More Restaurant Relief: Additional Donations Made to Winter Outdoor Dining Fund

Gov. Jared Polis, in partnership with the Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA), the Colorado Restaurant Foundation, Xcel Energy, and the Xcel Energy Foundation, announced additional support for Colorado restaurants today. DoorDash has made a sizable donation to the Winter Outdoor Dining Fund and other groups have contributed critical funding to this program.

“In Colorado, we take care of our own and I am thankful to state legislators for their collaboration to create lifelines for the small businesses and restaurants who are at the heart of our communities through tax and license fee relief for bars and restaurants. This important assistance will help our restaurants survive the challenging months ahead and we continue to urge Washington to pass real relief for our small businesses and state,” said Gov. Polis.

129 restaurants across the state received aid during the first round of grant funding and eligible applications that were not funded in the first round will automatically be rolled over for review in the second round.

DoorDash donated $500,000 to the Winter Outdoor Dining Fund.

“DoorDash is proud to further our support of Colorado restaurants through the Winter Outdoor Dining Fund, and we thank Governor Polis and the Colorado Restaurant Association for their partnership on this important issue,” said Toney Anaya, Global Head of Government Relations, DoorDash. “We are continually focused on identifying ways we can support merchants as they adapt, including through our Main Street Strong effort, and are pleased to partner with policymakers and stakeholders on this work.”

“Restaurants are facing a dark winter amid what is the gravest crisis for this industry in living memory. They have said repeatedly that they need cash relief and increased capacity to have the best chance of surviving the pandemic. The Outdoor Grant Program offers both via funding for winterizing patios for the cold months. We’re grateful to the State for working with us on this important program, to the funders who have made the program possible, and to the legislature for passing much-needed relief. While this program will help many, it is not the silver bullet, and we join the Governor in asking Washington to step up and do its part to make sure our restaurants – and communities – survive,” said Sonia Riggs, CRA President & CEO.

Other important contributors to the Winter Outdoor Dining Fund include the Colorado Health Foundation, MDC Holdings, New Belgium Brewing Company and the Denver Broncos Charitable Foundation. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade allocated $500k from the Economic Development Council’s Strategic Fund. To date, over $1.8 million has been raised for the fund.

This Fall, Gov. Polis, and CRA discussed ways to support local restaurants during this challenging time and announced the grant program.

The Winter Outdoor Grant Program is made possible by a seed commitment from Xcel Energy Foundation and Xcel Energy, which made a $500,000 contribution to the Colorado Restaurant Association Foundation to help support local restaurants through the winter season. Xcel is also providing a $50,000 match for every $500,000 raised, up to $250,000.

For more information visit https://cooutdoordining.org/