The AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund of the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE) provides grants directly to AAPI restaurant owners who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 throughout the United States. This is a new grant opportunity for struggling AAPI restaurants. As restaurants begin to reopen or increase their capacity, unforeseen difficulties, challenges, and costs can accompany this process. National ACE looks forward to helping restaurants make this transition by providing them with additional resources. Grubhub’s $2 million donation to the National ACE AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund will be used to support restaurant owners in their efforts to reopen or expand.
The National ACE AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund opens for applications on August 4, 2021 and close on August 31, 2021, or until the application cap is hit (1,500 total or 100 applications per region).
Eligibility Requirements
The business must be Asian American/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian (AAPI) majority-owned (at least 51%)
The business based in the United States
The business must have been operational in 2019
The business must be currently in operation
The business’s primary licensed activity is "the preparation and serving of food”
The business operates in a maximum of three locations (ineligible if operating in four or more locations)
FAQ
When is the deadline to apply?
The application closes at 11:59PM on August 31, 2021 or when a region reaches 100 applications (which may be earlier than August 31).
Who is eligible to apply?
Business owners whose restaurants are at least 51% AAPI owned, based in the United States, were operational in 2019, currently in operation, whose primary licensed activity is "the preparation and serving of food”, and the business operates in a maximum of three locations are eligible to apply.
How many winners are there?
13 winners per region (15 regions total). Of the winners, 12 will receive $10,000 and 1 will be the “runner up” with an $8,000 grant award.
How are winners selected?
Each region is accepting a maximum of 100 applications. Once 100 applications are met or by August 31, whichever comes first, our local chamber partners will begin the first round of reviews. Chamber partners will score all applications on the same rubric. Based on scores, fifteen (15) applicants will move into round two of reviews. The second and final reviews will be through a national independent advisory board. This board will select 13 winners per region. One (1) winner per region will receive $8,000, and twelve (12) winners per region will receive $10,000.
How do I know which region to apply to?
The regions are divided as followed:
Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island
Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia Michigan, Indiana
Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota
DC, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina
Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota
Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas
Washington, Oregon, Alaska
Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii
How do I apply?
All applications must be done via Submittable and for the region in which your business is located.
What if I have multiple restaurants in different regions?
Applicants may only apply to one region.
Will you provide feedback on applications that are not selected for funding?
Due to the high volume of grant proposals we receive, we may not be able to respond to individual requests for updates. However, you can check at any time on the status of your application via Submittable.
10. Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee (AT CAPACITY AS OF 8/10/21)
11. Northern California (AT CAPACITY AS OF 8/17/21) Del Norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, Tehama, Mendocino, Glenn, Butte, Lake, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, Yolo, Napa, Sonoma, Marin, Solano, Sacramento, El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mono)
12. Southern California (AT CAPACITY AS OF 8/8/21) (Monterey, San Benito, Merced, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Inyo, Tulare, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Kern, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial)
13. New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland (AT CAPACITY AS OF 8/10/21)
14. Southwest Texas (Counties in this region are: Andrews, Aransas, Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Brewster, Brooks, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Cameron, Coke, Comal, Concho, Coryell, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, Dawson, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Fayette, Frio, Gaines, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Hays, Hidalgo, Howard, Hudspeth, Irion, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kendall, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Martin, Mason, Maverick, McCulloch, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Mills, Nueces, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan, Real, Reeves, Refugio, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Starr, Sterling, Sutton, Terrell, Tom Green, Travis, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Ward, Webb, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Zapata, Zavala)
Do I have to create a Submittable account to apply?
Yes, a Submittable account is required to apply, and free to make.
What are my obligations as a grantee?
If you are chosen as a grant recipient, please be prepared to share your testimony on how the funding helped your business.
Who can I contact with any other questions?
For grant-related questions, please contact info@nationalace.org.
For technical assistance, please view the Submitter Resource Center or contact Submittable Customer Support.
15. Northeast Texas (Counties in this region are: (Anderson, Angelina, Archer, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Baylor, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Briscoe, Brown, Burleson, Callahan, Camp, Carson, Cass, Castro, Chambers, Cherokee, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comanche, Cooke, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Dallas, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Fort Bend, Franklin, Freestone, Galveston, Garza, Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Haskell, Hemphill, Henderson, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Hutchinson, Jack, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Kaufman, Kent, King, Knox, Lamar, Lamb, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, McLennan, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Polk, Potter, Rains, Randall, Red River, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Schackelford, Scurry, Shelby, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Stephens, Stonewall, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wharton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, Young)