$4M More In Coronavirus Assistance Available For Delco Businesses

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — More assistance funding for Delaware County businesses affected by the coronavirus is available, the county announced Friday.

The Delaware County Council this week unanimously voted to provide $4 million in assistance to businesses through the Delco Strong program.

This marks the fourth round of funding made available through the Delco Strong program and is called "Delco Strong: Rapid Response."

During its Dec. 16 public meeting, Delaware County Council unanimously voted to authorize

CARES Act funding to further assist Delaware County businesses that have suffered loss from business interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delco Strong, Delco Strong 2, and Delco Strong 3— which were offered in May, July, and November — provided more than $16 million to 1,428 local businesses and 130 local non-profit organizations.

Delco Strong: Rapid Response will offer funding to Delaware County businesses directly affected by the Governor’s recent updated mitigation efforts — which prohibit indoor dining, limit indoor and outdoor gatherings, and prohibit entertainment venues and gyms and fitness centers from operating — that are in effect from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4, 2021.

Business owners can apply online now.

This program provides a sliding scale of assistance to the Full-Service Restaurant/Tavern/Catering industry based on 2019 gross revenue and for those that have modified operations to remain open at a limited capacity during the three-week mitigation. Businesses are eligible for up to $40,000.

Businesses such as entertainment centers, fitness centers, and instructional studios (dance, yoga martial arts) with annual revenue under $2.5 million are eligible for a flat subsidy of $5,000 to offset overhead for the three weeks.

Previous Delco Strong grantees are also eligible and encouraged to apply and new applicants are also eligible to apply. Previous grantees are automatically qualified and do not need to resubmit their documentation, however they must submit a form stating they would like to apply for a grant.

Applications for grants will are accepted now through 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29; applications will not be accepted before or after that time.

Submit applications online here.

Applicants should visit the website for detailed program eligibility requirements and specific instructions regarding the application process, including hours of operation, deadlines, and information providing technical assistance for online applications.

This is not a first-come, first-served program.

The Delco Strong: Rapid Response program is administered by the Delaware County Economic Development Oversight Board. The program is funded entirely by a County Council grant in the amount of $4 million.

The first round of Delco Strong awarded 790 grants with over $7 million in funding to business owners. Eligible applicants were initially able to apply for up to $7,500. All grantees from Delco Strong 1 were offered “Delco Strong Boost” which awarded additional funds. 770 of the 790 grantees availed of or accepted Delco Strong Boost.

The second round of Delco Strong awarded $4.3 million in funding to 462 business owners and over $2 million to 73 nonprofit organizations. Businesses were eligible for up to $20,000. Non-profits were eligible for up to $50,000.

The third round of Delco Strong awarded $1.7 million in funding to 176 business owners and $769,000 to 30 nonprofit organizations. Delaware County Council was the first county in the Southeast Region to offer COVID-19 response funding to non-profit organizations. The Foundation for Delaware County assisted in administering and evaluating the applicants for the program.

With the addition of Delco Strong: Rapid Response, more than $20 million will be distributed directly to Delaware County businesses and non-profit organizations.