Distribution of Relief Funds To Begin Early April
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2020
DISTRIBUTION OF COVID-19 BARTENDER RELIEF GRANTS WILL BEGIN IN EARLY APRIL
USBG Foundation continuing to collect donations to help the hundreds of thousands out of work
HENDERSON, NEV. – There are nearly 700,000 U.S. bartenders out of work or underemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people who work adjacent to them. The United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) and the USBG National Charity Foundation (USBG Foundation) are partnering with beverage alcohol brands and other donors to raise funds to provide some support for this community in crisis. The USBG Foundation's Bartender Emergency Assistance Program (BEAP) has successfully supported bartenders in crisis since its inception in 2015.
In order to meet the urgent need for assistance caused by COVID-19 related business closures, the USBG Foundation has quickly scaled up its existing infrastructure by partnering with leaders in technology, data storage, and secure payment processing to make its already proven platform even more robust; And has onboarded a team of more than 300 trained volunteers who are screening and vetting thousands of applications daily. The USBG Foundation has received over 200,000 applications and anticipates an average timeline for approving and processing COVID-19 Relief Campaign emergency grants will be four weeks, with the first grants set to be distributed in early April.
“We have been helping the bartending community for many years through our Bartender Emergency Assistance Program (BEAP), and now more than ever, this community needs us,” said Aaron Gregory Smith, Executive Director of the United States Bartenders’ Guild. “In order to meet the unprecedented response to this campaign over the past couple of weeks, we’ve worked diligently and quickly to add the necessary technology to manage the larger volume and ensure information safekeeping, pivoted our staff resources, and assembled and trained a veritable army of volunteers. Yet each step in our process remains measured and transparent, so we can get emergency funds into the hands of those who have the most need.”
The USBG Foundation’s grant application process is comprised of five steps; including three rounds of reviewing and vetting conducted by different groups. Additional fraud protection and secure fund distribution is conducted by payment processing partner, Tipalti, the same platform trusted by Amazon, Roblox, GoDaddy, and National Geographic. The COVID-19 Relief grants are intended to assist with day-to-day expenses and depending on available funding, will range between $150 to $500 on average, based on determination of need. The USBG Foundation is calling upon all beverage alcohol companies and related businesses to donate, so that it can assist the hundreds of thousands who are currently out of work and in financial distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are very grateful to our current donors, all who have helped raise close to $5 million for the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program, yet the need for financial assistance in our industry right now is so expansive that we are just getting started. For every $10,000 donated to our Covid-19 relief campaign, we hope to assist roughly 40 qualified service industry members in need,” said Smith. “We have barely scratched the surface and plan to do much more.”
Donations are being accepted at https://usbgfoundation.networkforgood.com/projects/95524-covid-19-relief-campaign. In addition to raising funds, the USBG and the USBG Foundation are working to connect bartenders with relevant resources and information. Please visit https://www.usbgfoundation.org/covid-19-response for more information. A regularly updated list of current institutional donors and supporters can be found here: https://www.usbgfoundation.org/covid-19-relief-campaign-donors.
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About the United States Bartenders’ Guild:
Founded in 1948, the United States Bartenders’ Guild®️ is a non-profit professional society of bartenders and other hospitality professionals uniting the hospitality community to advance professional bartending. The USBG believes that every US bartender achieves greater personal and professional success by connecting to diverse local and national hospitality communities. Through our network of over 40 communities nationwide, the USBG connects members with peer-to-peer learning, expert instruction, community service projects, and skills-based competition. Learn more at www.usbg.org.
About the USBG National Charity Foundation:
The USBG National Charity Foundation's mission is to advance the lifelong stability and well-being of service industry professionals through education and charitable activities. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programming that focuses on social responsibility, community service, and philanthropy. You can learn more about the NCF at www.usbgfoundation.org.
About the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program:
The purpose of the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program is to assist those in the bar industry who are in need of assistance as a result of a catastrophic event or an emergency hardship. Fire, weather, medical, national crisis, or a family emergency, the BEAP is here to assist bartenders in their time of need. Our goal is to assist as many qualified industry members as possible each and every year. We are striving to ensure that the BEAP is sustained as a safety net for those in the industry who need it most. Our hope is that you will support us to "help us serve those who serve us.” www.usbgfoundation.org/beap
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Media Contact:
Jarrette Moore, USBG Director of Marketing and Communication
jmoore@usbg.org or 855.655.USBG
Donation Inquiries:
Genevieve Porter, USBG National Charity Foundation Senior Manager
gporter@usbg.org or 855.655.8724
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