Small Business Advantage Grant Program Applications Now Accepted
A grant program for small businesses began taking applications yesterday.
The Small Business Advantage Grant is a program providing 50 percent matching grants, up to a maximum of $9,500.00, to enable a Pennsylvania small business to adopt or acquire energy efficient or pollution prevention equipment or processes.
According to the State, eligible projects must save the small business a minimum
of $500.00 and at least 25 percent annually in energy consumption or pollution-related expenses.
Well-designed energy efficient or pollution prevention projects can help small businesses (100 or fewer employees) cut costs and reduce the risk of regulatory issues, while simultaneously protecting the environment.
Eligible projects must install equipment that results in E2 or P2, adopt processes that reduce energy consumption, reduce consumption of raw materials, increase the reuse of raw materials on-site or reduce the production of waste.
Examples of eligible projects include HVAC and boiler upgrades, high-efficiency lighting, solvent recovery systems, waste recycling systems, and auxiliary power units deployed as anti-idling technology for trucks.
This program is accepting applications until the allocated monies for the 2015 grant round have been depleted.
At that point, applications received will be put on a waitlist in the event that funding becomes available during the fiscal year. Any applications remaining on the waitlist at the end of the fiscal year period will not be funded.
Based on the guidelines for the next round, if the applicant/project is eligible for the next round, the applicant would need to submit a new application.
If an application is missing any required information, it will be deemed deficient, and the application will be routed through the Deficiency Process. The applicant will have a one-time 15 day period in which to submit corrected documentation.
When an application is deemed deficient, the application is no longer in the sequential order of the original post marked date or hand delivered date as applicable. If the corrected documentation is received by the department as noted above, the application will be placed in sequential order based on the date the updated documentation is received.
Grant applications will be reviewed for funding in the
order in which they are received at the Small Business Ombudsman’s Office at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Regional News | KP NewsDesk July 28, 2015
