California Restaurant Foundation Receives $900,000 Donation From the PG&E Corporation Foundation for Statewide Resilience Fund
The Donation Will Help Fund This Year’s $2.1 Million Grant Program
Sacramento, CA (RestaurantNews.com) The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit that invests in and empowers California’s restaurants and its workforce, has secured a generous donation from The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) for its third Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. The $900,000 donation, the largest single gift the PG&E Foundation has given to CRF, will help fuel the $2.1 million statewide grant program, which will accept applications from April 15, 2023 through May 7, 2023.
Due to the generosity of the PG&E Foundation and California’s other energy companies, CRF has increased this year’s Resilience Fund grants to $5,000 and expects to help more than 360 independent restaurant owners across California build more resilient businesses for the long term.
“Thanks to the PG&E Foundation, we can continue to help restaurants in their service area build resilience and strengthen their business from the inside out,” said Alycia Harshfield, Executive Director of CRF. “The PG&E Foundation’s thoughtful donation will directly benefit the local communities served by PG&E through our third consecutive Resilience Fund program, which will launch in the coming weeks and provide more financial assistance to California’s independent restaurant owners and their families than ever before.”
From its inception, the Resilience Fund has helped 788 independent Golden State restaurants, with an impressive 367 of those grants directly funded by Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the PG&E Foundation. While last year’s Resilience Fund grants could be used on retention bonuses and equipment upgrades, this year’s $5,000 grants can be applied to technology adoption, equipment upgrades, employee onboarding and retention, or unforeseen hardships. The expanded priorities reflect the Resilience Fund’s commitment to providing California’s vibrant restaurant community with the financial support needed to build stronger, more resilient businesses that will continue to feed and contribute to their local communities for many years to come. Since 2021, 788 grants have been awarded to independent restaurant owners across California, 68.5 percent of which were women-owned and 83 percent minority-owned.
“We’re proud that The PG&E Corporation Foundation will continue to support the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund with an additional $900,000 this year to help hundreds of local restaurants across northern and central California,” said Carla Peterman, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs, PG&E Corporation and Chair of the Board, The PG&E Corporation Foundation. “We know that restaurants, especially independent neighborhood restaurants like those the fund supports, are the hearts of our communities. They offer local jobs, enhance our economy and nourish us and our families.”
Resilience Fund applications will be open from April 15, 2023 to May 7, 2023 and can be found at www.restaurantscare.org/resilience. Grants will be available to all California-based restaurant owners located in the utility companies’ service areas that have less than five units and less than $3 million in revenue. Priority will be given to restaurants that have yet to receive a grant; however, previous recipients are encouraged to re-apply.
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, please visit www.restaurantscare.org.
About the California Restaurant Foundation (CRF)
California is home to more than 90,000 restaurants that reach more than $72 billion in sales and employ more than 1.6 million workers, making restaurants an indisputable driving force in the state’s economy. The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) is a non-profit that empowers and invests in California’s restaurant workforce. Founded in 1981, CRF supports the restaurant community through relief grants for restaurant workers facing hardships and provides scholarships and mentorship for 13,500 high school students each year. For more information visit www.calrestfoundation.org.
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