Westmoreland County will soon start the process to award $31.5 million in federal funds earmarked for grants to small businesses and nonprofit agencies impacted by the coronavirus.

Commissioners said an initial round of funding will allocate $5 million each to small businesses and nonprofits that have yet to see any government assistance during the pandemic.

“Small businesses and nonprofits that received payroll protection or other government funding will not be eligible for the first round of grants,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli said.

The county will accept applications from July 23-30. Details about criteria that will be used to award the funds will be released Thursday.

Officials last month approved three $10 million grant programs funded with federal money that the county received based on population. Those funds are to be used to assist local municipalities, nonprofits and small businesses for coronavirus-related expenses.

Additional funding rounds will be announced later this year, including grants to reimburse local governments for expenses incurred because of the pandemic, commissioners said.

Another $1.3 million is earmarked to expand broadband networks in underserved areas of the county.

“We didn’t want to do it all in one round,” Cerilli said of the grants.

Commissioners said the county on Thursday will appoint the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland, a private nonprofit organization that specializes in financing for development programs, to coordinate and review grant applications. The agency, which will be paid $60,000, will also recommend to commissioners the proposals to be funded.

Jim Smith, president and COO of the Economic Growth Connection, said grants will focus on small businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 100 employees. The first grants could be awarded in August, Smith said.

“It’s an aggressive schedule because the commissioners want to get the money out as fast as they can and to touch all areas of the county,” Smith said.

County officials in June hired Zelenkofsky Axelrod, a Greensburg accounting firm, to administer and oversee the grant programs through the December deadline set by the federal government to disperse the funds. Commissioners agreed to pay the company up to $100,000.

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