In response to growing pressures on restaurants across Texas, the Texas Conference for Women and the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) have announced $200,000 in new funding to support women-owned restaurants.
This is the second consecutive year the organizations have teamed up to support women-owned restaurants. In 2020, the Texas Conference for Women and TRA distributed a total of $175,000 through $2,500 grants to more than 70 restaurants.
The 2021 initiative will provide $2,500 grants to more than 80 women-owned restaurants through a process jointly administered by the Texas Conference for Women and the Texas Restaurant Association. Apply at www.txrestaurant.org/txcw.
The Texas Conference for Women is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to advancing women in the workplace. It is sponsored by more than a dozen leading employers in the state. It is donating the funds for women-owned businesses because women have been disproportionately affected by COVID.
“Over the past 18 months, women’s progress in the workplace has been set back three decades due to COVID, a lack of childcare, and the absence of paid family and medical leave policy,” said Carla Piñeyro Sublett, Texas Conference for Women Board President. “That’s bad for women, bad for employers, and bad for our economic recovery.
“As a community of women supporting women, the Texas Conference for Women is committed to doing everything we can to support women entrepreneurs and all working women,” Piñeyro Sublett added. “We’re proud to support women-owned restaurants with these grants. And we’re excited to help other women back to work through our first-ever free virtual career fair on Oct. 6th
The Texas restaurant industry lost more than 700,000 jobs since the start of COVID; and a recent uptick in the Delta variant has threatened a hoped-for recovery for many others, according to the Texas Restaurant Association,
“In light of the continued pressures on the restaurant industry, we are heartened by our continued partnership with the Texas Conference for Women,” said Dr. Emily Williams Knight, President, and CEO of TRA. “We saw what a difference last year’s grants made on many restaurant-owners and, on behalf of the industry, welcome the Texas Conference for Women’s continued support.”
The grants are made possible through the support of the sponsors and attendees of the Texas Conference for Women.
About the Texas Conference for Women
More than 10,000 people are registered to participate in the 22nd annual Texas Conference for Women, which will be held virtually on Oct. 7th. Keynote speakers include Malala Yousafzai, Indra Nooyi, and Ali Wong.
Tickets are available at www.txconferenceforwomen.org.
To apply for media credentials, email [email protected].
The Texas Conference for Women is part of the nation’s largest network of women’s conferences, with annual events in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Texas that attract more than 50,000 people.