A nonprofit organization that aims to invest in and empower California's restaurant workforce will be distributing $5,000 grants to independent restaurant owners in Southern California and elsewhere, it was announced Thursday.
California independent restaurant owners can apply for the Restaurant Care Resilience Fund, which is a $2.1 million fund created by the California Restaurant Foundation and funded by donations from Southern California Gas Co. and other energy companies.
The grants can be used to invest in newer technology, equipment upgrades and employee onboarding, retention or unforeseen hardships.
Applications are open through Nov. 8, and can be found at www.restaurantscare.org/resilience.
Those eligible for the grants are independent California-based restaurant owners located in the gas companies' service areas that have less than five units and make less than $3 million in revenue.
The Resilience Fund was founded in 2021 in response to hardships restaurant owners were facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"These restaurants play a vital role in our local communities, and the foundation's grants bolster and maintain the livelihoods of local restaurant proprietors, their staff, and their establishments," said David Barrett, SoCalGas senior vice president, general counsel, and California Restaurant Foundation board member.
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