Philadelphia to distribute over $17 million to businesses in the hard-hit hospitality industry as part of a new statewide relief program

PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia and PIDC today announced details of how the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) will operate in Philadelphia. CHIRP is a new $145 million statewide program created by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to alleviate revenue losses and pay eligible operating expenses for certain businesses in the hospitality industry, which has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Commonwealth’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DCED), Philadelphia County is receiving over $17 million in funding to provide grants to eligible businesses through this program.

The online application for the program will open at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 15. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 5. The application will be available at PIDCphila.com/CHIRP. All applications will be reviewed after April 5. The program is not first-come, first-served; applications will be awarded based on eligibility and alignment with program priorities. Grant awards are estimated to range from $5,000 to $50,000 per business. CHIRP is a program distinct from the City of Philadelphia’s COVID-19 Restaurant and Gym Relief Program (RGRP), which was announced in January and is expected to begin distributing awards this month.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented immense challenges for local businesses, affecting some industries in disproportionate ways,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “Businesses in the hospitality industry have been among the hardest hit, and thanks to this new funding from the Commonwealth, we’ll be able to provide needed support to this industry that plays a critical role in Philadelphia’s economy. I’m deeply grateful to the teams at PIDC and the City’s own Department of Commerce who—since this crisis first began—have worked tirelessly to get funds out the door and into business owners’ hands, and will do so again with this new program.”

“We have been incredibly proud to partner with the Philadelphia Department of Commerce to design and deliver relief programs to support the small businesses in our community who have been hit the hardest over the last year. So far, we have deployed or committed nearly $55 million to Philadelphia businesses impacted by the pandemic, of which 65 percent has gone to minority-owned enterprises” said PIDC President, Anne Bovaird Nevins. “Now with this new program focused on the hospitality sector, we are excited to continue our partnership and get these much needed resources into our communities.”

“Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a threat to our health, our safety, our physical, emotional, and financial well-being; and our small businesses, particularly those in the hospitality industry, have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic,” said DCED Secretary Dennis Davin. “This program was designed to provide the critical help this industry needs, and we are grateful for the swift action that Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s other 66 counties took to quickly get this funding into the hands of our small business owners.”

What Businesses are Eligible

Businesses must:

  • Be physically located in Philadelphia County, in operation as of February 15, 2020, and intend to continue operating within one year of the date of application.
  • Have a NAICS designation within the Accommodation subsector (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector (722) as its primary activity.
  • Have a documented 25 percent reduction in gross receipts between 2019 and 2020 (calculated annually or quarterly) due to financial impact from COVID-19.
  • Be a for-profit business and not a publicly traded entity.
  • Have fewer than 300 full-time equivalent employees entity-wide as of February 15, 2020.
  • Have a maximum tangible net worth not more than $15 million as of February 15, 2020.
  • Be in compliance with all local, state, and federal taxes, or be on an approved payment plan or can prove they are in the process of getting on a payment plan.
  • Have the required federal, state, and local licenses and permits to legally operate and be in good standing with the City of Philadelphia.
  • Apply for only one CHIRP grant per Philadelphia County business location (per unique EINs).

Priority will be given to businesses that: have not received a previous COVID-19 relief loan or grant from city, state, or federal government programs; were subject to mandated closure by the Commonwealth’s proclamation of disaster emergency; are owned by Historically Disadvantaged People; or are located in high poverty areas.

What Businesses Will Need to Apply

Business owners should gather basic information about their business, including:

  • Type and structure of business
  • Employer Identification Number (EIN), social security number, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) of business owner
  • NAICS Code (6-digit number used to identify the type of business you are operating can be found on the first page of most business tax returns)
  • Annual and quarterly gross receipts from 2019 and 2020
  • Number of full-time and part-time employees pre-COVID and currently
Documents business owners will need to provide include:
  • 2019 Tax Return, if in operation in 2019
  • 2019 Profit and Loss statements on a quarterly or monthly basis, if in operation in 2019
  • 2020 Profit and Loss statements on a quarterly or monthly basis
  • Signed, dated, and completed W9 form (the October 2018 version must be used; a blank W-9 for completion can be obtained online)
Application AssistanceVarious community partners can provide free assistance to businesses who may need help completing the application. This includes language translation services, technological support, and other assistance in filling out the application. These organizations can apply on businesses’ behalf, with documented consent.

Flyers describing the program, and how businesses can receive assistance applying, are available in multiple languages here. More information about this new program is also available at phila.gov/CHIRP.

What Funds May Be Used For

If approved for a grant, businesses may use the funds for eligible expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 up to the date of application. Eligible expenses are defined as an operating expense, including a payroll and non-payroll expense, that is both ordinary and necessary. If using grant funds to cover expenses related to mortgage, rent, or utilities then those services must have begun before February 15, 2020. Grant funds cannot be used for expenses or losses that were already covered by any public sector funding received by businesses due to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 through the date of application for this program.

###