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Hotel & Motel Relief Grant Program

PLEASE NOTE: Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) is the sole entity designated as the Administrator of the Hotel & Motel Relief Grant Program (the "Program"). This site (empoweringsmallbusiness.org) and other websites available on or through this site (the “Designated Sites”) are the only approved websites designated for the administration of the Program. Any other website purporting to administer or otherwise act as an Administrator in connection with the Program may be fraudulent. As such, you should exercise caution and avoid providing any information (personal or otherwise) in connection with the Program on or through any website other than the Designated Sites. Further, neither MGCC nor any of its partners will charge any fees to apply for a grant under the Program and we recommend that you avoid any third-parties purporting to charge fees for you to apply.

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OVERVIEW

HOTEL & MOTEL RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has made $75,000,000 available to hotels and motels negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This program will award grants up to $2,000,000 per property for eligible hotels and motels, prioritizing those based on economic impact, revenue loss from 2019 to 2020, those owned by minorities, women, veterans, disabled individuals, or those that identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and those operating in Gateway Cities or other communities disproportionally impacted by the pandemic.  

This project is being supported by federal award number SLFRP1025 awarded to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These funds were appropriated through the Commonwealth’s FY2023 Economic Development Bill. 

If business has more than one hotel or motel property applying to this program, each property must submit an application. 

 

To download and review full details on the program's rules and eligibility requirements, click here: 

Hotel & Motel Relief Grant Program Overview & Required Documentation

APPLICATION PERIOD

Application Opens - May 15, 2023 at 12:00pm

Application Closes - June 16, 2023 at 11:59pm

Motel

AMOUNT OF FUNDING

Grant awards will be a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $2,000,000, subject to demand and taking into account the number of jobs and economic activity generated by each applicant. 

Only one grant shall be made for each hotel or motel operating location. 

ELIGIBILITY

  • Qualifications

    Hotel or motel operating locations eligible to receive a Hotel & Motel Relief Grant must meet all the qualifications below: 

    • Negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic 

    • Applicant must be a hotel or motel operator, not just an owner of the property 

    • Must be located in Massachusetts 

    • Must be a for-profit entity (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, cooperative or LLC)  

    • Must be currently in operation 

    • Must show 2019 revenues higher than $2,500,000 based on 2019 Federal Business Tax Returns 

    • Gross revenues in calendar year 2021 cannot exceed gross revenues in calendar year 2019 as evidenced by Federal Business Tax Returns, except for nascent hotels or properties under major construction during calendar year 2019 

    • In 2019, must have had more than 50 employees (FT and PT combined) 

    • Must be current on all tax obligations (federal, state and local) 

    • Must be in good standing with federal, state and local requirements 

    • Did not receive a grant from previous rounds of MGCC COVID Relief funds 

  • Ineligible Businesses

    • Hotel or motel operating location that did not experience a negative economic impact from the public health emergency 

    • Businesses owned by persons under age 18 

    • Businesses owned in whole or in part by foreign individuals (non-permanent resident) 

    • Businesses primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities 

    • Real estate rentals/sales businesses (short term rentals such as Airbnb, Vrbo, rooming houses, etc.)  

    • Cannabis-related businesses 

    • Non-profit organizations, Churches, or religious institutions 

    • Member-services organizations (social clubs) 

    • Government-owned entities or elected official offices 

    • REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) unless it is the operating entity of the hotel or motel  

    • Any business owner or business that is on the issued federal debarment list 

    • Any hotel or motel property that (i) received funds from MGCC in a previous round of small business COVID-19 relief grants; or (ii) was eligible to receive said funds but did not apply for said grants  

    • Any hotel or motel property whose revenues in calendar year 2021 exceeded that property’s gross revenues in calendar year 2019  

    • This does not apply to nascent hotels or motel properties which were under major renovation or construction during calendar year 2019 

    • A business or a business owned or controlled by persons or one that employs or contracts with persons (including officers, directors, employees, agents or subcontractors) who have been the subject of a charge, judgment, conviction, or grant of immunity, including pending actions, for any business or financial-related conduct that constitutes a crime under state or federal law, including but not limited to: embezzlement, wire fraud, money laundering, and/or any other COVID 19 relief fraud 

    • A business that has been the subject of any governmental determination of any public works law or regulation, or labor law or regulation or any OSHA violation 

  • Additional Information

    While all hotel or motel operating locations meeting the above criteria are eligible, priority will be given to those that fit the below conditions: 

    • Economic Impact: 

      • Businesses headquartered in Massachusetts (evidenced by address on Federal Tax Returns) 

      • Regional equity in terms of fair distribution across state based on population 

      • Number of employees at hotel or motel operating location in relation to local population size 

    • Revenue Loss: 

      • Had the largest percentage decline in revenues from 2019 to 2020 

      • Did not receive any federal, state or local COVID-19 relief aid previously  

    • Equity & Demographics: 

      • Businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, disabled individuals, or those that identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community  

      • Located in Gateway Cities or other communities disproportionally impacted by the pandemic 

     

    Compliance with Federal Funds, Laws and Regulations: Applicants must comply with all applicable laws.

USE OF FUNDS

Approved

  • Reimbursement of costs incurred in 2020 or 2021 in connection with physical improvements made to protect the health of employees, guests and to contain spread of the COVID-19 virus 

  • Employee payroll and benefit costs 

  • Business mortgage or rent 

  • Utilities 

  • Interest on other debt obligations incurred after March 3, 2021 

  • Cost to enhance outdoor spaces for COVID-19 mitigation (e.g., restaurant patios, open space, etc.) 

  •  Business will not apply the funds granted in response to this application to any expense that has been or will be covered by any other source of federal or state funding including, but not limited to, MGCC’s COVID-19 Relief Grant Programs, SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, Unemployment compensation benefits, Insurance claims/proceeds, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds, Other Small Business Administration funds, other Federal/State/local funding, other nonprofit/private sector/charitable funding. 

    • Business will collect and retain sufficient documentation to demonstrate that the expenses delineated in this application were incurred within the eligibility limits and established for the Hotel & Motel Relief Grant Program. Documentation includes, but is not limited to, receipts, invoices, purchase orders, contracts, contemporaneous memoranda, or other relevant materials. These materials must be stored in an easily accessible and searchable format, in business control, and in compliance with document retention best practices. This documentation will be maintained in compliance with applicable federal, state, and municipal law to support internal and external audits of these obligations and expenditures. As the prime recipient of the Hotel & Motel Relief Grant Program, the Commonwealth, reserves the right to request this documentation or other audit evidence at a future date. 

    • Grantor reserves the right to require Business to report on incurred expenses and/or outcomes in a form prescribed by the Grantor. 

Non-Approved

  • Distributions to owners 

  • Purchase of real property 

  • Capital expenses 

  • Construction activities 

  • Lobbying 

  • Depositing funds into any pension fund - Sec. 602(c)(2(B) & 603 (c)(2) 

  • Rainy day fund, financial reserves, or similar funds 

  • Debt incurred prior to March 3, 2021 

  • Satisfaction of any obligation arising under or pursuant to a settlement agreement, judgment, consent decree, or judicially confirmed debt restructuring plan in a judicial, administrative, or regulatory proceeding, except to the extent the judgment or settlement requires the provision of services that would respond to COVID public health emergency 

  • Businesses that did not experience a negative economic impact from public health emergency 

  • Uses that bear no relation to the harm experienced by the public health crisis or are grossly disproportionate to the type or extent of harm 

  • Grantees must prevent the duplication of benefits, which means these grant funds may not be used to pay expenses if another source of financial aid has paid that same expense 

  • Prohibited telecommunications and/or video surveillance equipment produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities) and/or Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities. 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Only complete applications including all required documentation will be considered. Additional documentation may be requested upon review of submission. 

 

2019, 2020 and 2021 Federal Business Tax Return: A complete copy (all schedules) of your filed Federal Business Tax Return as submitted to the IRS. If you file Schedule C income, please upload that document in place of a Business Tax Return. 

  • Social Security Numbers and EIN Numbers must be fully visible on documents 

  • Please be advised: If you received tax returns from a CPA, documents may be password protected. Include the document password for reviewer access. If you do not provide document passwords, your application will be considered incomplete 

 

If Applicable, 2019, 2020 and/or 2021 Profit & Loss Statement(s):  

  • Required if your businesses 2019, 2020 and/or 2021 Federal Business Tax Returns are associated with multiple hotel or motel operating locations.  

 

IRS W-9 Form: Completed and signed IRS W-9 Form for your business. 

  • You must fill out a new W-9 Form for MGCC, click here: Form W-9 (irs.gov) 

  • Must provide information for boxes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, Part I and Part II of W-9 Form 

  • If you have an Employer Identification Number (EIN), provide that in Part I of W-9 Form. Otherwise, provide your Social Security Number (SSN). Number provided should match your Federal Business Tax Return, Schedule C, or Federal Personal Tax Return. 

 

Certificate of Good Standing – Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office: 

  • Required if your business is a LLC, Partnership (except General Partnerships) or Corporation  

  • All entities organized in other states that operate in Massachusetts must be registered and in good standing in Massachusetts 

  • Your Certificate must have been issued within the past 12 months 

  • If you need to request a Certificate of Good Standing, please do so immediately as it may take up to 2+ weeks to receive, click below. Uploaded receipts will not meet application completion requirements. https://corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/Certificates/CertificateOrderForm.aspx 

 

Business Certificate: A copy of your unexpired Business Certificate from the city/town in which your business operates. 

  • Required if your business is a Sole Proprietorship or General Partnership 

  • If you need to request a Business Certificate, visit your town/city hall website. 

 

Photo ID: A copy of the business owner's photo identification (ID).  

  • Accepted ID’s include State-issued driver's license/ID card or U.S. Passport book/card 

  • ID must be valid and not expired 

  • ID match the business owner who is an authorized signer for the business that signs this application 

  • If it is a State-issued driver’s license, please submit a copy of the front of the ID only 

 

Corporate Resolution: Indicating who has the right to sign on behalf of the business. 

 

Department of Revenue Certificate of Registration as a lodging operation, as well as proof of number of rooms with formal pledge from applicant on its accuracy 

  • Registration must be current and valid 

 

If Applicable, Payment Plan(s): Federal, State and/or Local Business and/or Personal Taxes 

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