Official Terms and Conditions

The IRC and Chase Disaster Relief Fund (“Program”) is administered by the Edward Charles Foundation, a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, in partnership with the Independent Restaurant Coalition (“IRC”).

By applying to the Program, applicants agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and any decisions made by the Program Administrators, which are final and binding. This Program is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and is void where prohibited. There is no purchase necessary or cost to apply or receive funding.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicant Requirements (Officer):

  • Must be a legal resident of the United States, Washington, D.C. or U.S. Territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • Must be 18 years or older (19 in Alabama and Nebraska).

Business Requirements (Entrant):

To qualify, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Be a for-profit independent food or beverage business (restaurant, bar, cafe, pub, or food cart) whose primary business activity is the on-site preparation and sale of food and/or beverage to the public.
  • Be located within the United States, Washington D.C., or U.S. Territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • Have suffered losses from a Federally or State declared natural disaster in the previous 12 months.
  • Have been actively operating at the time of the declared disaster and demonstrate direct and significant financial loss resulting from it.
  • Operate no more than 20 locations under the same ownership.
  • Not be a franchise, publicly traded company, or owned by a larger chain or holding company.
  • Not be engaged in activities or industries prohibited by Program guidelines.

You are not eligible to receive a grant if:

  • Your business is primarily a catering service, entertainment venue, or food manufacturer.
  • Your business is permanently closed.
  • You or any principal owners are under investigation for fraud or criminal misconduct.
  • You promote violence, discrimination, or other forms of prohibited content 

PROGRAM TIMELINE

The submission period begins on 9/3/25 at 11:00:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on 10/03/25 at 11:59:00 p.m. ET

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants must complete an eligibility screening form and an online application form, which includes information about the business, disaster impacts, and intended use of funds. Only one application per business will be accepted.

Applications must be submitted online by the specified deadline. Applicants must:

  • Complete the eligibility screener and receive an invitation to apply.
  • Submit a full application including required financial and documentation materials.
  • Certify all statements are true and complete.
  • Applicants grant IRC and its partners a royalty-free, non-exclusive right to use submitted content for program-related outreach, transparency reporting or public relations provided that no financial details or personally identifiable information will be shared without consent. 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Applications will be scored based on:

  • Demonstrated financial need (40%)
  • Feasibility and clarity of recovery plan (40%)
  • Commitment to community and team (20%)

GRANT AWARDS

Selected businesses will receive one-time grants (amount determined by available funding and applicant need). All grants:

  • Are subject to verification of eligibility.
  • Will be issued by check or ACH transfer by the Edward Charles Foundation.
  • May be used only for recovery-related business expenses, such as 
    • Rent or mortgage
    • Utilities
    • Payroll or operational costs
    • Repairs or maintenance (e.g., outdoor seating)
    • Inventory or supplies
    • Other expenses directly tied to recovery from the disaster

Grants may not be used for political activities, legal settlements, or unrelated personal expenses.

Grants may be considered taxable income, recipients are responsible for applicable taxes and must agree to program terms.

DISCLAIMERS & CONDITIONS

  • The Program is administered by Edward Charles Foundation in collaboration with IRC with funding provided by Chase.
  • Applicant must not misrepresent information or use funds fraudulently.
  • IRC, Edward Charles Foundation nor Chase shall be held liable for any indirect or consequential damages arising from application to or participation in the Program.
  • Participation constitutes consent to use of the applicant’s name and submitted content for Program-related communications.
  • Edward Charles Foundation reserves the right to modify or cancel the Program if needed to preserve fairness or compliance.
  • Any disputes will be resolved by arbitration under Delaware law.
  • Applicant may only submit one (1) application to the program. Duplicate applications will not be considered. 
  • Applicant certifies that all information contained in their application and eligibility screener is true, correct, and complete. Applicant further certifies that none of the information submitted in their application or eligibility screener is an infringement on the rights, including intellectual property rights, of a third party. 
  • Edward Charles Foundation, IRC, and Chase will not be responsible for any incomplete, lost, late, or inaccurate applications, notifications, or messages. 
  • Applicant represents and warrants that they will not submit any content with your Eligibility Screener or Application that contains (a) content not in English; (b) confidential information that violates any obligation of confidentiality; (c) any viruses, spyware, malware, or other malicious components that are designed to harm the functionality of a computer in any way; (d) content referencing, facilitating, containing or using, any Prohibited Activities; (e) content that infringes on the intellectual property rights of a third party; or (f) must not be generated by generative AI content (e.g., GPT or image generation tools) or any computer software (excluding any word processor software, such as, but not limited to, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Note Pad, etc.).
  • Applicant certifies that all content submitted with your Eligibility Screener and Application is appropriate for all ages. 

PROHIBITED CONTENT:

All content must be appropriate for all ages. You represent and warrant that you will not submit any content that contains (a) content not in English; (b) confidential information that violates any obligation of confidentiality; (c) any viruses, spyware, malware, or other malicious components that are designed to harm the functionality of a computer in any way; (d) content referencing, facilitating, containing or using, Prohibited Content; (e) content that infringes on the intellectual property rights of a third party; or (f) must not be generated by generative AI content (e.g., GPT or image generation tools) or any computer software (excluding any word processor software, such as, but not limited to, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Note Pad, etc.). "Prohibited Content" includes, but is not limited to, content that, a Sponsor, in its sole and absolute discretion, determines violates the Program Rules or any applicable law, as well as content that promotes, suggests or encourages:

  • gambling, including without limitation, any content related to online casinos, sports books, bingo or poker;
  • the use of firearms/weapons/ammunition, any illegal drugs, prostitution, pornography, nudity, profanity or other adult content, violence, or the use of alcohol or tobacco products;
  • the taking up of arms against any person, government or entity or otherwise challenge or seek to overthrow any government;

Or otherwise contains or reflects:

  • obscene, indecent, defamatory, libelous, slanderous and/or unlawful content;
  • content that infringes upon, or otherwise violates, the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other personal or proprietary rights;
  • information that is false, misleading, deceptive or fraudulent;
  • hate speech, or other discriminatory, disparaging or denigrating content, whether directed at an individual or a group, and whether based upon race, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, political orientation, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, marital status, veteran status or mental or physical disability or condition;
  • content that disparages, denigrates, or uses adversarial or confrontational tactics to impact a product, service, person, industry, or organization including, but not limited to, Sponsors or participants in the Program;
  • content that is primarily intended to advance a religious denomination, expand membership or encourage conversion.