WASHINGTON — The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Grubhub have partnered to create the Grubhub Community Fund, which will provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to LGBTQ+-owned restaurants and bars that serve food. The funds can be used to support employee wages and incentives, maintain or upgrade existing infrastructure, pay for marketing and PR efforts, or other purposes.
“We often say at NGLCC that if you can buy it, an LGBTQ+-owned business can supply it,” said NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson. “This rings especially true for LGBTQ+-owned restaurants and food-serving establishments across America, which play a vital role in their communities. We’re thrilled to once again collaborate on this program, thanks to the generous support of the Grubhub Community Fund, to offer grants that will benefit businesses nationwide.”
“Grubhub’s partnership with NGLCC continues to go on from strength to strength over the years, and we’re really proud of the impact this initiative has had on LGBTQ+-owned businesses nationwide,” said Dave Tovar, Grubhub’s senior vice president of communications and government relations. “We are inspired by countless stories of how these grants empower independent restaurants to thrive and make meaningful contributions to their communities. We know this year’s grant recipients will do incredible things with the funds they receive as this program continues to grow.”
“The Gulf South LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to partner with NGLCC and GrubHub again this year to help LGBTQ+ and Ally-owned restaurants with vital grant assistance to help build the capacity of their businesses to serve the community,” said Jay Huffstatler, Gulf South LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce’s board president. “In 2023, through this partnership, we were able to grant a total of $20,000 to 4 different restaurants in our region and hope to be able to do more in 2024.”
The NGLCC has set a goal to allocate 30% of the funds to businesses owned by people of color and transgender and gender expansive (TGX) individuals. Applications for the central U.S. will open in May 2024, and those for the West Coast will roll out in June 2024. Restaurants wishing to learn more about applying for grants should visit nglcc.org/ghgrant.
The NGLCC’s network of nearly 55 affiliate chambers across the country will once again help amplify this grant opportunity to support local restaurants. Those local chambers will again benefit from this initiative’s Affiliate Chamber Fund. In addition to supporting local efforts to share the grant opportunity, this fund has and will continue to enable any establishment that receives a grant that is not currently a member of an NGLCC local affiliate chamber to have one year of membership paid.
