Angel Relief Fund

The Colorado Restaurant Foundation offers Angel Relief Fund (ARF) grants to support industry employees with financial assistance for unexpected illness, injury, natural disaster, or mental health care.

We have seen an increase in applications this year, and while we are so grateful to have helped so many people, our fund is currently depleted, so we are temporarily pausing the approval of new grants until funds are replenished.

We are keeping current applications on file and we will resume funding approved applications as soon as we can.

In the meantime, here are several other options for hardship funds:

In the greater Denver-Metro area, the CRA Mile High Chapter Hardship Fund offers grants to restaurant workers in need.
The Southern Smoke Foundation also provides grants to people in the hospitality industry in several states, including Colorado. Southern Smoke’s Emergency Relief Fund is intended for those working 30+ hours a week in the industry.
CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees) supports people in the foodservice industry who have a child experiencing an unforeseen hardship.
The Bartender Emergency Assistance Program (BEAP) helps people who are working in the hospitality industry as bartenders, barbacks, bar servers, or are otherwise engaged in the service, preparation, manufacture, or distribution of alcoholic beverages.

For mental health-care support:

For immediate support, contact Colorado Crisis Services at any time at 1-844-493-8255 or text 38225.
Khesed Wellness offers several other pro bono therapy programs for specific communities.
CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach & Wellness) is a non-profit organization that provides mental health resources to people in the hospitality industry and helps restaurant workers with many health-care needs, such as finding the right health insurance, applying for a grant, locating a good yoga class, to name a few. Services include group discussion meetings, education about mental health and substance use, and a Workplace Wellness Toolkit.
In the Weeds offers a variety of assistance to restaurant employees in Durango and the surrounding La Plata county.

Angel Relief Fund Hardship Grants

The ARF is a safety net for workers who are employed but are experiencing general hardship. We provide financial assistance of $1,000 to those in crisis due to an unexpected illness, injury, or natural disaster.

Eligibility

Angel Relief Fund grants are available for any Colorado hospitality worker who:

Has a primary source of income rooted in food and beverage and is currently employed in the restaurant industry
Lives in the state of Colorado
Encounters an emergency that’s an unexpected, non-recurring crisis

Eligible Hardships

Unanticipated hardships fit into one of the following categories:

Injury caused by an accident (such as a slip, fall, or crash) requiring hospitalization or other acute care
Illness requiring hospitalization or other acute care
Death or catastrophic illness or injury of an immediate family member imposing a financial or full-time caregiving burden on the worker
Disaster, such as flood, fire, or storm damage (to name a few) causing disruption of a worker’s job or ability to work

Angel Relief Fund Mental Health Grants

The Colorado Restaurant Foundation’s Angel Relief Fund offers assistance for mental-health treatment to Colorado restaurant and hospitality employees, with grants of up to $1,000, paid directly to your mental health-care provider.

The CRF has partnerships with Khesed Wellness, for in-person and online appointments, and Teladoc, for 24/7 online appointments. If you prefer to work with another mental health-care provider, grant funds can still be used if the provider meets specific criteria. Once approved, your provider can apply for reimbursement of care (up to $1,000). Invoices may be redacted to exclude diagnosis information to protect your privacy.

Applicants are eligible to receive only one grant per person.