Local restaurants can apply for more than 200 grants of $5,000 each starting June 1.
Oakland, California — For the sixth consecutive year, the PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) will fund grants to support independent restaurant owners and their staff through the California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) Restaurant Support Resilience Fund. The grants will support a record number of restaurants in Northern and Central California this year.
The announcement comes during National Small Business Week, May 3-9.
Applications for the Resilience Fund will be accepted at www.restaurantscare.org/resilience from June 1 to 30, 2026.
The PG&E Foundation will contribute nearly $1.3 million to the program this year, more than in any previous year. The grants will help local businesses become more resilient in the long term. A total of 213 restaurants and food service providers in the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) service area will receive $5,000 grants. This number surpasses the 188 grant recipients last year.
Since 2021, PG&E and the PG&E Foundation have contributed nearly $5.6 million to the CRF’s Restaurant Care Resilience Fund. Grants have been awarded to 863 local restaurants within PG&E’s service area. With this year’s contribution, the total number of grants awarded to restaurants in PG&E’s service area will exceed 1,000.
“Our local restaurants—many of them family-owned—are true examples of hard work and perseverance. They are the places where we gather and connect with friends and family to create memories. We are proud to continue partnering with the CRF on this program to support local restaurants as they face significant challenges during this time of economic uncertainty. Our communities are stronger when small businesses thrive,” said Carla Peterman, President of PG&E Corporation, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Customer Affairs, and Chair of the PG&E Corporation Foundation Board of Trustees.
By donating locally, we benefit our cities.
Grants can be used to cover vital business needs, such as technology and equipment upgrades. They can also help with employee training and retention, as well as unforeseen difficulties. One of last year’s grant recipients was Town’s End Brunch in San Francisco.
This family-owned restaurant specializes in classic American dishes. “It was a huge help and came at just the right time,” said Sam Elbandak, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Nazeira.
The grant helped us replace a 30-year-old refrigerator that leaked, used a lot of energy, and required expensive maintenance.
With his new refrigerator, Elbandak says he can focus on what matters most to him: his employees and customers. “We take care of them, and they take care of us… we’re like a family.”
Watch a video about one of our recent grant recipients: Torches in Petaluma.
The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) created the Resilience Fund in 2021 to help restaurants recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the fund has awarded more than $11 million in grants to restaurants and foodservice businesses across California.
PG&E and the PG&E Corporation Foundation have supported the program since its inception. The company has maintained its support as restaurants continue to navigate economic fluctuations.
“For six years, the Resilience Fund has helped independent California restaurants address their immediate challenges while investing in stronger operations to build more sustainable businesses,” said Alycia Harshfield, president of the California Restaurant Foundation. “With PG&E’s continued partnership, we can further expand that positive impact, ensuring more California restaurants have the resources they need to adapt, grow, and continue serving as essential pillars of their communities.” PG&E Foundation funding for these charitable grants comes from PG&E shareholders, not PG&E customers.
Grant Eligibility: California-based restaurant and commercial foodservice business owners in the PG&E service area are eligible to apply.
Applicants may have up to five locations (though only one can apply). Annual revenue cannot exceed $3 million at any one location. The restaurant must have been in operation for a full year to qualify, and previous grant recipients may apply for support for a different location or concept. Mobile food businesses looking to expand to a physical location may also apply.
For more information about the California Restaurant Foundation, Restaurants Care, or the Restaurant Support Resilience Fund, visit restaurantscare.org.
We help restaurants and small and medium-sized businesses.
PG&E remains committed to helping its small and medium-sized business customers save energy and money, especially during times of economic hardship. Here are some of the ways PG&E is helping its customers:
• Bill financing. PG&E offers 0% interest loans to replace old, worn-out equipment with more energy-efficient models. Watch this video to learn how energy savings are reinvested in your business to help improve your bottom line.
• Foodservice equipment rebates. PG&E offers several rebate programs to help you save money and improve productivity when you upgrade your foodservice equipment.
• Foodservice technology center. Access key training programs, design consultants, and pilot kitchen plans to improve your operations and energy efficiency.
• Budget billing. If you own a small business, you can have a predictable bill each month by enrolling in the Budget Billing program. The program averages bills to calculate monthly payments, instead of unpredictable bills in the summer. Energy efficiency programs.
• PG&E partners with third-party companies to provide customized solutions for different business sectors.
• Find your best rate plan. Customers can use this online tool to conduct a rate analysis to see if they are on the best rate plan for their operations. The tool is projected to save customers more than $5 million this year.
• Local Energy Advisor. Contact your local small business energy advisor to find cost-saving solutions.
For more information about support for PG&E small and medium-sized business customers, visit pge.com/smbsupport.
About PG&E Corporation Foundation:
The PG&E Corporation Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, separate from PG&E and sponsored by PG&E Corporation.
About PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company: A subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), PG&E is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people in a 70,000-square-mile area in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
