Restaurants Care Resilience Fund

Name

Restaurants Care Resilience Fund

Legal name

California Restaurant Foundation

Website

https://restaurantscare.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Emergency Grants

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Emergency grants
• Restaurant resilience
• Food worker assistance
• Nonprofit charitable fund
• Disaster relief grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Restaurants Care is 100% powered by donations from individuals, corporate partners, and events. Every grant provided is funded through charitable contributions from donors including Restaurants Care Champions (corporate partners donating $10,000+ annually), individual Giving Crew members (recurring monthly/quarterly donors), event attendees, and general public donations.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Restaurants Care provides free emergency financial grants of up to $2,500 to California food and beverage workers experiencing illness, injury, natural disaster, death in the family, or housing disaster, covering basic needs like rent, groceries, and utilities. Through the Resilience Fund created in 2021, it awards $5,000 grants to independent restaurants, caterers, and food trucks for kitchen equipment, technology upgrades, employee training, and recovery from unforeseen hardship. Since 2017, the organization has helped over 3,000 F+B worker families and awarded $11 million across 2,087 restaurant grants, with funding sourced entirely from individual donations, corporate Champions, and fundraising events.

Product overview

Restaurants Care is a nonprofit charitable program of the California Restaurant Foundation that operates two core grant programs: F+B Worker Emergency Grants (providing up to $2,500 to food and beverage workers in crisis since 2017) and the Resilience Fund (providing $5,000 grants to independent restaurants since 2021). The organization supplements these with the Giving Crew monthly donor program, Champions corporate partnership program, and Ambassador community program. Annual fundraising events include The Grateful Table dinner and Grateful at the Greek. Additional resources include a mental health toolkit and outreach materials for the foodservice community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• F+B Worker Emergency Grants Provides up to $2,500 directly to food and beverage workers in California experiencing illness, injury, natural disaster, or death in the immediate family. Grants cover basic needs such as rent, groceries, and utilities while recipients recover from crisis. Since 2017, over 3,000 F+B workers and their families have been helped.
• Resilience Fund Grants Provides $5,000 grants to independent restaurants, caterers, and food trucks across California to build operational resilience. Grants cover kitchen equipment, technology upgrades, employee training/retention, and unforeseen hardship recovery. Since 2021, the Resilience Fund has awarded $11 million across 2,087 grants to independent restaurants across all 50 California counties.
• Mental Health Resources Collection of mental health resources including wellness webinars on stress management, substance use awareness, suicide prevention, and financial anxiety, specifically tailored for the foodservice community in California.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped over 3,000 families find hope during crisis
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PG&EcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate partner and Restaurants Care Champion. The PG&E Corporation Foundation has funded Resilience Fund grants for independent restaurants. Joint media coverage on KMEX and SPECNEWS1 about wildfire relief grants.
• SoCalGascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Champion partner and funder of the Resilience Fund. Commercial customers of SoCalGas are eligible for Resilience Fund grants.
• SyscocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurants Care Champion at $10,000+ annual donation level. Sysco representatives (Sharlene Rojas, Idalia Garcia) serve as Ambassadors.
• FreshPointcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion partner and produce supplier. Teodoro Protano serves as Ambassador. FreshPoint sponsored Grateful at the Greek VIP Party Pack.
• EcolabcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion partner with Enrique Gamboa serving as Ambassador. Ecolab sponsored Grateful at the Greek event.
• EmployerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurants Care Champion partner. Sponsors The Grateful Table event.
• Southern GlazercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion partner providing wine and spirits distribution support to the restaurant community.
• J. Lohr Vineyards & WinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion partner and wine supplier supporting Restaurants Care.
• Line 39 WinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion partner providing wine for events and fundraising.
• WhitehavenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion partner and wine brand supporting Restaurants Care.
• Karl Strauss Brewing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChampion partner and craft brewery supporting the restaurant community.
• BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of Grateful at the Greek event at the Greek Theatre, supporting restaurant community.
• Tito's Handmade VodkaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Grateful at the Greek VIP Party Pack and Provisions, providing vodka for events.
• Legends Global at Del MarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of The Grateful Table event at Del Mar Racetrack.
• PepsiCominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of The Grateful Table event and supporter of LA Fire Relief.
• Forge to TableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of The Grateful Table event.
• Prudential Overall CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of The Grateful Table event.
• Total Production GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of The Grateful Table event.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Southern Smoke Foundation: National nonprofit founded by chef Chris Cosentino that provides emergency relief grants to food and beverage workers in crisis. Directly comparable mission (F+B worker grants) with overlapping but broader geographic scope than Restaurants Care.
• The Giving Kitchen: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing emergency financial assistance to restaurant workers in crisis. Comparable in structure (501c3, donor-funded grants to F+B workers) but regionally focused on Georgia rather than California.
• Restaurant Workers Relief Foundation: National nonprofit dedicated to providing financial relief and resources to restaurant workers. Directly comparable beneficiary population (F+B workers) and grant-based model, with a national rather than single-state focus.
• The Lee Initiative: Founded by Chef Edward Lee, this nonprofit supports the restaurant industry through direct aid, mental health resources, and equity initiatives. Comparable F+B worker focus with a national scope and additional program breadth (e.g., Bakers Against Racism).
• USBG National Charity Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the United States Bartenders' Guild providing scholarships, grants, and emergency assistance to bartenders. Comparable as a beverage-industry-focused nonprofit safety net with a similar donation-funded grant model.

Broad incumbents

• World Central Kitchen: Chef José Andrés' nonprofit providing meals in disaster-stricken and underserved communities. Comparable mission-adjacent role in restaurant-industry disaster response, but a much larger organization focused on feeding rather than direct financial grants.
• CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort): Disaster-relief nonprofit co-founded by Sean Penn that mobilized to support restaurant workers during the LA Fires. Comparable in disaster-response deployment capacity and donor base, though not F+B-specific.
• Feeding America: Largest U.S. hunger-relief nonprofit operating a nationwide network of food banks. Comparable only at the level of emergency food assistance to vulnerable populations; far larger and focused on food distribution rather than direct cash grants.

Others

• California Restaurant Association: Trade association that operates the parent foundation (California Restaurant Foundation) of Restaurants Care. Comparable as the affiliated industry body providing advocacy, training, and workforce resources to California restaurants.

Emerging players

• E4E Relief: Nonprofit providing crisis financial assistance to workers across industries, including restaurant employees, through employer-funded programs. Comparable grant-based disaster relief model but operates as a B2B service for employer sponsors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CalRestFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/restaurantscare
• Instagraminstagram.com/restaurantscare
• Xx.com/RestaurantsCare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments63 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Restaurants Care Resilience Fund