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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Does Your Small Biz Need Some Cash?

"Beware the Ides of March!" is pretty good advice for everyone, preferably before you're stabbed in the back on your way to the Forum. If you're a small business owner in Northampton County, you should pay attention to March 31 as well. That's when applications for small business grants are due. 

To qualify, a business must (1) be located in Northampton County and (2) have fewer than 100 employees.

The grants can be used for rent, payroll and other operating expenses. That's pretty much it. 

These grants are eligible to all businesses, even those which previously received 2020 CARES Act funding through the Northampton County COVID-19 Relief Small Business Grant program. 

The maximum grant amount is $15,000 per business. That may not sound like much, but it kept several smaller businesses from going under during the pandemic.

The application form can be found on the DCED and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce websites:

https://www.northamptoncounty.org/CMTYECDV/Pages/Apply-for-Funding.aspx

https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/norcogrants.html

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about unemployment benefits? PA has some of the worse benefits in that you can only receive 6 months of benefits @ 30% pay rate of your previous job. That’s terrible and I never hear anyone complain about the UC benefits. It needs to be revamped and this will help the economy. We should have 2 years of benefits at 100 % pay rate like they have in Europe.

Anonymous said...

Two years of unemployment benefits? Jeezus.

No one should complain about unemployment benefits given that everyone has a job waiting for them. Average hourly salary in the Lehigh Valley is $18.75/hr (per ZipRecruiter) so please don't give me that nonsense about minimum wage.

Go get a job.

Anonymous said...

Bernie they've been trying to distribute the remainder of the Covid $$ for months now. when does it go back to Washington?

Anonymous said...

No one should be with out a job right now. Everywhere I go company's are hiring. Still offering hiring bonuses. But let me guess ,its not the job you want, it is easier to sit at home and get free money. Guess what sometimes you gotta do the hard thing to get ahead. But Americans have lost a thing called, work ethics.

Anonymous said...

I think it is time to stop handing out this money to ppl so they can sit home. Maybe help the working class. The ppl that worked through the whole covid thing. Didn't have the chance to sit home. Maybe give frontline employees a break. But nope, again help the ppl that sit at home. I know can't afford child care,can not work that job. Maybe help the working man. Not the DNCs way. Just buy votes the legal way.

Anonymous said...

15,000... That is about a half a years take home for county employees. I'm hoping that Lamont and chuck are checking to make sure everyone who is getting these grants are vaccinated. They better have the shots... He doesn't give out money to people that aren't vaccinated. Gotta protect the public. Giving money to ppl that aren't vaccinated and then they can keep there doors open. Just spreading the virus if their not vaccinated. Gotta fire employees that aren't vaccinated. Fair is fair .

Anonymous said...

The CARE ACT $$... should have been USED, and STILL should be used to give RAISES, to the EMPLOYEES, that DESERVE IT!!!! PERIODT!

Anonymous said...

See you won't post anything critical of this stupid program or your boys. This is BS.

Anonymous said...

I feel for the unemployed people at this time. I don’t know how at $20 an hour job can you afford a $300,000 house. Even at 3 % . interest @30 years with 5% down will cost $1500 a month. 2 weeks salary, boy your getting screwed.

In Allentown around 1990 you could buy a 1900sq ft house for 80,000 @ 8% interest and the salaries were 10.00 an hour. So it appears that this area is going down to the slums, since a major feels $18.75/hr is a livable wage. Apartment rents and inflationary pressures should yield a $30/hr min wage. Massachusetts unemployment benefits are $860 a month, compared to PA $575 a month.

If I was you move to Massachusetts, this area is going to the dogs. I think they have more union jobs that yield higher salaries than PA. Good Luck!

Bernie O'Hare said...

No $ is being given to people to stay home. Money is being given to small businesses so they can stay open. Geez.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"The CARE ACT $$... should have been USED, and STILL should be used to give RAISES, to the EMPLOYEES, that DESERVE IT!!!! PERIODT!

First, stop the capslock or I won't post you. Second, I agree that county employees should be paid more than they get, but this should NOT come from grant funds. That well, like our oil reserves, will soon run dry. The raises need to come from real estate taxes.

Anonymous said...

Yea more money for the business owners, while Grcedale residents lay in their own shit. You must be proud.

Anonymous said...

Please, this widow can't afford higher taxes as the Easton Area School district tax is terrible for me. And the rebates and government pandemic monies are punishing to many single retired individuals. Automatically the income ceiling amount is doubled as if married folks fixed expanses like heat are doubled. Working hard for a decent retirement may have been the worse decision I made.

Anonymous said...

Is there a vaccination mandate for the ppl get the money??? Lamont is pushing it everywhere else in the county. Make the grants based on if the person can provide a vaccinated card. Fair is fair. He's making county employees

Anonymous said...

Stop. Stop lying to ppl . You sat here on this post making fun of, actually humiliating the county COs when they went for hazard pay. Called us greedy and cry babies. So be honest. Dont be like your buddies Lamont and chuck. Change your mind depending on witch way the wind is blowing.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Stop. Stop lying to ppl . You sat here on this post making fun of, actually humiliating the county COs when they went for hazard pay. Called us greedy and cry babies. So be honest."

I am being honest and you are not. I at no time called COs crybabies for wanting hazard pay. Below is a link to a post on 2021, in which I discussed hazard pay for COs. I at no time called them crybabies. I even asserted that they should be paid more. I did feel that hazard pay was unwarranted.

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=9299655&postID=2272355108519893124

I have been critical of COs who refuse the vaccine while demanding hazard pay. I did call them hypocrites, and they are. When they demand hazard pay at a jail with exactly zero or near Covid cases, and refuse a vaccine in spite of a $1,000 cash incentive, they are hypocrites.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Brendan, I listened to every word. More than once, you said you were embarrassed or frustrated at not being able to prance around and arrest everyone. You complained about not being able to do so at Gracedale and at hospitals. You complained about the drugs found in a courtroom that you were unable to investigate. And you were humiliated that you were unable to go out and bash heads at the Trump protest.

Here are my questions. Were you in the rotunda and did you witness someone being punched? I do not believe that happened and I was there. And the Sheriff was in the rotunda and saw no assault.

You work for a paramilitary organization. You are there to follow the Sheriff, not tell him his job.

Anonymous said...

There is no such thing as a grant. It is simply a soviet-style forced redistribution of income and/or wealth from one group to another with government commissars taking a cut.