Due to the success of last year’s inaugural program, the California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) has partnered again with California’s energy companies to provide $3,000 grants to independent restaurant owners and their staff through the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. The nonprofit received nearly $1.5 million for this year’s fund.
While last year’s Resilience Fund grants were intended to be used on payroll and ‘survival’ expenses – in fact, 73 percent of recipients used the grants to cover labor – this year’s Resilience Fund program is focused on investing and recovering California’s restaurant community. Grant recipients can use this year’s funds for equipment upgrades and employee retention bonuses to alleviate industry-wide staffing issues and deferred maintenance caused by two years of incurring debt, losses, and rising costs. The one-year support services will help restaurants build back and thrive.
Resilience Fund applications will be open through April 30 and can be found at www.restaurantscare.org/resilience. Grants will be available to all California-based restaurant owners with less than three units and less than $3 million in revenue. Priority will be given to restaurants owned by women and people of color. Last year, the Resilience Fund awarded 318 grants to independent restaurant owners, 65 percent of which were women-owned and 83 percent color-owned.
“Of last year’s cohort, 64 percent of our grant recipients said conditions are still difficult but improving, and 90 percent said the grant was ‘very important’ to the survival of their restaurant,” said Alycia Harshfield, executive director of CRF.
SoCalGas provided the lead gift of $525,000, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and San Diego Gas and Electric returned with contributions of $500,000 and $175,000, respectively. Rounding out the fund is a $250,000 donation from Wells Fargo, which will power support services and resources to assist Resilience Fund grant recipients in improving their business for the long term.
The Resilience Fund is currently accepting additional support from corporations, foundations, and individuals who want to invest in California’s restaurant recovery. Donations of all sizes are accepted and celebrated at www.restaurantscare.org/resilience.
For more information about the California Restaurant Foundation, Restaurants Care, or the Resilience Fund, visit www.restaurantscare.org.
“We’re thrilled to partner with CRF again and continue helping California’s restaurant community build back stronger and better than ever,” said David Barrett, vice president and general counsel at SoCalGas, the Resilience Fund’s lead sponsor.
