Fresno's La Elegante is one of the latest recipients of the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. Photo by Ben Hensley

The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) announced today that it has awarded another round of $5,000 grants to more than 180 independent restaurants statewide as part of its Restaurants Care Resilience Fund.

A total of 184 restaurants were awarded the grants supported by a $2.1 million fund financed by SoCalGas, PG&E and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E).

The grants, designed to assist in the long-term health of independent restaurants, provide funding for technology upgrades, unforeseen hardship, employee retention and employee training.

“We’ve received a record-breaking number of applications this year – 25 percent more than last year – so it’s apparent that there’s an immense need to support independent and locally-owned restaurants throughout the state,” said CRF Executive Director Alycia Harshfield. 

In the three years since its inception, the Resilience Fund has provided assistance to nearly 1,000 independent California restaurants. This year, 70 percent of the grant winners identify as female, with 78 percent identifying as people of color.

More than 80 percent of recipients plan to utilize the funding to improve the business itself, with the remaining 20 percent investing in their workforce with retention bonuses and job training.

The next round of Resilience Fund disbursement is scheduled to take place in October. Eligible restaurants must have five or fewer units and less than $3 million in revenue.

To date, 57 Fresno County restaurants have received funding through the program, with six Tulare County restaurants receiving funding as well. Kings and Madera counties have each seen one restaurant receive funding since the program’s inception.

This round’s recipients:

Fresno County:

-La Elegante Taqueria Inc. (Fresno)

-Senor Aji (Fresno)

-Cafe Leon Mexican Restaurant (Fresno)

-Mi Linda Tierra (Sanger)

Kings County:

-Colima Mexican Grill

Tulare:

-Quesadilla Gorilla

-Birria y Pollos El Guero