COVID-19 Resources: Learn more from Division of Public Health More Info
The $176 million DE Relief Grants program will assist Delaware small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The program, funded by the federal CARES Act, is expected to reach more than 3,000 organizations. The size of the relief grant will be based on the business’s 2019 revenue. For more information and to find answers to frequently asked questions about the program, visit business.delaware.gov/relief.
DE Relief Grants can be used for:
The $25 million Delaware Nonprofit Support Fund will support organizations that have provided critical services to Delawareans and Delaware families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonprofits may receive reimbursement for basic operational expenses – such as assistance with cleaning supplies and funding for personal protective equipment – as well as reimbursement for increased caseloads. Grant levels will be awarded based on the nonprofit’s 2019 operating expense budget. The program excludes organizations that qualify for assistance under the $100 million DE Relief Grants program, administered by the Delaware Division of Small Business.
Organizations that provide a range of important services are eligible for assistance under the Delaware Nonprofit Support Fund. Eligible services include:
Delaware will direct $20 million in CARES Act funding to build new broadband infrastructure across Delaware, gather strategic data through a statewide speed survey, and acquire equipment and services for families in financial need.
The State will also use CARES Act funds to cover equipment installation and broadband service for students from low-income households across the state for remote or hybrid learning purposes. Additional information on this program will be announced in the coming weeks.
DSHA is now accepting applications for DEHAP rental assistance for tenants who have been financially impacted by the pandemic. Both tenants and landlords can initiate applications. Visit decovidhousinghelp.com to review eligibility information and submit an application.
DSHA is currently not accepting applications for mortgage assistance; however, funding is expected to be provided to the state in the coming weeks through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Once the details for that funding are finalized, DSHA will provide more information at decovidhousinghelp.com. For now, homeowners can find resources for other mortgage assistance at decovidhousinghelp.com/homeowners.
On July 1, 2020, Governor Carney released a modified order lifting the moratorium on foreclosure and eviction filings in place since March 2020. Tenants who are being threatened with eviction by their landlords due to nonpayment of rent during the pandemic should contact the Delaware Legal Help Link or the Delaware Community Legal Aid Society, Inc. (CLASI) for assistance.
Rent and mortgage assistance is available to keep Delaware families in their homes. The State of Delaware and New Castle County will contribute a combined $40 million in CARES Act funding to provide payments for qualified applicants to the Delaware Housing Assistance Program or the Delaware Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program.
Governor Carney signed Executive Order #43, creating the Rapid Workforce Training & Redeployment Initiative to assist Delaware workers and their families who have lost jobs and income due to COVID-19. The workforce development program is funded with $15 million of federal CARES Act funding. Investments in workforce development were a recommendation of the Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee.
The Delaware Department of Labor will work with the Delaware Workforce Development Board to establish approved training and certification programs for unemployed and underemployed Delawareans. Training programs included in the rapid workforce development initiative will focus on in-demand occupations and skills currently demanded in Delaware workplaces.
The Delaware Contract Poultry Grower Grant Assistance Program will compensate contract poultry growers who had an active grower contract in force on facilities located in Delaware on March 15 when COVID-19 impacted our state, have an approved CAFO permit or have filed a Notice of Intent for CAFO coverage, and do not have business interruption coverage for the losses covered by the grant program.
For poultry growers who meet these requirements, the grant program will compensate:
Applicants must complete a W-9 form online prior to receiving payment.
The Health Care Relief Fund will support providers throughout the health care industry that have been on the front lines fighting COVID-19 in Delaware. This includes:
Healthy Communities Delaware – a statewide public-private partnership that works to address social determinants of health – also will receive funding for distribution to Delaware communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
Funding from the Health Care Relief Fund can be used to support COVID-19 related investments, including technology upgrades, purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE), and environmental modifications in health care facilities.
Unemployment Insurance taxes paid by employers on the wages paid to employees go into Delaware’s Unemployment Insurance Trust fund (“Fund”). Every state has a Fund and the accounts are maintained at the U.S. Treasury.
The Fund is the source of benefit payments or unemployment to eligible claimants. There are no federal requirements for the amount of funds that should be kept in a state’s trust fund; however, each state operates on a forward-funding basis by building up reserves in anticipation of paying a higher amount of benefits during recessionary periods.
As a result of the pandemic, the UI Fund was completely depleted due to the significant increase in unemployment claims filed. In recognition of this, the US Treasury provided for States to be able to use CRF Funds to replenish their Unemployment Trust Fund to pre-pandemic levels and to pay off any loans from the federal government taken to pay unemployment benefits.
The Enhanced Reimbursement Program, created in April 2020, provided additional funding to child care centers and homes monthly. This funding helped centers and homes stay open during the height of the pandemic, and provided additional funding to help child care centers and homes keep their staff paid, keep up with increased operating costs, meet Division of Public Health/Office of Child Care Licensing health and safety guidelines, and deal with decreased enrollment. The program ended on March 31, 2021.