Marietta Area Business Association

Deadline: August 28th The PA Statewide Small Business Assistance program will provide grants from $5,000 to $50,000. You may have heard about this grant via local TV or newspaper. (Don't confuse this grant with the Lancaster County Recovery Grant that will have Phase 3 in the future.) This current grant is from the state of PA. This is the second and final round for this grant. If you applied in Round 1, your application will be automatically considered in Round 2. What you s...hould know: The FAQ page on the application website does not have current dates. The deadline is in fact 11:59PM on August 28th. This grant is for businesses with less than 25 employees. You must have experienced a loss of income due to COVID-19. This is for businesses only. Non-profits are not eligible. If you received an EIDL or PPP loan, or other emergency funding, you may apply for this grant. But "Grant funds cannot be used for expenses or losses that were already covered by the Payroll Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) or other emergency funding." See the FAQ for more details. Businesses in rural communities (like Marietta) receive more weight. Other criteria that add weight, such as women-owned businesses, can be found on the FAQ page, or at the bottom of the application page. Once you click "Start" you will have to choose a community network. "Assets" is the recommended network for Lancaster County. Use Google Chrome to apply. https://pabusinessgrants.com

Recovery Grant Reminder: Deadline for Phase 2 is Friday July 24th at 5 p.m. The Lancaster Recovery grant has been promoted heavily, on TV, billboards, in print, on social media, and via e-mail. If you studied the grant during Phase 1, and were discouraged because of certain restrictions, please read about the changes below that might allow you to apply. Note that the deadline for Phase 2 applications is Friday July 24th at 5 p.m. - this is 2 hours earlier than the Phase 1 dea...dline. If you applied to Phase 1 and were declined, or if you didn't apply because of not showing a profit in 2019, you can reapply in Phase 2. Again, if you didn't show a profit in 2019, unlike in Phase 1, you can apply in Phase 2. More weight will be given to those companies that did turn a profit in 2019, but if your books are in good order, the online application does not take long and may be worth your time. You don't have to apply for working capital. You can apply solely for retrofit costs related to the pandemic if you have receipts or costs that were or will be incurred on or after April 15. Phase 2 is for businesses that have up to 100 employees. Find all the info here: https://recoverylancaster.com/funding/local-grant-fund/

Sorry to share this news with you folks. Looking forward to seeing in 2021.

Free Protective Gear for Businesses in Lancaster County, starting at Noon, June 8th. There will be plenty to go around- this is NOT a first-come first-serve program. So, before you apply, consider that the website might be overwhelmed at first. https://recoverylancaster.com/ppe/

Grants and Protective Gear Available in 2 to 3 weeks, expected. The quick take on what we know now: Lancaster County businesses and nonprofits will soon be able to easily access grants up to $35,000 and free protective gear. This is a program that, as a small business or nonprofit, you will want to apply for, and it will be easy to do so through a website that is being created now. Please see the link at the end of this email for more details. Organizations with less than ...100 employees can access free protective gear. Gear is expected to roll out before grants. Organizations with less than 20 employees can easily apply for the first phase of grants. 2 future phases, opening within weeks of the first phase, are expected for organizations up to 100 employees. This program will NOT be first-come-first-serve, but will have a limited window of application per phase. So, unlike other programs that closed before most of us could apply, this grant program seems to have a higher likelihood of approval. The Marietta Area Business Association has direct communication with the organizations who are creating the application and website. We will keep you informed as soon as we hear more on the date the application will be open for either grants or gear. For more details visit this webpage created in partnership by the Lancaster Chamber and The Economic Development Company of Lancaster County: https://www.lancasterchamber.com/Apps/Pages/page-slug-92504 Wishing all Marietta Area businesses continued resilience in this difficult time, Stephen Ulrich, President Audrey Kushner Pombo, Vice-President Robert Heiserman, Treasurer Susan Snider, Secretary Bev Kreider, Past President Nick Liazis, Board Member Abby Ulrich, Board Member