Application Criteria

 
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The Selection Committee Process is underway for the 3rd round of the JBF Food and Beverage Investment Fund. All applicants will be notified in early November on the status of their application.
An update regarding the JBF Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans:

Under the Federal Emergency Declaration issued in February 2020, The James Beard Foundation launched the Black and Indigenous Fund to provide financial resources for food or beverage businesses that are majority-owned by Black or Indigenous individuals. These grants are part of our Open for Good campaign, launched in April to rebuild an independent restaurant industry that is stronger, more equitable, more sustainable, and more resilient when it fully re-opens post-COVID-19.

Given the national emergency declaration, what was permissible by the IRS for grantmaking expanded, allowing the Foundation to launch our COVID-19 Relief Fund and subsequently the Black and Indigenous Fund in a manner that provided grants to for-profit businesses.

The James Beard Foundation has paused its Black and Indigenous Fund to adhere to the end of the Federal Emergency Declaration, which effectively terminated our ability to provide grants to for-profit businesses. We are currently determining the evolution of the Fund and how we can best support food or beverage businesses that are majority-owned by Black or Indigenous individuals. We look forward to sharing updates in the coming months.

 

To qualify for funding, a food or beverage business must be (i) independently owned with 50 or fewer full- or part-time employees as of February 15, 2020, or (ii) a restaurant group in which each member restaurant had 50 or fewer full-or part-time employees on that date, and (iii) at least 51% owned by Black and/or Indigenous American(s). We define independently owned as food businesses that maintain full control of their business or group of businesses and do not have an affiliation with a parent company with different owners and/or operators; therefore, franchises are not eligible for this funding.

The application period for the third round of the James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans will open from Friday, August 27 at 12PM E.T. to Friday, September 10, 2021 at 12 P.M. ET, or until we have received a total of 500 completed applications (the maximum application limit). All donations received by the Fund will be divided equally between members of the Black and Indigenous communities, as long as enough applications are received from both communities to award an equal number of grants.

In this round of funding, the Fund will disburse 18 grants of $15,000 each. However, the Fund will continue to accept donations through September 30, 2021, and will use the Funds received up until that date to make as many additional grants as possible.

Please note, the structure of the Fund has changed, and we are no longer using a first come, first-served model. The Selection Committee of the Fund will evaluate all completed applications and will select grantees based on the responses submitted in their video, essay, and explanation of their intended use of the Funds.

The Fund will make an equal number of grants between applicants from the Black and Indigenous communities. However, the Fund retains the right to allocate additional grants to either Black or Indigenous applicants if the Fund does not receive enough qualified applicants from either community to make an equal number of disbursements to members of both communities.

Each applicant (whether an independent restaurant or one location from within a restaurant group) approved by the Fund shall receive a one-time payment of $15,000. We recommend that grantees check with their tax professional, but the funding is designed to be a non-taxable charitable grant to those with critical financial need. Applications received for a specific round of funding will only be eligible for that round of funding and applicants will need to apply again for future rounds of funding. Applicants who receive a grant in any round of funding will not be eligible for future rounds of funding.

The Fund retains the right to make final funding decisions, in its sole discretion, consistent with the applicable criteria, which the Fund may amend as needed to ensure smooth operations. In addition, the Fund, in making these charitable grants, wants to promote a safe, fair, and respectful workplace. Any restaurant that does not provide a workplace consistent with these values will be disqualified from receiving a grant from the Fund. The Fund retains the right to reclassify an applicant to the appropriate category as needed.

We recommend that applicants have the following information and documentation prepared for when an application window opens:

Contact information
Business Owner’s Tax Identification Number or Social Security Number

Payment Information
Payments will be made by wire transfer if a bank account is used for banking for the business that is applying for funding. If a bank account is not used, the Fund will work with grantees to determine the best way to deliver grant funds. If a bank account exists, we will ask you to please provide the account name for the bank account you use for your business. If confirmed to receive a grant, the Fund will be in touch to secure the full banking details for a wire transfer, or to determine the best delivery method for grant funds.

Proof of Ownership
The Fund must avoid fraud and confirm that distributions are being made to the owner of a qualified small, independent food or beverage business. To aid in confirming the legitimacy of the business that is applying, we will ask you to submit all the requested documentation outlined.

  • Provide at least two proof of ownership documents. At least one of the documents must confirm at least 51% ownership by the Black or Indigenous American requesting a grant. Acceptable proof is a copy of a business license, ownership agreement, health certificate, liquor license, or other official government document showing the name of the qualified restaurant and the name of the restaurant owner.
  • Provide the account name for the bank account you use for your business. The name of the bank account holder to which funds are transferred must match either the restaurant’s or owner’s name shown on the proof provided.
  • Provide one letter of recommendation which outline the role of your business in your community and the service you provide
  • Provide at least two of the below:
    • Copy or photo of your menu
    • Photo of your place of business
    • At least two receipts for goods used to run your business (food, paper goods, etc.). Receipts must be from within the last 2 months.

COVID-19 Financial Impact Data

  • Please be prepared to provide the amount of your total gross revenue for the 3-month period the year of April—June 2019.
  • Please be prepared to provide an estimate of your total gross revenue for the 3-month period the year of April—June 2020.
  • Please be prepared to provide an estimate of your total gross revenue for the 3-month period the year of April – June 2021.
  • Please be prepared to provide the amount of your total operating costs for the 3-month period the year of April—June 2019.
  • Please be prepared to provide an estimate of your total operating costs for the 3-month period the year of April—June 2020.
  • Please be prepared to provide an estimate of your total operating costs for the 3-month period the year of April – June 2021.

Essay (required)
You will be asked to upload a video file or document with your responses to the following questions. Word documents should be no longer than 500 words in total. Video files should be no longer than 3 minutes in total. Please note we have provided the option to submit either video or essay in order to support your preferred method of storytelling. Tell us about your business, and how it came to be.

  • How does your business support and impact your local community?
  • How does your business work to foster an inclusive workplace and what steps have you taken to center the needs of all your employees?
  • How do you support environmental sustainability within your business?

Usage of Funds (required)

You will be asked to explain how you will utilize the funds to support your business (covering payroll, utilities, etc.) if you are to receive a grant

Eligibility Requirements
Please be prepared to tell us how many full- or part-time employees your restaurant or each restaurant in your restaurant group employed as of February 15, 2020. To qualify as a “small restaurant,” your restaurant or each restaurant in your restaurant group must have employed no more than 50 full- or part-time employees on that date.

Learn more about the JBF Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans.
Learn more about Open for Good, and how you can support these initiatives.