2020, and remains in operation and does not intend to permanently cease operations within one year of the date of application; and COVID-19 has had an adverse economic impact on the eligible business which makes the grant request necessary to support the ongoing operations.
Minimum and Maximum Distribution Amounts
Grant funds provided to counties will be awarded to eligible businesses as defined in Act 1 of 2021 to alleviate revenue losses and pay eligible operating expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The minimum grant for eligible businesses is $5,000. A grant awarded to an individual applicant shall not exceed $50,000.
Conditions and Exclusions
Grant awards may not be used to pay the same eligible operating expenses for which an eligible business received payment, reimbursement or loan forgiveness from any of the following:
• The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, commonly known
as the CARES Act (Public Law 116-136, 134 Stat.281)
• The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260, 134 Stat.
1182)
• The COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriations Act
of 2019 (Act 2A of 2020)
Receipt of a loan or grant issued under the authority of the Federal Government or the Commonwealth shall not disqualify an eligible business from eligibility for the CHIRP grant.
How to Apply
CHIRP applications will be available by no later than March 15, 2021. If any eligible business wishes to be notified when the CHIRP applications are available or has any questions, please email your contact information, including a first and last name, the business name, a day time phone number and email address to
[email protected].
Indiana County Office of Planning & Development
801 Water Street
Indiana, PA 15701
