APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN, ONLY 1000 APPLICANTS ACCEPTED! APPLY AT:
UPS and National ACE Launch (2nd Annual) AAPISTRONG Proudly Unstoppable Fund to help AAPI-Owned Businesses
Independent Asian American and Pacific Islander businesses across the country can apply for a $5,000 AAPISTRONG Proudly Unstoppable grant.
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 18, 2022 — UPS, the multinational shipping and receiving company, and the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE) have announced a program to support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) small businesses with competitive grants worth $5,000 each. The AAPISTRONG Proudly Unstoppable Fund enters its second year to help small businesses respond to those challenges and recover from the effects of the pandemic, such as paying employees’ wages or repairing racially-motivated damage or vandalism.
“Our AAPI-owned businesses are still experiencing severe losses as a result of the pandemic and even worse, are victims of increased hate, discrimination, and bias at their places of business,” said Chiling Tong, President and CEO of National ACE. UPS’s ongoing commitment to AAPI-owned businesses is further demonstrated by the ongoing grant support they have provided the community. This contribution from UPS will provide hope for AAPI small business owners that were not eligible for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Restaurant Relief Funds (RRF).”
The AAPISTRONG Proudly Unstoppable Fund will be supported by a generous donation from UPS. AAPI-owned restaurants and businesses were amongst the hardest hit during the pandemic’s early days. By April 2020, roughly half of the Chinese restaurants in the U.S. had closed because of the pandemic, coupled with consumer prejudice and misperceptions.
The AAPISTRONG Proudly Unstoppable Fund will accept grant applications from all AAPI-owned businesses across the country from March 21, 2022 to April 3, 2022. To qualify for grant assistance, AAPI-owned businesses must satisfy all of the following requirements:
The business must be Asian American/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian (AAPI) majority-owned (51% or more AAPI-owned), based in the United States, currently in operation, operating in a maximum of three locations, and not part of a chain or franchise. The business owner(s) must be willing to be interviewed for earned-media opportunities related to this grant and complete the application before the closing date or be amongst the first 1,000 applicants.
Applications will open at 12pm ET on Monday, March 21, 2022 via AAPISTRONG.com. The application period will close on April 3, 2022 and grants will be fully distributed by the end of May 2022. Interested applicants can learn more about the AAPISTRONG Proudly Unstoppable Fund and the full application process at AAPISTRONG.com.
PLEASE HELP FILL OUT THE SURVEY!
Dear AAPI Small Business Owners,
You’ve been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that aren’t always visible to policymakers. By taking a 10-minute survey, you can help make clear how the pandemic has impacted you and small businesses like yours. Let your voice be heard by taking the survey here.
The survey’s findings will help elected officials to develop economic recovery policies and programs to better serve Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. . The Asian Chamber of Commerce will work with National ACE (our national partner) to share the results with legislators and policymakers.
Your input is critical. The survey will take you about 10 minutes and your responses will be anonymous and confidential. You can take the survey anytime until March 24, 2022.
Upon completing the survey, you could win a roundtrip flight with Southwest Airlines.
Let your voice be heard by taking the survey here.
Sincerely,
ACC
More information about the Asian Chamber of Commerce can be found at: