$96 million in grant money distributed to Pennsylvania small businesses
Small businesses across Pennsylvania will be getting a much-needed cash infusion as a result of $96 million in grants through the COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance Program.
This is the second round of money that has gone to small businesses in the commonwealth since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March. All told, 5,373 businesses will be getting this assistance, including 55 in Washington County, 29 in Fayette County and seven in Greene County.
At a press conference at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg Monday morning, Gov. Tom Wolf explained that small businesses “are the lifeblood of our economy,” and that “the effects of the pandemic are wide-reaching and will be with us for a long time.” The governor then called on the General Assembly to approve placing an additional $225 million in the commonwealth’s Small Business Assistance program. The infusion of cash would come from the $2.6 billion in federal funds Pennsylvania received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
In distributing the money, a special emphasis was placed on Main Street businesses, businesses that are owned by individuals who have a low-to-moderate income, enterprises that are owned by women and businesses that are designated as being historically disadvantaged, meaning they have at least 51% ownership by individuals who are Black, Hispanic, or in other minority groups.
Dolores McGee, the owner of the D. McGee Design Studio, located in Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market, said the money “has helped me meet all my financial obligations.”
McGee, a floral designer and event planner, outlined how events like weddings and parties she was planning were pushed into summer when the pandemic began, then fall, and now mid-2021, and “some have gone to 2022.”
“That part of my business was dramatically affected,” McGee said. “It really hurt.”
Since the start of the pandemic in March, more than 10,000 businesses in Pennsylvania have received grants, all of which now total $192 million. The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) distributed the funds to the Pennsylvania Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which are administering the grants.