Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $35.5 Million in CARES Act Funding to Capitalize Revolving Loan Funds to Help Small Businesses Across Pennsylvania Respond to Coronavirus

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $35.5 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs that have been adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic across Pennsylvania.

“President Trump is working diligently every day to support our nation’s economy following the impacts of COVID-19 through the CARES Act,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “These investments will provide small businesses across Pennsylvania with the necessary capital to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic and, in turn, create a stronger and more resilient state economy for the future.”

“These investments come at a crucial time to help Pennsylvania’s and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hard-working Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, and EDA is pleased to invest these CARES Act funds so that Pennsylvania businesses have access to capital to respond to and recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”

“I am happy to see the Bucks County Industrial Development Authority receive this $2.4 million grant to help our businesses respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). “This CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant will provide another source of capital and much-needed boost to impacted businesses throughout my community. We are all united in this fight, and we are most effective when all levels of our government—federal, state, and local—are working together to help our community.”

“I am proud to see funds from the CARES Act going to vital partners like the NEPA Alliance and NEPIRC, so they can continue helping small businesses adapt through the coronavirus pandemic,” said Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-08). “Our recovery is on the line right now, and I am going to keep fighting for the resources we need to help our struggling communities move into better days.”

“The CARES Act succeeded in supporting employers and employees in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09). “Today’s announcement is great news for small businesses in the 9th District and across the Commonwealth. CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants will provide necessary capital for Pennsylvania businesses to safely reopen and help grow our economy.”

The EDA investments announced today are:

• Regional Development Funding Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will receive a $7.6 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer a RLF to provide loans to coronavirus impacted small businesses in Allegheny County.
• Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will receive a $7.45 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to provide gap financing to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic by capitalizing and administering an RLF to provide loans to businesses in the city of Philadelphia.
• SEDA-Council of Governments, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, will receive a $6.3 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF that will provide coronavirus impacted businesses in Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Union and Perry counties with loans to help them respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission, Altoona, Pennsylvania, will receive a $4.3 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF that will provide loans to coronavirus impacted businesses in Cambria, Blair, Huntingdon, Somerset, Bedford, and Fulton counties.
• Bucks County Industrial Development Authority, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, will receive a $2.4 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF that will provide coronavirus impacted businesses in Bucks county with loans to help them respond to the pandemic.
• The NEPA Alliance, Pittston, Pennsylvania, will receive a $2.1 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer an RLF that will provide coronavirus impacted businesses in Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, and Wayne counties with loans to help them respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
• North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development, Ridgway, Pennsylvania will receive a $1.9 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to provide small businesses hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic with loans by capitalizing and administering an RLF to impacted businesses in Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter counties.
• Indiana County, Indiana, Pennsylvania, will receive a $1.3 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to provide loans to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic by capitalizing and administering an RLF to provide loans to businesses located in Indiana County.
• Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will receive a $1.1 million EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to provide gap financing to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic by capitalizing and administering an RLF that will provide loans to businesses in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
• Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, will receive a $550,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to assist existing businesses and entrepreneurs impacted by the coronavirus pandemic with securing financing by capitalizing and administering an RLF to provide loans to coronavirus pandemic impacted businesses in Carbon, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Lackawanna, Tioga, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties.
• Allegheny County Industrial Development Authority, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will receive a $530,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to establish a Revolving Loan Fund to provide lending capital to small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic by capitalizing and administering an RLF to provide loans to businesses in Allegheny County.

These current EDA RLF grantees are some of the more than 850 existing, high-performing EDA RLF, Economic Development District, University Center, and Tribal grant recipients invited to apply for supplemental funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The CARES Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

On May 7, Secretary Ross announced that EDA is accepting applications for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funding opportunities.

EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit our recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.