Apply to the Reset Tourism Fund
An Overview
Powered by the Untours Foundation and in partnership with the Future of Tourism Coalition and B Tourism, the Reset Tourism Fund (the “Fund”) invests catalytic capital into world-changing businesses that represent the future of tourism.
We believe that the future of tourism is one in which travelers have life-enhancing experiences, host communities thrive, and the natural and cultural resources that make travel special will be respected, restored, and regenerated. We also believe that tourism is an incredibly powerful and underutilized tool for fighting poverty, empowering underestimated entrepreneurs, and combating climate change. So many businesses representing the future of tourism are in position to rebound but need the capital to do so. We are here to meet this need.
The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the tourism industry, costing over $2 trillion in lost revenues and 120 million jobs, with women, people of color, and young people most acutely affected. Countless small businesses will not survive and those that do will have their cash reserves severely depleted, limiting their ability to relaunch.
Our fund aims to:
- Harness the power of tourism to create a better world for us all.
- Build racial and gender equity by investing in businesses led by women and people of color.
- Empower the changemakers by investing in businesses that provide good jobs and build stronger communities.
- Promote climate resiliency by investing in businesses that imbed environmental sustainability into their business models.
Investment Details
While equity or traditional debt investments are a possibility, investments will primarily take the form of Revenue Based Financing (RBF). Investments will range from $5,000-$100,000 and will initially focus on two geographic regions – Philadelphia, USA and the Caribbean. For Phase 1 of the fund, only businesses based or operating in these two regions are invited to apply.
What the investee receives:
- Flexible, affordable, and unsecured capital to grow their business.
- Technical assistance and mentorship from Untours Foundation, fund partners, and advisors to both grow the business and increase its positive impact.
- Access to an expansive network of additional funders, potential collaborators/partners in the tourism industry, and advisors through the Untours Foundation, fund partners, and advisors.
What the fund receives:
- A sustainable return on our investment that allows us to continue to grow our impact.
- An ability to recycle catalytic capital into new investments.
- Achieving our mission to support world-changing businesses led by dynamic and diverse entrepreneurs.
How Revenue Based Financing works:
- The Fund will invest a sum of money in a business in the tourism industry – the Original Investment.
- The business will agree to repay the Fund a fixed total amount calculated as a multiple of the original investment (for example: the investee will repay 1.5x Original Investment) – the Total Repayment Amount
- The business will agree to pay a fixed percentage of ongoing gross revenues (between 2-10%) monthly to the Fund, until the agreed upon Total Repayment Amount has been repaid. As opposed to traditional debt, in which interest is charged on every dollar until the principal is paid back in full.
- Initial repayment grace periods, repayment percentages, and other terms will be agreed up front at the time of investment.
- The Total Repayment Amount will vary by business and depend on multiple factors, including business model, assessed risk, projected revenues, and expected repayment time.
Example Investment:
- Reset Tourism Fund invests $10,000 into a tourism business.
- The business agrees to repay 1.3x the initial investment amount, or $13,000.
- Based on projections the business will repay the investment within an initial two-year grace period at a rate of 5% of all revenues. Payments continue until the $13,000 is fully repaid.
- In the high season, revenues will be higher and therefore repayment amounts will be higher. In the low season the opposite occurs, providing much-needed flexibility for tourism businesses.
- No matter how long it takes to repay, the total amount never changes. However, the business is always required to pay the agreed-upon percentage of revenues until the full amount is paid, without exception.