The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Grubhub awarded three recipients $100,000 grants from the NGLCC/Grubhub Community Impact Grant Program.
Foode + Mercantile, Café Gabriela, Pitchers DC and League of Her Own, serving communities in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Oakland, California, and Washington, D.C., respectively, were granted $100,000 each at the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce Back to Business Summit 2021.
"As a trans-masculine and queer, immigrant person of color, I've worked hard and put all my love and energy into building a beautiful and welcoming space in Café Gabriela. I've remained resilient through COVID, and this grant is the injection of funds that we need to continue along our journey to full recovery," said Penny Baldado, owner of Café Gabriela, in a statement.
These small business owners are among the first recipients of the $2 million COVID-19 relief funds generated by the chamber in partnership with Grubhub. With the funds, the NGLCC and Grubhub created the NGLCC/Grubhub Community Impact Grant Program to support struggling LGBTQ+ owned and LGBTQ+ ally establishments.
"The impact of COVID-19 has been debilitating for countless restaurant and bar owners, including the many LGBTQ+-owned restaurants across the country who have persisted through lockdowns, operational changes, and labor and supply shortages," said NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelsonm, in a statement. "We're grateful to have partnered with Grubhub to offer real lifelines to support businesses throughout the nation."
The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Grubhub partnered for the month of June for Grubhub's Donate the Change program, where diners could opt-in, round up their order total, and donate the difference to the NGLCC. Applications for the grant program, ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, opened in September. Recipients were selected based on criteria including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses, as well as the restaurants' plans to use the grant money to recover from the pandemic.
Following this initial round of recipients, more grants will be issued in late 2021 and early 2022. Of the over 100 grants to be awarded, 30 percent of the funds available are intended for businesses owned by people of color and transgender/gender non-conforming individuals.
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