As Reported by Visit Anchorage:
Anchorage Tourism Grant Program Offers Business Relief
The Municipality of Anchorage will begin accepting applications for the Tourism Grant Program beginning Feb. 3, 2021. This $7 million business relief program is supported by the municipality's $156 million in CARES Act funding.
The Tourism Grant Program supports Anchorage tourism businesses facing economic hardship and loss of income from the pandemic’s effects on outside visitation. The program will provide three tiers of grants – $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000 – to a wide variety of businesses and organizations who rely primarily on visitation to the community. Grant amounts depend on the size of the business as measured by 2019 income.
- Must have a business address located within the Municipality of Anchorage.
- Must be an existing business or nonprofit organization with a significant reliance on leisure and business travel (70% or more of annual gross receipts dependent upon visitors traveling to Anchorage from outside the municipality, based on 2019 receipts).
- Must have loss of income greater than 60% in 2020 compared to 2019 due to the reduction in out-of-community visitors as customers, cancellation of meetings and conventions, etc. due to COVID-19.
- Must be able to provide a Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN).
- Businesses that have received grants through the municipality’s Hospitality Business Relief grant program tiers A, B, or C are not eligible. Businesses that received funding through other grant programs may be eligible for the Tourism Grant Program, provided grants already received and/or loan amounts that are eligible for forgiveness are included as revenues when calculating overall revenue for 2020.
Applications and review will be managed by a panel comprised of representatives from the Municipality of Anchorage and Visit Anchorage, as well as community and philanthropy advisors. Visit Anchorage will oversee disbursement and accounting.
Businesses may apply online beginning Wednesday, Feb. 3. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Additional information about the Tourism Grant Program may be found here. Applicants can email grant@anchorage.net with questions or for technical help with the application process.
This program is supported by a grant from the Municipality of Anchorage.
