Harford County announces new COVID grants to nonprofits; another round of funding for restaurants, hotels

James Whitlow, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·2 min read

Apr. 14—Harford County government will begin accepting applications for a COVID-19 relief grant for local nonprofits that have been impacted by the pandemic as well as extend another round of grant funding to hotels and restaurants, the county announced Tuesday.

The grant will be available to nonprofits with addresses in the county "whose ability to provide programs or services has been affected by the pandemic," the county announced in a statement. The money can be used for COVID-related expenses incurred between March 2020 and December 2021 if those expenses have not been addressed by another source of COVID relief funding.

The grant funding may not be used for non-secular or partisan activities, according to the statement, but can be used for rent, payroll and other operating costs.

Funding for the nonprofit grants comes from the State of Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development through the Maryland Recovery Now program, according to the statement. The state requires that priority be given to eligible nonprofits that have not received prior financial support for COVID-related expenses, and the dollar amount of individual grants will depend on the total number of applicants. The county is administering the money.

Nonprofits must have a physical address in Harford County — not just a P.O. box — and be classified as a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organization to qualify for the grant.

Applications for the non-profit grant program will be accepted starting at 8 a.m. April 28 through to 5 p.m. June 4.

The county will also administer another round of funding for restaurants and hotels. Previously, it had extended grant opportunities to a variety of businesses, including restaurants and hotels, using federal CARES Act money, first offering the relief funds to restaurants in October of last year. The amount of each of those loans also depends on the number of applicants.

Applications for round three of the State Restaurant Assistance Grant will be accepted from 8 a.m. April 14 through 5 p.m. April 28. Applications for the second round of the Hotel Relief Grant will be accepted from 8 a.m. April 21 through 5 p.m. May 5.

"Local nonprofits do important work in our community and they need help to get through this pandemic," Harford County Executive Barry Glassman said. "Likewise, our restaurants and hotels are not out of the woods yet. As with prior COVID-relief programs, my administration will work with qualified applicants and get funds to them as quickly as we can."