Dive Brief:

• Tulsa Remote will offer $10,000 and free co-working space to individuals who are willing to relocate to Tulsa, OK as their remote work location for at least one year.
• This is the second year that Tulsa Remote is offering the incentive; last year the program received more than 10,000 applications and welcomed nearly 100 individuals to the city. Tulsa Remote will select 250 applicants for the second round of the program. 
• The program, which is supported by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the City of Tulsa, offers additional incentives such as curated housing options, connections to realtors and invitations to community events.

Dive Insight:

Last year's inaugural Tulsa Remote program was intended to enhance a transforming workforce in the city, an effort that the program dubbed successful through anecdotal evidence. In a press release, Tulsa Remote highlighted glowing testimonials from a number of stakeholders, including one participant who said joining the program was "one of the best decisions I ever made."

Tulsa World spoke to a number of program participants who echoed these positive sentiments, indicating that the program's efforts in its second year will likely see similar success.

Tulsa Remote has not, however, publicly detailed plans on how to keep participants in Tulsa. The program only requires one year of remote work in the city, and unless Tulsa Remote encourages more community engagement and social interaction, it may struggle to make the "transforming workforce" a permanent feature of Tulsa's civic environment.

Officials in Tulsa, including Mayor G.T. Bynum, have worked extensively to make the city a more attractive place to live and work. In a first-of-its-kind survey, polling company Gallup found a majority of Tulsa residents are optimistic the city is becoming more livable, with 50% of respondents classified as "thriving." Efforts made by Tulsa Remote to bring new demographics to Tulsa are intended to keep the city on the upswing as a "burgeoning epicenter" for innovative work environments.