The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners announced that hospitality industry businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19 can now apply for up to $50,000 in grant funding through the MontcoStrong 2021 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program.

Montgomery County has received approximately $9.4 million in state funding to provide grants to eligible businesses. The eligibility, application requirements, and program design were all developed from Senate Bill 109 known as Act 1 of 2021.

“In 2019, tourism and hospitality accounted for approximately 4% of all jobs in Montgomery County. With the limitations on traveling and gathering, the hospitality industry is another hard-hit sector,” said Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr., Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “We are happy that we are able to help these businesses stay afloat until we can get back to some kind of normalcy.”

Grant awards will be in increments from $5,000 to $50,000. Applicants will be required to submit documentation of expenses incurred and paid during the eligible expense period.

Eligible businesses must have their primary business activity in NAICS subsector 721 (Accommodations) or subsector 722 (Food Services and Drinking Places). A description of these NAICS subsectors is in Appendix B of the Program Guidelines.

The application window will open at noon on Friday, March 12, 2021. The application questions are in Appendix A of the Program Guidelines. Interested applicants are advised to review the Program Guidelines and FAQ in advance to ensure eligibility and to prepare to apply when the application window opens. Program guidelines and instructions are available in English, Spanish, and Korean.

This is not a first come, first served program. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis, and the application window will remain open until grant funds are fully allocated.

The Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County will disburse funds to grant awardees upon the return of signed grant agreements.

This program is a jointly administered initiative of the Montgomery County Commerce Department and the Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County. Questions regarding the program should be submitted through the Commerce Department’s Assistance Request Form. Feedback on applications will not be provided.

Click here to view the application assistance video.

Media Contact: Kelly Cofrancisco, kcofrancisco@montcopa.org.