The fund prioritizes direct relief to women, veterans and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
The U.S. Small Business Administration will begin registrations at 8 a.m. today and open applications at 11 a.m. Monday for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The online application will remain open to any eligible establishment until all funds are exhausted. Restaurants are among the businesses that have been hit the hardest and need support to survive, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said.
“The SBA has focused on the marketplace realities of our food and beverage businesses in designing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to meet businesses where they are,” she said. “And we are committed to equity to ensure our smaller and underserved businesses, which have suffered the most, can access this critical relief, recover and grow more resilient.”
Established under the American Rescue Plan, and signed into law by President Joe Biden Mar. 11, 2021, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund provides a total of $28.6 billion in direct relief funds to restaurants and other hard-hit food establishments that have experienced economic distress and significant operational losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Funds must be used for allowable expenses by Mar. 11, 2023.
“Recognizing the great urgency to help restaurants keep their doors open – and with a clear mandate from Congress – the SBA worked at a breakneck speed and is excited to launch this program,” said Patrick Kelley, SBA Associate Administrator, Office of Capital Access. “From day one, we engaged with diverse stakeholders in the food industry community to make sure we built and delivered the program equitably, quickly and efficiently.”
For the first 21 days that the program is open, the SBA will prioritize funding applications from businesses owned and controlled by women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. All eligible applicants are encouraged to submit applications as soon as the portal opens. Following the 21 days, all eligible applications will be funded on a first-come, first-served basis.
Consistent with the legislation and the intent of Congress, the SBA continues to take steps to ensure the equitable distribution of relief, particularly for the smallest businesses, by creating a $9.5 billion set-aside: $5 billion for applicants with 2019 gross receipts of not more than $500,000; $4 billion is set aside for applicants with 2019 gross receipts from $500,001 to $1,500,000; and $500 million for applicants with 2019 gross receipts not more than $50,000.
For more information, visit sba.gov/restaurants or in Spanish at sba.gov/restaurantes.