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Foundation donates $1M for restaurant worker relief

The Colorado Restaurant Association and the Colorado Restaurant Foundation have announced that the foundation’s Angel Relief Fund has received a $1 million contribution from the Kemper family foundations to establish a new fund called the Independent Restaurant Workers Relief Fund.

Independent restaurants are suffering disproportionately in the COVID-19 crisis, and employees of these businesses are most likely to need gap funding. The Independent Restaurant Workers Relief Fund will provide grants solely to restaurant workers from Colorado-based, independently owned and operated restaurants who have been impacted by the COVID-19 virus. 

One-time grants from the Independent Restaurant Workers Relief Fund range up to $1,000 per individual, and are available to restaurant and food and beverage hospitality workers whose last place of employment was a Colorado-based, independently owned and operated restaurant or small restaurant group, and meet at least one of the following criteria:



  • Diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19).
  • Quarantined under doctor’s care.
  • Unable to receive government assistance.
  • Unemployed, underemployed, or furloughed.

“The Kemper family foundations have contributed to help food banks and social services agencies to meet the needs of our friends and neighbors as COVID-19 has been catastrophic for many in our communities,” said Mariner Kemper, co-trustee of the foundations. “As this public health emergency continues to develop, and shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders close or limit restaurant operations, my family wanted to also give where we could provide more direct support to people whose livelihoods have been impacted. We’re happy to work with the Colorado Restaurant Foundation to get much-needed financial support to workers from Colorado-based, independently owned and operated restaurants. We’re grateful to the Anschutz Foundation, a major contributor to the fund, and it is our hope that others will join us by donating at https://corestaurant.org/foundation/angel-relief-fund.”

Mary Mino, President of the Colorado Restaurant Foundation, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Kemper family foundations for their generous contribution. The Angel Relief Fund has been and continues to be a source of funding for hospitality workers experiencing hardship. In the wake of COVID-19, we’ve focused our fundraising efforts on helping workers diagnosed with COVID-19 or otherwise unable to obtain government assistance. This contribution allows us to have a much wider impact, and bring relief to several thousand unemployed, underemployed, and furloughed restaurant employees across the state.”

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Grants made through the Angel Relief Fund can be used for housing, transportation, mental health, medical, child care assistance support and more.

To apply, go to the Angel Relief Fund’s web page. Individuals wishing to support restaurant and hospitality workers can donate to the Angel Relief Fund at its website. Contributions are tax deductible and go to help industry employees in need. 


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