Grant Disbursements
COVID Recovery Loan Program
  • The Program will provide loans up to $25,000 at 1% to Lackawanna County businesses adversely impacted by the COVID pandemic.  The term of the loans will be 36 months with a 3-month payment deferral.  The funding can be used for working capital to be used by the business for operations. Eligible uses include, but are not limited to, lease or mortgage payments, utility payments, payroll, and other operational expenses, the purchase of machinery, equipment or technology that will allow the business to expand its operations.

Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CV) Grant
    • The Department of Planning and Economic Development received funding through the Community Development Block CV Grant
    • Community Development Block CV Grant program is a part of the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
    • $909,532.00 of CDBG-CV funds were allocated to the 11 entitlement municipalities 27 non-entitlement municipalities throughout Lackawanna County.
    • Lackawanna County utilized the CDBG-CV funds yo create and  administer a Mortgage Utility Assistance Program to benefit low to moderate income residents of Lackawanna County. This program assisted eligible residents in paying past due mortgage and utility bills.
    • In addition, Lackawanna County is utilizing CDBG-CV funds by creating the Lackawanna Housing Authority Wi-Fi Project. This project will provide free Wi-Fi for 12 low-income housing authorities throughout Lackawanna County.

2020 CARE$ - County Relief Block Grant - $18.9 million (note: all investment $’s are approximate)
    • Small Business Assistance - $6.2 million investment
      • $4.725 mil for the Lackawanna County COVID-19 Relief Small Business Assistance grant
      • $300k in Small Business Relief/COVID-19 Grants
      • $1 mil in Business Relief Grants for Food Service Industry
      • $50k to support Small Business Month Campaign ”Support Lackawanna. Shop Small. Shop Safe”
      • $100k to NEPA Alliance for the Get Connected program
    • Broadband Initiative - $2.6 million investment
      • The Lackawanna County Wireless Initiative was created to help the citizens and County efficiency with digital services. In this time of Covid-19, getting information to people is critical and the investment made by the County ensures that we can handle new Capacity requirements, provide Access to more underserved areas, and continue its mission to Protect our County.
      • Investment in Capacity, Access, and Protection. With the upgrades, we were able to expand capacity by doubling the bandwidth. This means we can reach and service more residents, businesses, and non-profit agencies.
      • We are creating new spokes in the County's Wireless Ring, this brings new access to areas that we were not able to reach prior. Existing Wireless ISP can now offer internet services to areas that was primarily satellite internet from the area past the State Hospital. When the Covington, Merli, and Scott Township Towers are completed access to affordable internet will be available to tens of thousands of people.
      • To maintain the safety of our citizens, calls to 911 must get through and calls from 911 to the local Law Enforcement, EMS, and Fire must be clear and not drop. These expansions help to protect our citizens to help remove any poor signal areas and reduce dropped calls to these emergency services.
    • POLYCOM - $2.3 million investment
      • The POLYCOM system provides Lackawanna County and the coordinated justice and criminal departments a technology alternative that enables witness testimony, sharing of evidence and information, all with remote abilities to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This technology ensures the continuation of justice, criminal, family court, and magisterial duties while ensuring appropriate social distancing guidelines. This initiative allowed for the purchase, installation, and training for a comprehensive technology program that would supply teleconferencing capabilities that will allow national, statewide, local, and internal court and prison processes to function together in response to relevant justice and legal proceedings.
      • Polycom video conferencing solutions:
        • Speed the adjudication process
        • Allow for remote capabilities to mitigate COVID-19
        • Reduce case backlogs by bringing the courtroom to the inmate
        • Eliminate extra costs for transportation, housing and security that are incurred moving inmates to and from jails and courtrooms
    • Prison Camera System - $1.8 million investment
      • The goals of replacing the Lackawanna County Prison System camera and surveillance are to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and provide greater accountability for both the inmate population and corrections officers during normal operations and in the event of a complaint or unusual occurrence and to increase security measures and public confidence. This system will also include thermal sensitive monitors that detect elevated body temperature and have two-way communication capabilities that will enable corrections officers and staff to address COVID 19 concerns within the prison population and will further aid in contact tracing while providing high-level social distancing per CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines.
      • The direct benefit of having the thermal sensitive monitors is that it can immediately identify elevated body temperatures thereby identifying an inmate that can then be further tested and quarantined for COVID 19 and assist with contact tracing and reducing the risk of facility-wide contamination.
    •  Assistance to County - Remote Work / Direct County Response – $3.2 million investment
        • Includes county equipment/devices needed to support remote work
        • PPE, Contact Tracing, Election Equipment etc.
        • COVID Outreach
        • County Courthouse Camera Upgrade
        • Juror Sequester - Safe practice -  Social distance
    • COVID-19 Testing/Vaccination Assistance - $1 million investment
    • Assistance to County Municipalities - $1.2 million investment
      • Lackawanna County allocated $1.2 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to reimburse pandemic-response costs incurred by its 40 municipalities — including $500,000 for Scranton. Carbondale was approved for up to $50,000, while the County’s 11 entitlement communities and 27 non-entitlement communities were approved for up to $35,000 and up to $10,000 each, respectively.
    • Non-Profit organizations/initiatives - $975k investment
      • $375k for the NEPA Nursing Home SOS program
      • over $300k in Non-Profit individual organization Support Grants
      • $200k to SLHDA to support a Pre-Kindergarten program
      • $100k to Toys for Tots
      • Boys and Girls Club NEPA – 50 Chromebooks
    • Emergency Rental Assistance Program - $24.3 million
        • The Emergency Rental Assistance program makes funding available to assist households that are unable to pay rent or utilities.
    • Hospitality Industry Recovery Grant Program (CHIRP) - $2.5 million
      • Lackawanna County applied for and received a County Block Grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide assistance to 170 Lackawanna County hospitality industry businesses adversely affect by the COVID-19 pandemic.
      • The County partnered with MetroAction, the small business affiliate of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, to administer the program and provide technical assistance to grant applicants and awardees.

(Entitlement municipalities include Archbald, Blakely, Clarks Summit, Dickson City, Dunmore, Jessup, Old Forge, Olyphant, Scott Twp., Taylor and Throop. The non-entitlement municipalities include the townships of Benton, Carbondale, Clifton, Covington, Elmhurst, Fell, Glenburn, Greenfield, Jefferson, La Plume, Madison, Newton, North Abington, Ransom, Roaring Brook, South Abington, Spring Brook, Thornhurst, Waverly and West Abington, as well as Clarks Green, Dalton, Jermyn, Mayfield, Moosic, Moscow and Vandling).


American Rescue Plan Act Funds - Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds - $40.73 million - 2021-2024

    • Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services up to the amount of revenue lost due to the pandemic.
    • Respond to the far-reaching public health and negative economic impacts of the pandemic, by supporting the health of communities, and helping households, small businesses, impacted industries, nonprofits, and the public sector recover from economic impacts.
    • Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical sectors.
    • Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, to support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand affordable access to broadband internet.
      • Active Projects:
      • Lackawanna County Musician “Re-Opening Act Grant”- $1 million Music Re-Opening Act 
      • Lackawanna County Musicfest “Give Back on the Mountain” - $550,000
      • Lackawanna County "Give Back at the Ballpark" - $30,000
      • Lackawanna County CHIRP (COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Grant Program) (additional funding to $2.4 mil state program) - $141,000
      • Lackawanna County Website - $42,600
      • Lackawanna County Bookmobile - $350,000
      • Lackawanna County Non-Profit COVID-19 Response Grant Program - $1.1 million
      • Lackawanna County Giving Tuesday - Non-Profit Grant – NEPA Youth Shelter - $50,000
      • Lackawanna County Toys For Tots - $25,000 (2021); $50,000 (2022)
      • Lackawanna County – Get Connected – Small Business E-Commerce Platform Program; $142,000
      • Lackawanna County TechCelerator Program - program to support emerging entrepreneurs throughout the process of launching their start-up businesses and to begin to spur creation of new small businesses in Lackawanna County - $140,000
      • Lackawanna County Health Department - investment in building purchase to support the Lackawanna County Health Department - $1 million
      • Lackawanna County McDade Park Water Complex Creation - Restoring and updating Pool and creating a Splash Park - $3 million
      • Lackawanna County Broadband Initiative - $2.7 million
      • Lackawanna County Fiber Project - $600,000
      • Lackawanna County Re-Assessment Project - $5.2 million
      • Lackawanna County Government Center Elevator Modernization COIVD-19 Mitigation Project - $800,000
      • Lackawanna County COVID-19 Mitigation Project - $3.4 million
      • Lackawanna County Polycom Phase II Project - $330,000