New grant opportunity for Pennsylvania small businesses available now

Do you have clients with a small business who could benefit from a small business grant?

The Department of Environmental Protection’s 2019 Small Business Advantage Grant provides Pennsylvania small businesses the opportunity to acquire energy-efficient or pollution-prevention technologies or adopt waste reduction processes with a 50% reimbursement matching grant for equipment or materials. The maximum amount for this grant is $7,000. Labor is not an eligible cost.

Who is eligible to apply? For-profit businesses in the commonwealth with less than 100 full-time employees who are registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State can seek out this grant. The proposed projects must save the applicant a minimum of $500 and reduce their costs by a minimum of 25%. Applications are reviewed and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so interested parties should apply as soon as possible.

There are a variety of projects that would be eligible for the grant, including, but not limited to, solar hot water installation, lighting projects, medical equipment projects and natural resource protection projects. DEP offers instructional videos on these projects. Some examples of acceptable equipment include upgrades like LED lighting, boilers, electric motors and pumps.

Ed Boito, small business ombudsman for DEP, said an update to exterior lighting in parking lots is another popular project,. He added these projects can not take place in a residential building, it has to be a business in a commercial property, or a business in a residential property that has been zoned for commercial property use, with a separate entrance and separate utility meters. Boito urged applicants to review the rules carefully before applying.