California Restaurant Foundation Partners with Energy Companies to Support Restaurant Industry Through Resilience Fund

Strategic Insights -

The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) has launched the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund for the second consecutive year, providing $3,000 grants to independent restaurant owners and their staff. The fund received $1,500,000 in funding, with SoCalGas leading the charge with a $525,000 contribution. The grants are designed to help restaurants recover from two years of debt, losses, and rising costs, and can be used for equipment upgrades, employee retention bonuses, and deferred maintenance. Priority will be given to restaurants owned by women and people of color.

Key Takeaways:

  • The California Restaurant Foundation has launched the second annual Restaurants Care Resilience Fund, providing $3,000 grants to independent restaurant owners and their staff.
  • The fund received $1,500,000 in funding, with SoCalGas contributing $525,000, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) contributing $500,000, San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) contributing $175,000, and Wells Fargo contributing $250,000.
  • The grants can be used for equipment upgrades, employee retention bonuses, and deferred maintenance to alleviate industry-wide staffing issues and debt incurred from two years of losses and rising costs.
  • 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% of which were women-owned and 83% were owned by people of color.
  • The grants are part of a one-year of support services aimed at helping restaurants build back and thrive.
  • Applications will be open from April 15-30, 2022, and can be found at www.restaurantscare.org/resilience.
  • Grants are available to all California-based restaurant owners with less than three units and less than $3 million in revenue.

Statistics:

  • $3,000: Grant amount provided to independent restaurant owners and their staff.
  • $1,500,000: Total funding received for the Resilience Fund.
  • $525,000: SoCalGas contribution to the Resilience Fund.
  • $500,000: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) contribution to the Resilience Fund.
  • $175,000: San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) contribution to the Resilience Fund.
  • $250,000: Wells Fargo contribution to the Resilience Fund.
  • 318: Number of grants awarded to independent restaurant owners last year.
  • 65%: Percentage of grants awarded to women-owned restaurants last year.
  • 83%: Percentage of grants awarded to restaurants owned by people of color last year.

Sources:

  • California Restaurant Foundation (no date)
  • SoCalGas (no date)
  • Pacific Gas and Electric Company (no date)
  • San Diego Gas and Electric (no date)
  • Wells Fargo (no date)
  • Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd. (2022)