DoorDash, together with its partners Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, announced $440,000 in grant funding through the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund in 2023. This initiative provides $10,000 relief grants to restaurants impacted by natural disasters or emergencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The fund’s relief grants can be used to cover critical operating expenses, including rent or mortgage payments, replenishing food or beverage supplies, or paying bills and other costs. Earlier this year the fund was renewed to provide a total of $1 million to 100 restaurants in $10,000 grants across four grant rounds in 2023 and 2024. The fund is designed to help local communities and businesses rebuild after a natural disaster, according to DoorDash.
"We created the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund to help the communities we serve when they need it the most," said Sueli Shaw, head of social impact at DoorDash, in a statement. “From flooding rains to hurricanes to wildfires, the Fund is helping business owners recovering from a variety of challenges get back on their feet.”
Relief grants for the 2023 Spring and Summer funding rounds have been provided to 44 local restaurants, including 34 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, 6 in Canada, and 4 in New Zealand. The funding will be used to help restaurants recover from disasters including the recent Maui and Yellowknife wildfires, Hurricanes Ian and Fiona, and Cyclone Gabrielle.
"This grant didn’t just help us bounce back from the devastating flooding; it has also helped our local community get back on its feet,” said Colleen Magne of Langdon Street Tavern, a grant recipient from Montpelier, Vermont, in a statement. “We are immensely grateful for the support from the DoorDash Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund. With this grant, we can keep serving our loyal and wonderful customers and help our whole community recover."
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