Gunnison Copper Corp. (TSX: GCU) (OTCQB: GCUMF) (FSE: 3XS0) is pleased to announce that the Company has received approval under the Arizona Commerce Authority’s Qualified Facility Tax Credit Program for its Arizona operations which will result in a non-dilutive refundable tax credit funding source for the Company.

The QFTC Program is designed to support significant capital investment and high-quality job creation in Arizona through refundable state income tax credits tied to qualifying investments and net new full-time employment. The approval further reinforces Gunnison Copper’s growing alignment with U.S. domestic critical mineral priorities through the manufacturing of copper cathode and adds to the Company’s expanding track record of government and institutional support as it advances copper production and development activities in Arizona.

“This approval reflects the strong support we have in Arizona for our operations and direct financial support from the Arizona Commerce Authority providing this non-dilutive funding to support our manufacturing of pure American copper in this great state,” said Craig Hallworth, President & CEO of Gunnison Copper. “As we continue advancing our Made-in-America copper platform, we remain focused on creating high-quality jobs, working collaboratively with local communities and stakeholders, and supporting secure domestic supply chains for critical industries including infrastructure, manufacturing, energy, data centers, and defense.”

The QFTC approval follows several recent milestones supporting Gunnison’s strategic positioning as an emerging U.S. copper producer, including previously announced government-related support and inclusion in critical mineral development programs. The Company continues to advance its strategy focused on strengthening domestic copper supply chains while generating long-term value for shareholders and regional communities.

ABOUT GUNNISON COPPER

Gunnison Copper Corp. is a multi-asset pure-play copper developer and producer that controls the Cochise Mining District (the district), containing 12 known deposits within an 8 km economic radius, in the Southern Arizona Copper Belt.

Its flagship asset, the Gunnison Copper Project, has a main pit Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource containing over 846 million tons with a total copper grade of 0.33% (Measured Mineral Resource of 192 million tons at 0.37% and Indicated Mineral Resource of 655 million tons at 0.31%).

The Strong & Harris satellite deposit, located approximately 1.9 miles from the Gunnison processing facilities, is also included in the mine plan and hosts an Inferred Mineral Resource of 76 million tons grading 0.49% total copper (0.32% CuOx) at a 0.07% cutoff, 0.56% zinc and 0.12% silver, containing approximately 740 million pounds of copper, including 483 million pounds of oxide copper, as well as zinc (856 million pounds) and silver (9.0 million ounces).

A preliminary economic assessment was completed in March 2026 for the Gunnison Project yielding robust economics including an NPV8% of $2 billion, IRR of 23%, and payback period of 3.9 years. It is being developed as a conventional operation with open pit mining, heap leach, and SX/EW refinery to produce finished copper cathode on-site with direct rail link. The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the conclusions reached in the PEA will be realized. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

In addition, Gunnison’s Johnson Camp Asset, which is now in production, is fully funded by Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto Venture, with a production capacity of up to 25 million lbs of finished copper cathode annually.

Other significant deposits controlled by Gunnison in the district, with potential to be economic satellite feeder deposits for Gunnison Project infrastructure, include South Star, and eight other deposits.

For more information on the Company, please visit our website at www.GunnisonCopper.com.

For additional information on the Gunnison Project please refer to the technical report titled “Gunnison Project NI 43-101 Technical Report, Preliminary Economic Assessment, Cochise County, Arizona, USA” with an effective date of March 18, 2026 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

For additional information on the Johnson Camp Mine please refer to the technical report titled “Johnson Camp Mine NI 43-101 Technical Report, Cochise County, Arizona, USA” with an effective date of March 18, 2026 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Dr. Roland Goodgame, Senior VP of Project Development of the Company is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Dr. Goodgame has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information contained in this news release.

For further information regarding this press release, please contact:

Gunnison Copper Corp.
Concord Place, Suite 300, 2999 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85018