CLEARFIELD – More financial relief is coming to local municipalities, businesses and non-profits that were adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, announced the Clearfield County Commissioners on Tuesday.
In June, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced the disbursement of $625 million to 60 Pennsylvania counties through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The county has received $7,157,429 for virus-related expenses through the COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant Program from the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development.
On Sept. 2, Commissioners Tony Scotto, board chairman, John A. Sobel and Dave Glass awarded $664,226.52 to 12 municipalities and on Sept. 22, they disbursed the first small grants to 34 local businesses and 19 non-profits, totaling $793,579.
On Oct. 6, the commissioners awarded relief funding to 56 local businesses (with fewer than 100 employees), totaling $1,008,527. And on Oct. 13, they awarded a combined $62,622 to five businesses.
On Tuesday, Glass said the county still has roughly $3 million in CARES funding and a second grant round will be administered in partnership with the Northcentral PA Launchbox, DuBois.
The program will keep the same framework and guidelines as the previous round with some slight modifications, he said. More details are expected to be released by the commissioners’ office later this week.
Glass did say this grant round will be open to entities that haven’t yet received any COVID relief, and because there’s a smaller pot of funds to work with this time around, there will be a cap on awards.
Sobel urged any potential applicant with questions or concerns to please contact the commissioners’ office. “… This has been a very, very tough year for everyone. We do realize that and try to take that into account.”