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Quality Jobs Program

Investing in businesses that create new jobs with living wages and health insurance benefits for Philadelphia residents.

About

The Quality Jobs Program (QJP) invests in eligible businesses that hire Philadelphia residents for new, full-time jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.

A quality job:

  • Is located in Philadelphia and offered to its residents.
  • Is a full-time, permanent position.
  • Pays a living wage.
  • Provides health insurance and paid time off.

New applications are accepted on a rolling basis, including from past grant recipients. The grant amount is based on the total number of new quality jobs created for Philadelphia residents:

  • First-time applicants can be awarded $7,000 per new job for up to 25 jobs, after meeting certain performance requirements.
  • Re-applicants can be awarded $5,000 per new job, up to $125,000 total.

The Quality Jobs Program is a program of the Department of Commerce.

Connect

Address
Quality Jobs Program
1515 Arch St., 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Email qualityjobs@phila.gov

Announcements

Announcement

Department of Commerce warns business owners of phishing text scams

The Department of Commerce is aware that some Philadelphia businesses have received text messages saying that they’re approved for a grant from the Catalyst Fund and to provide their banking information. The City of Philadelphia and Department of Commerce never request financial or banking information via text message.

Do not click or tap on any links or respond to these messages. Do not provide any personal information. We urge businesses and residents to report any suspicious texts as spam and delete them immediately. To learn more about how the City handles sensitive data, read the Privacy Policy.

We’re aware of other phishing scams impacting the Department of Revenue. See their announcement to learn how to stay vigilant and protect your data.

Announced on: Department of Commerce

Eligibility

The Philadelphia Minimum Wage is adjusted annually and set at $16.82 per hour through June 2026.

To qualify for grant funding, new jobs created as part of the Quality Jobs Program must:

  • Be located in Philadelphia and offered to Philadelphia residents.
  • Pay the minimum hourly wage defined by the Philadelphia Minimum Wage Standard.
  • Be full-time, permanent positions working at least 30 hours per week or 1,500 hours per year.

Additionally, the employer must:

  • Have been operating for at least one year.
  • Have a business tax account and pay the ⁠Business Income & Receipts Tax (BIRT).
  • Provide paid time off for all Philadelphia-based employees (at least one hour paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked).
  • Provide health insurance for all Philadelphia-based employees, either by:
    • sponsoring their employees' health insurance by covering at least 50% of the cost; or
    • facilitating their employees' access to health insurance coverage (e.g. by providing a stipend to purchase insurance).

Home-based businesses and nonprofit organizations are not eligible to participate in the Quality Jobs Program.

Process

Apply to the program

To start the application process, submit the online inquiry form. If you meet the eligibility requirements, the program manager will send you the full program application.

Do not begin hiring before your full application is approved. New positions filled before your application is approved will not qualify for grant funding.

Reapply for more funding

Businesses that successfully complete the program and receive a grant can apply for more funding to create new quality jobs.

You may only begin hiring once your new program application is approved. Positions filled before your new application is approved will not qualify for grant funding.

Accepted applicants

To participate in the program and receive funding, you must commit to growing your workforce based on your current number of full-time employees:

  • More than 25 full-time employees: hire at least five new full-time employees.
  • Fewer than 25 full-time employees: grow full-time workforce by 20% (e.g. a company with five full-time employees must create one new full-time job.)

You must also submit a performance report 30 days after the final proposed position is filled. You will have up to one year after being accepted to the program to do this. Participants will receive their grant payment once the report is submitted, reviewed, and approved.

Start the application process

If you're eligible and interested in applying for the Quality Jobs Program, complete the online inquiry form.

External link Go to the form

Resources

Fair Chance Hiring Initiative (FCHI)
Learn more about the FCHI, which offers incentives to local businesses and refers Philadelphia job seekers returning from incarceration for open positions.

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