What Regarding Her Food does

Regarding Her Food is a Los Angeles-based 501c3 nonprofit organization that accelerates economic mobility for women leaders of independent food and beverage small businesses. Founded in 2024 (per company history) and operating as a fiscally sponsored project of the Edward Charles Foundation, the organization provides a structured support ecosystem combining access to capital (grants), education (Regarding Her Academy), visibility (Member Map), and strategic networking through regular events including the LA Monthly Share & Solve Roundtable and Office Hours sessions. Membership is restricted to women who own at least 10% of a consumer-facing F&B business with at least 25% of gross sales from consumers. The organization has built a community of 1,000+ women entrepreneurs, supported 30+ scholars, held 113+ events, and granted $450,000 to businesses cumulatively.

The business model is donor-funded with three revenue streams: tax-deductible charitable contributions (processed via Every.org with suggested donations of $25, $55, and $105), merchandise sales through a Square e-commerce storefront, and program-specific grant funding (notably the LA Wildfire Business Recovery Fire Fund, which distributed $5,000 grants to 12 businesses from 63 microdonors). The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, leveraging word-of-mouth referrals, social media (Instagram @RegardingHerFood), earned media coverage in the Los Angeles Times, and Zoom-based programming. The organization has built a partnership ecosystem with Restaurants Care, 11:11 Media Impact, GoFundMe.org, Toast, Edward Charles Foundation, and the Pasadena Women's Business Center. Geographic focus is Los Angeles County with broader Southern California and national reach.

The core product offering is membership access to a multi-dimensional support program, supplemented by specialty programs such as the Regarding Her Fire Fund (wildfire recovery grants) and procurement-readiness Office Hours for LA28 Olympic supplier registration. Co-founder Mary Sue Milliken, a recognized chef, serves as Chairman of the Board. The organization operates with a small team (1-10 employees) and delivers significant programming output relative to headcount, suggesting high operational efficiency but limited organizational scale. No proprietary technology platform underpins operations; member applications are processed via Google Forms and events are hosted on Zoom.

Name

Regarding Her Food

Legal name

Regarding Her Food

Website

https://regardingherfood.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Regarding Her Food is a Los Angeles-based 501c3 nonprofit that accelerates economic mobility for women leaders of independent food and beverage small businesses through grants, education, networking, and a community of 1,000+ women founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit business support services for women entrepreneurs

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Women-owned business support
• Food and beverage nonprofit
• Small business grants
• Entrepreneurship education
• Community networking programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Regarding Her Food operates as a 501c3 nonprofit organization (fiscally sponsored by the Edward Charles Foundation, Tax ID 26-4245043). The organization accepts tax-deductible donations from individual donors and supporters globally. Donations fund grant programs and operational activities supporting women-owned food and beverage small businesses.
2. Merchandise Sales: The organization sells merchandise (apparel and accessories) through their Square e-commerce storefront (regardingher.square.site). The website states 'Every purchase helps fund programs that advance women small business owners in the food and beverage industry.' Proceeds from merchandise sales support the organization's programs.
3. LA Wildfire Business Recovery Grants: Regarding Her distributed $5,000 grants to 12 LA wildfire-affected women-owned food and beverage businesses through their Fire Fund. The grants are funded by donor support and distributed to qualifying member businesses. Grant recipients must submit impact reports within 60 days of receiving funds.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Regarding Her Food is a nonprofit membership organization that delivers education, mentorship, networking, and grants to women leaders of independent food and beverage small businesses, primarily in Los Angeles and Southern California. The core offering is a free membership program that bundles access to the Regarding Her Academy, recurring Share & Solve roundtables, Office Hours, and grant programs such as the LA Wildfire Business Recovery Fire Fund. The organization is funded through tax-deductible donations and merchandise sales, and operates as a fiscally sponsored project of the Edward Charles Foundation.

Product overview

Regarding Her Food is a nonprofit organization offering a unified membership program that provides women entrepreneurs in food and beverage with a comprehensive suite of support services. The core membership delivers access to capital, education via the Regarding Her Academy, visibility and strategic networking platforms, and a member map for consumer discovery. The organization also administers specialized grant programs including the LA Wildfire Business Recovery Fire Fund. Together, these offerings form a holistic support ecosystem designed to accelerate economic mobility for women-led independent food and beverage small businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Regarding Her Academy: Expert-led sessions, workshops, and transformative training program to help members gain knowledge, skills, and resources to succeed and level-up their businesses.
• Regarding Her Office Hours
• Regarding Her Fire Fund

Products and services

• Regarding Her Membership A free membership program for women entrepreneurs who own and operate independent food and beverage small businesses, providing access to capital, education (Regarding Her Academy), visibility platforms, mentorship, and strategic networking opportunities to support economic mobility and business growth.
• Regarding Her Academy An expert-led educational program providing Regarding Her members with transformative knowledge, skills, and resources to succeed and level up their independent food and beverage businesses.
• Regarding Her Fire Fund (LA Wildfire Business Recovery Grants) A wildfire recovery grant program providing $5,000 grants to women-owned food and beverage businesses in Los Angeles County impacted by the 2025 LA wildfires, supporting operational recovery, equipment repair, marketing, technology upgrades, and staff training. Recipients must submit impact reports within 60 days of receiving funds.
• Events & Office Hours (Share & Solve Roundtables and Office Hours) Recurring programming comprising the LA Monthly Share & Solve Roundtable (every 2nd Tuesday) and themed Office Hours sessions that help members navigate grant applications, certifications, and procurement opportunities such as LA28 Supplier Registration for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ scholars supported through Academy and program participation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ToastminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerToast, a restaurant point-of-sale technology provider, offers natural disaster support resources for restaurant operators including offline mode capabilities, subscription management during recovery, and fundraising tools. Toast.org partners with World Central Kitchen and supports organizations like Giving Kitchen that provide crisis support to restaurant operators.
• Every.orgcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvery.org provides the donation platform infrastructure for Regarding Her's fundraising efforts. The platform offers suggested donation amounts ($25, $55, $105) and processes one-time donations with tax receipt generation.
• Restaurants CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurants Care, administered by the California Restaurant Foundation, offers the Resilience Fund providing $10,000 grants for LA County restaurants and food trucks impacted by 2025 LA Fires, and $5,000 grants for restaurants in select CA counties. Regarding Her shares these resources with members.
• Pasadena Women's Business CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived $25,000 from the 11:11 Media Impact/GoFundMe.org partnership to provide technical assistance, expert guidance, and approximately 300 hours of business coaching and free advising to over 100 businesses.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• James Beard Foundation: National nonprofit advancing the culinary arts with programs supporting chefs and food entrepreneurs, including women and minority-owned businesses. Larger, more established counterpart operating overlapping mission space.
• Independent Restaurant Coalition: National advocacy organization formed during COVID to support independent restaurants. Competes for the same donor attention and political capital around the independent restaurant crisis.
• Whole Foods Foundation / Local Initiatives: Larger foundation channeling corporate philanthropic dollars toward food access and small food business support. Competes for institutional and corporate donor attention in the food nonprofit space.

Direct peers

• Restaurants Care (California Restaurant Foundation): Operates the Resilience Fund providing $5K-$10K grants to California restaurants impacted by disasters. Directly overlaps Regarding Her's Fire Fund mission and member base, and is already a partner.
• La Cocina: San Francisco-based nonprofit kitchen incubator that supports low-income food entrepreneurs (predominantly women and immigrants) launching food businesses. Closely comparable model: capital, education, and community for women-led F&B ventures.
• Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation: National nonprofit advocating for restaurant worker equity and providing crisis relief grants. Overlaps Regarding Her's grant distribution and women-in-F&B focus areas.
• The Lee Initiative: Nonprofit founded by chef Edward Lee providing relief, resources, and programming for restaurant workers and food entrepreneurs. Comparable mission targeting women and underrepresented F&B operators.

Others

• Etsy Foundation / Craft Entrepreneurship Programs: Adjacent nonprofit programs supporting women micro-entrepreneurs in creative and food-adjacent crafts. Comparable target demographic (women small business owners) and education/capital model.

Emerging players

• Black Restaurant Coalition: Coalition providing grants and advocacy for Black-owned restaurants and food businesses. Adjacent demographic mission with similar grantmaking and economic mobility framing.
• Working Families / Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC United): Worker advocacy organization focused on improving wages and conditions in the restaurant industry. Thematic peer addressing structural barriers facing F&B workers and owners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/regardingherfood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regardingher

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Regarding Her Food