UPDATE: GRANT AWARDS
The City received 142 applications and $523,295 in funding requests by deadline. After thorough review, the grant committee recommended awards representing $250,000 for 126 applicants. City Council approved distribution of the funds on April 27, 2020. Click here for more information on emergency grant recipients.
UPDATE 2: AIRBNB RELIEF FUNDS
In May, the City of Seaside recognized that the monies intended for Airbnb hosts were not being delivered as intended. Following a series of conversations resulting from the inaction, the City of Seaside is pleased to announce that a plan has been set in motion to ensure all Airbnb hosts do indeed receive the relief funds as they were intended.
Due to the lump sum nature in which funds are exchanged between the City of Seaside and Airbnb, Seaside hosts that had stays between January 1 and March 31, 2020, will need to complete a short-form survey in order to receive their relief funding. This will enable Host and Listing ID information to be matched up properly with the guest tax that was paid on a particular property over the course of the 90 days where relief is being offered. Information will be processed as quickly as possible. Hosts can also contact Jeff Flory, code compliance official for the City of Seaside, at jflory@cityofseaside.us or by calling the community development department at (503) 738-7100.
The City of Seaside’s 2020 Tourism Relief Program approves up to $250,000 in emergency grant funding to help local businesses overcome the temporary loss of revenue associated with COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Small businesses and nonprofits that comprise and support the thriving tourism industry in Seaside may apply to be considered for up to $4,000 each in grants based on demonstrated need. Depending on the quantity of applications received by deadline, we may not have enough funds to award grants to each applicant nor fully fund each request.
Emergency grants may be used to keep employees on payroll, pay for sick leave, or pay business obligations, including debts, rent and mortgage payments.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY
Eligible applicants include (but are not limited to) non-lodging businesses such as restaurants, shops, galleries, cafes, and entertainment establishments who have been in operation in Seaside for at least one full year as of April 2020.
This grant opportunity is intended for those operating under a mandatory change-in-service or closure order by federal, state, or local government, as well as those organizations that have suffered direct economic loss due to COVID-19 restrictions. Key qualifying factors will also include holding a business license with the City of Seaside and the State of Oregon.
Hotels and other short-term lodging properties are not eligible. In addition to the emergency grant outlined here, the City of Seaside is waiving its Transient Room Tax collection for the first quarter of 2020 (January, February, and March) for lodging entities in Seaside. Click here for more info on the lodging relief program.
APPLICATION PROCESS
*** The deadline to apply for consideration of relief funds was Monday, April 20 at 5 p.m. In order to process applications efficiently and expedite the funding process, no applications will be accepted after the deadline. ***
Applications received by deadline will be reviewed by a committee that includes representatives from Clatsop Economic Development Resources (CEDR). Applicants will be notified of the final status of their request, along with a check for any approved funding, no later than May 1, 2020.
The Director of Tourism Marketing for the City of Seaside Visitors Bureau will be the fiscal administrator of these funds on behalf of the City.
Emergency grants associated with the 2020 Tourism Relief Program are in addition to the Visitors Bureau’s regular Tourism Grant Program, a $50,000 annual effort to support events and projects that result in overnight stays in Seaside, especially during the off-season. See www.seasideor.com/tourism-grant-program for more info.
Questions or concerns about your application? Please call the Visitors Bureau at (503) 738.3097 or send us an email.
FURTHER RESOURCES
For other avenues of assistance, see the Seaside Chamber of Commerce’s directory of resources for small businesses.
