ABOVE PHOTO: Delaware County Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaefer (Photo/delcopa.gov)
Over 200 Delaware County hospitality businesses were awarded a total of $6.3 million in funding as part of the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP).
The program was created by the state legislature for hospitality businesses that suffered an economic loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The businesses that were awarded funding had an average decline in gross revenue of 46% for the second through the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019. Delaware County’s local program prioritized disadvantaged business owners and locations but ultimately was able to provide a grant to every eligible business that applied.
The program was created and funded by legislation (SB109) and was administered locally by the Delaware County Commerce Center. Businesses awarded funding included restaurants, taverns, cafes, hotels, and motels. The majority of the businesses funded had annual revenues of under $1.5 million. Funding supported over 2,000 jobs within local small businesses.
“We know that Delco’s hospitality industry was hit hard during the pandemic. It was crucial that we supported them as best we could. This round of funding helped businesses stay afloat until they were safely able to open back up,” said Delaware County Councilwoman Elaine Schaefer. “The Delaware County Commerce Center did an extraordinary job getting this money out to our businesses and helping them get back on their feet as we start recovering.”
Delco Strong CHIRP was the fifth round of assistance for Delaware County small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first round of Delco Strong, launched in April 2020 awarded 790 grants with over $7 million in funding to business owners. All grantees from Delco Strong 1 were offered “Delco Strong Boost” which awarded additional funds.
The second round of Delco Strong, launched in June 2020 awarded $4.3 million in funding to 462 business owners and over $2 million to 73 nonprofit organizations.
The third round of Delco Strong, launched in November 2020 awarded $1.7 million in funding to 176 business owners and $769K to 30 nonprofit organizations.
“Delco Strong: Rapid Response” launched in December 2020 awarded over $3 million to 279 Delaware County businesses directly affected by the Governor’s updated mitigation efforts during the holiday season.
A list of Delco Strong CHIRP grantees can be found here: https://arcg.is/09b59a0.
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