This September, the Greg Hill Foundation’s Restaurant Strong Fund and GrubHub announced two new grant programs to help local restaurants and highlight the hometown heroes that keep them running.
With grants ranging from $5,000 – $25,000, the funds are intended to help restaurant owners fund maintenance/updating of infrastructure, update technology/equipment, construction, addition of outdoor seating, marketing and PR services, staff training programs and incentivized wages.
The $2.6 million grant programs, made possible by the GrubHub Community Fund, deliver two opportunities for small business support via The Restaurant Strong Grant & The Restaurant Strong Community Impact Award & Grant.
See below to learn about each grant’s eligibility requirements and how to apply.
The Restaurant Strong Grant, developed to help small businesses grow through enhancing and expanding resources, will accept applications September 12 through October 10th, 2022.
Grants will range from $5,000 to $25,000 and may be used to update technology/equipment, maintenance/updating of infrastructure, construction, addition of outdoor seating, marketing and PR services, staff training programs and incentivized wages.
Qualifying restaurants must have five or less locations and currently operate in one of the following cities: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, or Portland. Applications will be evaluated based on need and must include specific plans on how funds would be utilized if awarded.
Celebrating small business restaurants that made a positive impact on their community, The Restaurant Strong Community Impact Award & Grant aims to highlight examples of selfless acts, good deeds, community builders and local heroes from within the restaurant industry.
The grants will be awarded to restaurants to continue supporting their communities, with awards ranging from $1,000-$5,000. Applications will be evaluated monthly through December 31, 2022.
Grants may be used to support and partner with local community organizations and schools or to support volunteer efforts for the restaurant and its employees. To be eligible, a restaurant must currently be open and operating.
The application must be fully complete, providing a detailed explanation of how the restaurant positively impacts the community and include at least one reference and/or link to news articles, program initiatives, photographs, social media or links to third-party websites outlining the restaurant’s community work.
A message to independent restaurants from Greg Hill
To help restaurants prepare for the application process, Greg Hill, the founder and President of The Greg Hill Foundation and the host of The Greg Hill Show on WEEI in Boston, shares insights into applying for this next round of funding.
At the beginning of March 2020, we recognized that Covid-19 would shut the restaurant industry down. With our partners and the tremendous support of our community, we created and launched The Restaurant Strong Fund to help provide aid to restaurant employees and owners. We, of course, had no idea how long Covid-19 would wreak havoc in our communities and wouldn’t have guessed that to this day, restaurants would still be suffering from this continued pandemic.
When creating your application, please keep in mind that the panel of judges is looking for as much detail as possible. To apply, you will need to:
- Provide a short description of your restaurant and why your restaurant is in need of this grant
- Provide a detailed description of how you plan to use the grant funds and how this grant will impact your restaurant and employees
Additionally, while these elements are not required, I do recommend sharing the following:
- Any documentation that you can share will provide additional information about how the grant will be utilized
- A video explaining how this grant will impact your restaurant and employees
Independent restaurants are the beating heart of our local communities. By supporting these restaurant owners and assisting in creating sustainable businesses, we know we will make a significant impact on the thousands of employees and their families. To apply for the grant, please click here, and if you have any questions, please email [email protected]
About Greg Hill
Greg Hill is a restauranteur, radio host, and founder of the Restaurant Strong Fund, an organization that supports restaurants across the country that are navigating the impacts of the pandemic with the help of partners like Grubhub.
