Restaurants in select U.S. states and Canada provinces, seeking relief due to the devastating business impact of COVID-19, can now apply to DoorDash's five-year $200 million dollar Main Street Strong grant program.

The U.S. grants will be administered by Hello Alice and are available in 11 U.S. cities and three areas in Canada. In Canada, funds will be distributed by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, according to a DoorDash blog post.

Applications are available through Feb. 17, 2021, and selected restaurants will be notified by March 1. Hello Alice will begin grant distribution in March, with all restaurants receiving their grant by early May. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce will distribute grants by early April. Official rules are available online.

Grants are available in the following areas:
• Toronto, Ontario
• Montreal, Quebec
• Vancouver, British Columbia
• Massachusetts
• Rhode Island
• Prince George's County, Maryland
• Erie County and Monroe County, New York
• Rochester and St. Paul, Minnesota
• Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Anchorage, Alaska
• Sacramento and San Diego, California

Eligible restaurants must be located in a city listed, have three stores or fewer currently operating; $3 million USD/CAD or less in 2019 annual revenue per store; and employ 50 people or fewer per store. Restaurants do not need to be on the DoorDash platform to be eligible.

The grant program's goal, according to a DoorDash announcement, is aimed at offsetting costs associated with running a restaurant amidst the ongoing pandemic, restaurant closures and local indoor and outdoor dining restrictions. Grants can be used to cover operating costs, including rent, payroll, purchasing PPE, expanding outdoor dining capacity and other expenses.

It's the second round of the Main Street Strong grant program, which was announced in 2020. Last year DoorDash granted $2 million to small restaurants in Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and San Jose, and announced it was expanding the grant program to $10 million. DoorDash has also made contributions to statewide restaurant relief funds in Colorado, Texas, Connecticut and New Jersey.

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