UPS and National ACE Launch (2nd Annual) AAPISTRONG Proudly Unstoppable Fund to help AAPI-Owned Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2022
Contact:
Daniel Oliver
Chief Operating Officer
National ACE
202-774-8740
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 22, 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.
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About National ACE
National ACE’s mission is to serve as a strong advocate of AAPI business interests and effect positive change on all issues that advance the goals of AAPI business owners, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders. With close to 100 affiliate chambers of commerce and minority business organization partners throughout the country, National ACE strives to support and promote issues that impact the AAPI business community by improving economic development and impact, advancing coalitions and enhancing community building, and fostering the next generation of AAPI entrepreneurs and executives. National ACE provides a unified voice for the AAPI business community. Learn more at: www.nationalace.org
About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is one of the world’s largest companies, with 2021 revenue of $97.3 billion, and provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 220 countries and territories. Focused on its purpose statement, “Moving our world forward by delivering what matters,” the company’s more than 534,000 employees embrace a strategy that is simply stated and powerfully executed: Customer First. People Led. Innovation Driven. UPS is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and supporting the communities we serve around the world. UPS also takes an unwavering stance in support of diversity, equality, and inclusion. More information can be found at www.ups.com, www.about.ups.com and www.investors.ups.com.