The Cobb Travel & Tourism (CT&T) is inviting applicants to apply for the Hospitality & Tourism – Workforce Employee Retention Grant program.
Donor Name: Cobb Travel & Tourism (CT&T)
State: Georgia
County: Cobb County (GA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/08/2023
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The purpose of the grant program is to help offset the cost of retaining and recruiting a workforce in this difficult labor market for four areas of Cobb’s hospitality and tourism industries: arts organizations, live entertainment venues, tourist attractions and craft beverage makers.
Cobb Travel & Tourism (CT&T) received approval by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners in January 2023 to administer an American Rescue Plan (ARPA) grant of $2,000,000 from Cobb County.
Funding will be administered to benefit up to 100 organizations in two tranches to each awardee as a maximum grant allocation of $20,000 to be used for workforce recovery, recruitment, and retention. CT&T will require each company to sign a memorandum of agreement prior to receiving funds and to complete a survey series during the grant process.
Uses of funds
The intention of the Hospitality & Tourism – Workforce Employee Retention Grant program is to help combat unemployment to assist in the recruitment, recovery, and retention of employees after the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of approved projects include (but are not limited to): training or development opportunities, recognition and reward programs, enhancements in technology or equipment, recruitment advertising costs, background checks, testing and onboarding costs, job fairs and networking, transportation assistance, etc. Funds may not be used for payroll related expenses, infrastructure enhancements, or operational costs. Funds must be for one-time expenditures and not reoccurring.
Eligibility Criteria
The following are requirements for all arts organizations, live entertainment venues, tourist attractions, and craft beverage makers to be eligible for grant funding through this Hospitality & Tourism – Workforce Employee Retention Grant program. Cobb Travel & Tourism will review all applications against the eligibility criteria described below to ensure the completeness and qualification of each application.
- For the purposes of this grant, applicants must have been in business and operating as of December 31, 2019;
- Have at least one W2 paid employee as of December 31, 2019;
- Arts organizations, live performance venues, tourist attractions and craft beverage makers must have their principal place of business and established, ongoing operations within Cobb County to be eligible for the grant;
- Arts organizations, live entertainment venues, tourist attractions and craft beverage makers must have a physical location in which they operate and have employees within Cobb County to be eligible for the grant, and must demonstrate how the grant will enable them to be competitive with employment expressly to serve Cobb County;
- Arts organizations, live entertainment venues, and tourist attractions owned by a local or state government shall not be eligible for the Hospitality and Tourism Grant; provided, however, that non-profit organizations or foundations which directly support such local or state government organizations, venues and attractions shall be eligible for the Hospitality and Tourism Grant to benefit the same (for example, the Cobb County Public Library Foundation, Inc. would be eligible to provide support for the Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Arts Center);
- No applications will be accepted after the application deadline has passed;
- Applicants must have all requisite and current licenses and permits necessary to operate legally within Cobb County; and
- Applicants must be current on all taxes, if any assessed, and otherwise compliant with all Cobb County codes.
For more information, visit CT&T.
