Uber Eats offers £250,000 to black-owned businesses

Run in collaboration with Enterprise Nation, the fund will award cash grants of £10,000 to 25 small black-owned businesses with at least half going to small businesses outside of London.

Black-owned restaurants with fewer than five locations can now apply to the fund with applications opening tomorrow (5 October).

“We are extremely excited to launch the Black Business Fund for a third successive year, which will see the programme deliver over half a million pounds to Black-owned businesses since it began,” says Matthew Price, general manager at Uber Eats UK & Ireland.

“Previous grant winners have used the cash for a range of vital investments – from upgrading equipment to training new staff. We’re proud to continue supporting the next generation of Black entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level.”

Uber Eats launched the Black Business Fund in the UK in 2021 awarding 10 £5,000 grants to restaurants across the country. Last year it increased its support to a total £250,000 grant pot.

Rachel Olatoke, who runs Harvest Afro Caribbean in Windsor, a previous winner of a Black Business Fund grant, says: “I started my restaurant almost as a form of activism – there isn’t much diversity in Windsor so during lockdown we decided to change that and bring African and Caribbean cuisine to the high street.

“We used cash from the Black Business Fund to upgrade our equipment and expand our buffet service – we’re really excited for the future and are always thinking about what the next thing could be. I’d definitely recommend other restaurants to apply for the fund.”

To date, businesses have received a total of £300,000 of grants since the award scheme started in 2021, with this year’s funding taking the total amount awarded past half a million pounds.

“I am pleased to see the return of the Black Business Fund for a third year,” says Lorraine Copes, founder of Be Inclusive hospitality.

“Uber Eats are continuing to leverage insights to drive action by ongoingly investing in Black Businesses in hospitality. My hope is that recipients thrive, due to the assistance of the fund, despite the continual barriers faced.”