Centre County Awards $5.4 Million in Small Business Relief Grants

Centre County commissioners on Tuesday approved awarding a total of $5.4 million in relief grants to 403 local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding comes from the $14.7 million in CARES Act money awarded to the county earlier this year to support businesses, municipalities, nonprofits, educational institutions, and county expenses associated with the pandemic.

Applications were accepted through Sept. 11 and to be eligible, a small business must have fewer than 100 employees, be headquartered and operating in Centre County, and have experienced revenue losses resulting from the pandemic. Tourism-related businesses of any size within the county also were eligible.

A county team worked with the Penn State Small Business Development Center and CPA firm Zelenkofske Axelrod on the grant process. Mary Kay Williams, county relief block grant coordinator, said grant amounts were based on a formula of revenue declines or losses between March 1-July 31.

County staff did not see the names of businesses before determining grant awards, only the financial information needed for the formula.

‘This was about as impartial a process as could possibly be,’ Commissioner Steve Dershem said.

‘It’s one of the highest numbers in the state for businesses receiving grants,’ Commissioner Mark Higgins added. ‘It’s also one of the largest dollar amounts in the state even though we’re only the 22nd largest county. We did use the most generous formula allowed based on the state and federal guidelines.’

Grants range from $900 to $30,000 and businesses receiving them are located in 27 of the county’s 35 municipalities. The full list of recipients can be found here.

‘These are local businesses we all know, utilize here in our community,’ Board of Commissioners Chair Michael Pipe said. ‘There’s been a difficult time recently with the pandemic and we wanted to make sure that part of this CARES Act money we got from the federal government gets out to them and helps them stay alive, stay afloat and get by so they can make it through.’

Emails were being sent to businesses receiving grants at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Once businesses respond, information will go to the county controller’s office to begin processing checks.

Williams said the county received 537 applications. While a handful did not meet employee criteria, about 130 were not awarded grants because their revenue had grown during the March-July period. They may still be awarded grants in a smaller second round.

‘We understand that there is life after July 31, so those businesses that were not eligible will get an email from us in about two weeks and they will have an opportunity to resubmit their information to us in a very shortened, abbreviated application,’ Williams said. ‘That time period we’re looking at now will be March 1 through October 31.’