From Blair County Commissioner Bruce Erb:
At a special meeting on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, the Blair County Board of Commissioners established a new grant program, the Blair CARES Small Business, Tourism, and Nonprofit Support Grant Program, to assist small businesses, local tourism, and nonprofits affected by COVID-19. The program will be funded using federal CARES Act funds provided to the County by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant. Blair County will make available a minimum of $1,200,000.
The primary purpose of the Program is to provide immediate relief to small businesses, local tourism, and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. Blair County hopes to help eligible industries and organizations stay in business through the COVID-19 pandemic, retain employees, and be prepared to grow in the future. In the first round of funding, the County will distribute funds to eligible industries and organizations that are vital to sustaining the economy of Blair County.
“Blair County’s economy has been significantly damaged by COVID-19. The Board of Commissioners is committed to providing support and assistance for our local businesses and non-profit organizations. We strongly urge all eligible entities to apply for these grants.” remarked Commissioner Bruce Erb.
The grants can be used to help cover business interruption losses including loss of fundraising revenues for eligible nonprofits. Preference will be given to those applicants that did not receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loan Funds (EIDL).
Application submission for the program will be open from August 31, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. to September 11, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. For detailed program eligibility requirements and specific information regarding the application process, including deadlines and submission instructions, please visit the Blair County website at www.blairco.org.
