Frequently Asked Questions
We want to make sure all potential applicants are equipped to submit a COVID-19 Emergency Response Grant application. Below is a list of frequently asked questions.
Please email Grants@TravelOregon.com with any additional questions you may have, so we can answer them and add them to this page as a resource for others.
Q: My business mailing address is in an Oregon metropolitan area (examples: Portland, Salem, Eugene, Medford), the Grant Guidelines list that preference will be given to applicants from communities with a population of fewer than 35,000 residents. I own a lodging property in Independence – would I qualify to receive preference?
A: If you plan to use grant funds to support business continuity expenses of your lodging property in Independence, then you should clearly state that information when answering the question of how your organization would use the grant funds.
Q: How does Travel Oregon define a Destination Marketing/Management Organization?
A: Destination Marketing/Management Organizations are primarily non-profit organizations or tourism departments representing a specific destination such as a city, county or region. DMOs serve as the official contact points for their destination marketing and management and for meeting professionals, tour operators and leisure travelers. Each DMO is a product of the tourism requirements of the city, county or region it serves. Generally DMOs receive funding from transient lodging tax and are often an independent non-profit organization contracted by the city, county or region to market tourism.
Q: Our DMO is the city government (a public agency) rather than a 501c4 or 501c6, or private entity – are we eligible to apply for funding?
A: Yes, city government that serves as the Destination Marketing/Management Organization (DMO) is eligible to apply.
Q: I’m a lodging property and currently have 15 FTE on my books, but I hire an additional 30 seasonal employees during the summer. Am I eligible to apply?
A: Eligibility is dependent upon the number of full-time employees you had on payroll on January 31, 2020. Oregon lodging properties with 25 or fewer full-time employees on January 31, 2020 are eligible.
Q: How did Travel Oregon decide what entities would be eligible for this grant program?
A: This was a challenging decision with such tremendous need across the travel and tourism industry sector. Travel Oregon evaluated multiple factors, including availability of additional funding support offered from other entities. Due to a limited amount of grant dollars and the need to distribute dollars statewide, funding parameters needed to be extremely specific. The eligible entities have direct ties to driving overnight visitation and ensuring their existence, especially in Oregon’s rural communities and will be vital to sustaining the long-term viability of Oregon’s travel and tourism industry.
Q: How many dollars are available for award in the COVID-19 Emergency Response Grant Program?
A: There is $800,000 available.
Q: I have applied for federal funding through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) but have not yet been awarded funds. I may not receive funds from these SBA programs. Am I still eligible?
A: Yes, you are still eligible to submit an application. The final application question requires all applicants to notify Travel Oregon via email to Grants@TravelOregon.com if notification/receipt of funding from the CARES Act is prior to June 3,2020.
Q: I was planning to apply for Travel Oregon’s Competitive Medium Grants Program scheduled to open in April 2020. Is that program still going to open at a later date?
A: Thank you for your interest in Travel Oregon’s Competitive Medium Grants Program. Funding for the program has shifted to fund the COVID-19 Emergency Response Grants Program. It’s Travel Oregon’s intention to open a Competitive Medium Grants Program in the future. In 2021, Travel Oregon will re-evaluate when the next funding cycle for this program will occur. If you haven’t already, be sure to sign-up for Travel Oregon’s Industry Newsletter to receive the latest grant program updates.