American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Announce $1+ Million Grant Program for “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” in the U.S. - Seite 2

The National Trust will work with American Express to identify historic small restaurants that need support and will award 25 grants of $40,000, totaling $1 million funded by American Express and administered by the National Trust. Historic small restaurants can be suggested at SavingPlaces.org/HistoricRestaurants for consideration. Final grantees will be selected by the National Trust, with input from American Express and a chef advisory committee assembled by Resy including chefs Deborah VanTrece, Edouardo Jordan, and Kwame Onwuachi.

The grantees will be announced in May to coincide with National Preservation Month.

Grant Selection Criteria for Eligible U.S. Small Historic Restaurants:

• Have experienced significant financial hardship due to the impacts of the pandemic.
• Have contributed to the neighborhood’s history and/or the identity of a particular neighborhood or community for at least 25 years.
• Be a small/independently owned restaurant located in a historic building and/or historic neighborhood.
• Preference will be given to businesses owned by underrepresented groups, including People of Color and women, disproportionally impacted by the pandemic.
• Priority will be given to small restaurants who have not already received significant COVID-19-related aid.

Building on American Express and Resy’s Support for Restaurants

American Express has made several commitments to support restaurants since the beginning of the pandemic, including a national campaign launched earlier this month with Resy to “Order In, Help Out.” According to the American Express Independent Restaurant Insight Study, 89% of small, independent restaurant owners say they depend on takeout orders to stay afloat. The study also found that the simple act of ordering takeout can generate, on average, more than $700 million in daily sales for the industry¹. “Order In, Help Out” is an extension of American Express’ Shop Small effort, a global movement to spotlight and support small businesses, especially during the hardships experienced due to COVID-19.

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