We are proud to announce a partnership with Chase that will help independent restaurants and bars remain vital employers and leaders in communities nationwide. This new partnership includes two grant programs – the IRC and Chase Disaster Relief Fund and the IRC and Chase Innovator Awards – that together will award $4 million in grants to independent restaurants and bars across the country this year.
STARTING TODAY: The IRC and Chase Innovator Awards
The IRC and Chase Innovator Awards will recognize 40 independent restaurants and bars with $25,000 grants to strengthen the ideas, practices, and business models that promote sustainability and environmental innovation. This includes zero-waste kitchens and low-carbon menus, as well as workforce and industry innovation like childcare support and leadership or culinary training. Applications for the IRC and Chase Innovator Awards are open through August 27, 2025, and recipients will be announced in October. If your restaurant is creating something bigger than your bottom line, we encourage you to apply.
Deadline to apply: August 27, 2025
For more information and to apply please visit ircinnovatorawards.chase.com
STARTING IN SEPTEMBER: The IRC and Chase Disaster Relief Fund
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates that 40% of small businesses never reopen after a natural disaster, and within one year, an additional 25% shut down. A study conducted by Chase and the IRC showed that as independent restaurants are already operating on slim margins, unexpected costs have an outsized impact, further emphasizing the critical need for funding after a disaster strikes. From fires in Southern California to hurricanes in North Carolina and tornadoes in the Midwest, the scale of natural disasters in recent years underscore the urgent need for support.
Beginning September 3, applications will open for the IRC and Chase Disaster Relief Fund, which will award $3 million in grants to support independently owned restaurants, bars, cafés, and food trucks recovering from natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, ice storms, flooding and more.
Restaurants interested in applying must complete an eligibility screening to confirm they meet basic requirements, including being independently owned, operating fewer than 20 locations nationwide, and having sustained direct disaster-related damage within the past 12 months.
For more information, please visit independentrestaurantcoalition.com/DRF
As the official financial services partner to the IRC, Chase will also provide financial and educational resources to IRC members, as well as access to research and data and marketing support through industry activations and sponsorships. If you own or work for an independent restaurant or bar, we invite you to learn more, apply, and share this opportunity with your community.
Together, we’re building a brighter future for independent restaurants.
No purchase, payment, or obligation is necessary to submit an application or receive a grant. A purchase/payment will not increase your chances of being selected for a grant. The Independent Restaurant Coalition and Chase Innovator Awards Grant Program submission period begins on 7/30/25 at 9:00:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on 8/27/25 at 9:00:00 a.m. ET. Who may apply for the grant: a small, independent business whose primary purpose and profit comes from preparing, serving, and selling of food and/or beverages to the public, such as, but not limited to, full-service restaurants, limited-service restaurants with counter service, cafes, bars, pubs and food carts. The business must have a physical public facing location that customers can either dine or drink onsite or carry food out. Additionally the business must be: [1] be a for-profit only business (corporation, LLC or sole proprietor) located/headquartered in the 50 US, DC, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam; [2] have been actively engaged in its current business activity for at least two (2) consecutive years immediately preceding the start of the Program; [3] be owned by natural persons who are legal residents of the 50 US, DC, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam, and who are at 18 years old; [4] have a valid employer identification number or taxpayer identification number; [5] have no more than a maximum of 20 locations in the 24 months prior to submitting an Application; [6] total annual revenue of less than $13,000,000 (13 million) for tax year 2024 (or tax year 2023 if information is not yet available for 2024); and [7] not be owned by an employee of Sponsors or a company wholly owned by a Sponsor or Sponsor’s parent company. The total maximum retail value of all grants is $1,000,000.00. Limit: One (1) grant per small business. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. For complete details and Official Terms and Conditions and Program Rules go to https://ircinnovatorawards.chase.com. SPONSORS: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 201 N. Walnut Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 and Independent Restaurant Coalition, PO Box 480, Joseph, Oregon, 97846.