Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf announced the approval of $26.5 million in funding through the Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) to promote community participation and collaborations among nonprofits, businesses and residents while producing outcomes that assist a distressed area or the low-income population in a neighborhood. The credits will support 197 community revitalization projects across the commonwealth.
“Since taking office, my administration has been focused on the needs of all Pennsylvanians—no matter where they live—by helping them build stronger communities, schools, and business climates,” said Gov. Wolf. “The Neighborhood Assistance Program demonstrates the value of public-private cooperation in ensuring the health of our communities, and the benefits that Pennsylvanians see through these partnerships.”
NAP encourages private sector investment into projects that will help improve distressed communities by providing tax credits to businesses that donate capital to support projects that address neighborhood and community problems. NAP can be used for projects in categories including affordable housing, community services, crime prevention, education, job training, charitable food, blight, special population issues, veteran’s initiatives, and long-term community revitalization.
The recently approved funding will support:
Eighteen community investments in the central region of Pennsylvania in Adams, Cumberland, Clinton, Dauphin, Lycoming, and York counties. One recently approved project in Dauphin County will help the Salvation Army expand its food assistance programming, including its Choice Shopping & Nutrition Pantry, Breakfast Feeding Program, and nutrition education classes. The new facility will feature a nutritional education kitchen with eight workstations designed to replicate a home kitchen environment for cooking and nutrition classes for youth, adults, and families.
Seventy-eight community investments in the southwest region of Pennsylvania in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Blair, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. In Somerset County, one recently approved project will reverse the negative trajectory of Somerset Borough by acquiring centrally located dilapidated buildings, conducting a vacancy assessment and renovations, preserving low-income housing, constructing a trail in the only walkable outdoor recreation area in the borough.
Forty-five community investments in the southeast region of Pennsylvania in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. In Philadelphia, one recently approved program will provide resources and supports to immigrants and refugees to help them start and grow a business. Resources will include a small business training program and workshops, a business innovator, technical support, networking assistance, job search assistance, marketing assistance, and workforce development opportunities.
Ten community investments in the northeast region of Pennsylvania in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Schuylkill, and Susquehanna counties. One recently approved project in Luzerne County aims to end hunger in Northeast Pennsylvania by 2025 by investing in these five areas: food acquisition, food distribution, partner networking, providing household level access, and raising public awareness.
Thirty-five community investments in the northwest region of Pennsylvania in Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, and Warren counties. One recently approved program in Erie County will assist unemployed women, single mothers, and mature women who are struggling with building job skills and securing new employment to reach self-sufficiency. The program will coordinate with mental health agencies and social service agencies to provide support services for each client and their specific needs. Additionally, three training cohorts will be held each year. Each class will be a three-hour session, once per week, for seven consecutive weeks and will include career center job searches, resume writing and completing job applications.
Eleven community investments in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania in Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Snyder counties. In Berks County, one recently approved project will increase access to bilingual training education and consulting in Reading through new programs including workshops and consulting that utilize the Growth Wheel business advising online platform for entrepreneurs seeking to grow. In addition, a new computer lab will be installed at the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance and the community will host an Entrepreneurs Growth conference for commercial developers, retailers, and entrepreneurs.
The new approvals raise the total amount of funding under the Wolf administration to $99 million in NAP tax credits supporting 677 projects statewide. The investment will result in $395 million in additional funds leveraged through corporate contributions.
“The Neighborhood Assistance Program is an invaluable resource available to distressed communities, helping them forge meaningful partnerships to create impactful change,” said Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Davin. “I look forward to seeing how these projects will improve communities across the commonwealth and the quality of life for the residents who call those communities home.”
