New program offers $10k, other incentives to move to Tulsa

TULSA — The George Kaiser Family Foundation has teamed up with the City of Tulsa to create a new program designed to lure workers and business owners to the city.

It's called "Tulsa Remote," and it includes a $10,000 grant and a number of other incentives to eligible applicants.

The $10,000 will be paid out over a year, starting with $2,500 to help defray moving expenses. The funds are provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

GKFF says the successful applicants will also enjoy a number of other benefits, including:

• Discounted Rent: Participants will have the option of living in a brand new, fully furnished apartment in the Tulsa Arts District for 33 percent off base price, plus free utilities, for the first three months.
• Regular Meetups: Programming such as monthly dinners and weekly brainstorm sessions with fellow program members will allow participants to build a collaborative remote community.
• Community Building Opportunities: Programming and events designed for remote workers and Tulsa's entrepreneurs to engage with the community including opportunities to engage with local nonprofits.
• Co-Working Space: A year of desk space at 36 Degrees North as well as programming and events, conference rooms, WiFi, and complimentary snacks and beverages.
• Skillshare Workshops: TYPros, Tulsa's young professional cohort, will offer monthly workshops to help participants develop new skills and strategies to effectively work remote.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old, have proof of employment with a business based outside of Tulsa County, and have to commit to living and working in Tulsa for at least a year.

Program manager Aaron Bolzle with GKFF tells KRMG the hope is once they come to Tulsa, they’ll stay.

“I think the ultimate goal of the program is to identify individuals who might not know how exciting Tulsa is these days, so that they can come here and get connected to the already incredible workforce that exists in Tulsa,” he told KRMG Tuesday. “I think that the opportunity for collaboration, the opportunity for new ideas that will help grow everybody’s perspective, I think is a really positive thing. For me, this isn’t about trying to attract somebody who has a specific skill set that is missing from Tulsa, because I believe that Tulsa has so much when it comes to individuals with amazing skill sets. It’s about maximizing the potential of the people who are already here by broadening their network with these individuals.”

Bolzle tells KRMG that though they only announced the program hours before we spoke with him, they'd already had thousands of visits to the Tulsa Remote website, and hundreds of applicants.