Grant Funding Available to Hotel Owners

Harford County hotel owners are eligible to receive grant funding through the state of Maryland to help offset COVID-19-related expenses.

Through the grant funding announced on Dec. 17, 2020 by Gov. Larry Hogan, Harford received $1,005,964; how much grant funding each hotel will receive will be determined by the number of applicants. Hotel owners who have previously received a Harford County COVID-19 Business Relief Grant are still eligible for the Hotel Relief Grant. Applications for the Hotel Relief Grant can be submitted beginning Wednesday, January 13, 2021; the deadline to submit is 5 p.m. on Friday, January 29, 2021. Grants are available only to hotels in Harford County that contributed toward the county’s hotel/lodging fee in 2020.

For more information on the Hotel Occupancy Tax, please visit https://www.harfordcountymd.gov/657/Harford-County-Hotel-Occupancy-Tax.

The grant funds for qualifying hotels can be used for normal operating costs such as rent, payroll, job training, taxes, or debt services; the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); sanitization services; or other COVID-related costs. This is the county’s seventh COVID-19 relief grant program. The county provided $20.6 million of its $44 million in federal CARES Act funding to businesses through the Small Business Relief ($7,500), Homegrown Harford Farm Relief ($2,500), Business Owner Assistance ($5,000), Restaurant Relief ($10,000), and Childcare Provider Relief ($7,500) grants; second rounds of funding were provided through multiple programs.

For more information and to access the application and FAQs, please visit the county website at: https://www.harfordcountymd.gov/3057/Hotel-Relief-Grant.