This week Pennsylvania released the funding amounts that local businesses received during the spring as part of the state’s COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Relief Program.

In Carbon County, 22 businesses received grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000.

“We developed the CHIRP program to provide immediate relief to the commonwealth’s restaurants and hospitality businesses recovering from the pandemic,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “These businesses and their employees made sacrifices for their communities during one of the most unprecedented times we have ever lived through. It was a major priority for my administration to offer quick assistance through trusted, local partners that truly understood the needs of their area’s businesses.”

In March, Wolf announced the state had secured $145 million in funding to support businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The commonwealth worked with all 67 counties to administer the funding through one or more designated Community Economic Development Organizations or Community Development Financial Institutions.

While funding amounts are just being announced by the governor’s office, businesses have had the money for quite some time.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich announced in mid-May that the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce had stopped accepting applications for the program because all funds had been distributed.

Carbon received $726,949 through the state to distribute to businesses. Lukasevich said that 33 businesses applied for money.

“The amount of money each county received as a whole is based on county population,” Elizabeth Rementer, press secretary for the governor’s office, said.

Eligible businesses, which had to be in the hospitality industry, had to show a reduction in gross receipts between 2019 and the same period in 2020, which had to be a minimum of 25% in reduction.

The businesses could not have more than 300 full-time employees or a tangible net worth over $15 million. They were given a funding amount, rounded down to the nearest $5,000, based on the negative financial impact documentation submitted.

Schuylkill County distributed $1.6 million to 83 businesses by the end of April. Elsewhere, $1.9 million was distributed in Monroe County, $3.5 million in Northampton County and $4.1 million in Lehigh County.