LGBTQ-owned or allied restaurants and bars that serve food in Long Beach will soon be invited to apply for Community Impact Grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000.
The grants are being rolled out for the second year in a row from the food-ordering and delivery service Grubhub’s Community Fund. Grubhub first announced the program to help LGBTQ-owned restaurants in 2021.
This year, the Long Beach chapter of LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce will be working with the national LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to notify restaurants and bars in the area about the grant opportunity.
“I haven’t heard of anybody in particular that has promised to apply, but I do know that there are several [establishments] in our community that I’m hoping will take advantage of this,” said Ellie Dote, president of the Long Beach LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce.
Establishments can apply online beginning March 15 and applications will close on April 5. Awards are expected to be announced in June of 2023, and grants are planned to be distributed from June to August of 2023.
“This is a rough timeline and subject to change, especially as we plan events around the country spotlighting our 2023 grant recipients,” said Jessye Grieve-Carlson, the manager of external affairs and affiliate relations for the NGLCC.
The grant funds can be used for updating security, purchasing new equipment, increasing community involvement, marketing, updating digital commerce presence, staff training and pay, maintaining infrastructure and more.
There is a total of $1.5 million in funds that will be dispersed, with $500,000 allocations going towards establishments on the East Coast, in the Central U.S. and on the West Coast.
An allied restaurant is “one that is promised to be a safe space for LGBT people in our communities,” Dote said.
According to the National Restaurant Association, as of December 2022, the National Restaurant Association found that about 17% of restaurants were forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is no secret that restaurants are among the most vulnerable businesses in our communities, not only in the aftermath of the pandemic, but in today’s current economic climate,” Dote said in a statement from the chamber.
The Long Beach LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce was established in 1992 by a group of gay and lesbian local business owners to support gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses by having “a positive impact” and “increasing our visibility as a powerful economic force,” according to its website.
“We often say at NGLCC that if you can buy it, an LGBTQ+-owned business can supply it,” said NGLCC Co-Founder & President Justin Nelson in a statement from the organization. “That is especially true of the LGBTQ+-owned restaurants and establishments across America who kept our communities and first responders fed throughout the pandemic and have been so active in the recovery.”
The national chapter, who will help choose the finalists for the grants, set a goal to allocate at least 30% of the funds to businesses that are owned by people of color, transgender or gender-expansive individuals. Any business that receives a grant will also have its membership in the national LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce paid for one year.
Business owners who wish to learn more about the Community Impact Grants can visit www.nglcc.org/ghgrant.
Just to clarify — this grant is extended to all restaurants in and around Southern California and all of the Western United States.