The Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund is a funding initiative provided by DoorDash in partnership with Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network. This program aims to support independently owned restaurants that have been impacted by state, tribal, or federally declared natural disasters, such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. The fund seeks to help affected restaurants recover financially by providing direct grants that can be used to cover essential business expenses.

Eligible businesses may receive a grant of $10,000 to help offset revenue losses incurred due to the disaster. Funds can be used for a range of expenses, including mortgage or rent payments, utilities, maintenance, inventory replacement, and operational costs that are not covered by insurance. The grant does not cover damages related to COVID-19 or other non-natural disaster events.

To be eligible, businesses must operate a brick-and-mortar restaurant, gastropub, or bakery with no more than three locations, and each location must have 50 or fewer employees. The business must have been open for at least six months before applying and must not exceed $3 million in revenue per location in the last 12 months. Applications must be submitted within 12 months of the declared disaster to be considered.

The grant application process occurs on a quarterly basis. Applications can be submitted through Hello Alice for businesses in the United States and Puerto Rico, while businesses in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand can apply through the Global Entrepreneurship Network. Selected applicants will be notified the month after the application period closes, and funds will be distributed shortly thereafter.

Grant recipients are chosen based on specific evaluation criteria, which include demonstrated financial need (40%), clarity and feasibility of the plan for how the funds will be used (40%), and commitment to community (20%). The selection process is conducted by a panel of judges from DoorDash, Hello Alice, and their designees.

For additional information and resources on disaster preparedness, applicants are encouraged to join the Hello Alice community and explore educational materials on emergency readiness. Interested applicants can visit DoorDash’s Disaster Relief Fund webpage for more details and application access.