Recognizing the need to provide support to Delaware County’s local business community, Delaware County has launched round 2 of their DelcoSTRONG Small Business Support Program.  We provided information on round 1 in an earlier post, you can read more about round one HERE.  

The program is being funded through The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) which was signed into law on March 27th and intended to provide emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Round 2 has been expanded to include nonprofit organizations and those applications will be administered by the Foundation for Delaware County.  The application for nonprofits is not yet available.

Businesses awarded funding in the first round of Delco Strong will be contacted regarding the availability of “Delco Boost” additional funding.

Details on the program are outlined below and can be found at the DelcoSTRONG website by clicking HERE:

Application Period:      

5:00am Tuesday, July 7, 2020 through 5:00pm Thursday July 9, 2020.

Applications for Delco Strong 2 (for businesses) will only be accepted during the times/dates outlined below:

  • Online Submission – The online submission portal will be open on Tuesday, July 7th through Thursday July 9th at 5:00pm. Applications for Delco Strong 2 will not be accepted before or after that time.  If a user is experiencing technical difficultly uploading a submission, tech support can be reached by emailing techsupport@delcopa.org during normal buisness hours. 
  • Paper Submission – MAILED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
    • Paper submissions should be packaged in a sealed envelope.  The envelope should be marked with “Delco Strong 2″, company name, company contact, and phone number. 
    • Paper submission may be dropped off  between 8:30am and 4:30pm on Tuesday, July 7th, Wednesday, July 8th, and Thursday July 9th, at: 
    • Delaware County Commerce Center
      100 W. 6th St. Suite 100
      Media, Pa 19063

Grant Amounts Available:

Up to $10,000 grant for businesses up to $4.5M in revenue*

Up to $20,000 grant for businesses up to $9M in revenue*

*Annual revenue will be based on most recent executed tax return.
*Grant award will be based on working capital and operational expenses for one quarter of calendar year as reported on most recent, executed tax return.
*Grantees will need to certify that it has suffered a loss or incurred additional expenses caused by the coronavirus public health emergency in an amount at least equal to the amount of the grant and not otherwise compensated.                                         

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Business must be headquartered in Delaware County, PA.
  • Business cannot exceed revenue of $9M annually.
  • Business must have economic loss due to COVID-19

Priority Preference for grant funding:

  • Businesses with substantial economic loss due to COVID-19
  • Businesses not allowed to operate in Yellow or Red Phases
  • Businesses that self-certify as Minority, Women, or Veteran Owned
  • Industries hardest hit:
    • Retail
    • Hospitality
    • Education & Medical
    • Agriculture
    • Manufacturing
    • Service (barbers, groomers, etc.)

*Priority Preference does not exclude any business from consideration.

It only indicates the preferred candidate for the program.

Ineligible Entities:

  • Businesses not headquartered in Delaware County, PA.
  • Businesses that did not experience revenue loss due to COVID-19.
  • Businesses that were not operational by December 31, 2019.
  • Passive businesses such as commercial or residential landlords.
  • Government or government-owned entities
  • Non-Profits  and for-profit businesses with a direct tie to a non-profit.*
  • Private clubs/businesses that limit membership for reasons other than capacity.
  • Businesses primarily engaged in lobbying or political activities.
  • Businesses with annual revenue that exceeds $9M.
  • Business not compliant with all federal, state, & local laws including taxation.
  • Businesses awarded funding in the first round of Delco Strong.**
  • Businesses which are not in compliance with current public health guidelines.
  • Businesses which have not complied with phased reopening restrictions.

Eligible Uses of Funds:

  • Grant funding can be used by the business to cover working capital costs necessary to maintain a business during COVID-19 disruption, and also for costs of items needed to operate safely during COVID-19 and meet public health requirements (masks, barriers, signage, gloves, etc) to the extent not compensated by another funding program. 
  • Funding may not be used to pay owner’s salary or pay the owner outright.  The only exception is when the owner is on the regular payroll of the company.  The monies are primarily to support the business entity to continue operating during and post pandemic shut-down.

More information and the grant application can be found HERE.

For assistance with the application, email: help@delcopa.org

For assistance with the online portal, email: techsupport@delcopa.org

The Bringing Back Delco Task Force hosted a free webinar on Friday, June 24 at 10am. The presentation provided information on the second round of the Delco Strong Grants, as well as information on the Paycheck Protection Program and the Main Street Program.  Brinker Simpson team members served on the panel.

Please reach out to cares@brinkersimpson.com with questions.

We are in this together,

Brinker Simpson & Company, LLC

Disclaimer: This alert is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Information contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used as tax advice & cannot be used by the recipient to avoid penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code. We strongly advise you to seek professional assistance with respect to your specific issue(s).

Source: https://delcostrong.delcopa.org; https://www.delcopa.gov/publicrelations/releases/2020/delcostrong2.html