By WIBWTOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Governor Laura Kelly has urged Kansas restaurants to apply for Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants.Governor Laura Kelly says she has urged restaurants in Kansas, as well as eligible businesses in the hospitality industry, to apply for federal funding through the Small Business Administration’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund. She said registration for the RRF began on Friday, April 30, at 8 a.m. and applications opened on Monday, May 3, at 11 a.m.“These RRF grants will boost our hospitality industry and aid our continued economic recovery as we get our state back to normal,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “I strongly encourage all eligible businesses to apply for this program and thank the SBA for their partnership to provide relief for Kansas businesses.”According to Gov. Kelly, the SBA will co-host a webinar for Kansas businesses with her Office of Recovery, the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, May 5, at 9 a.m.ADVERTISEMENT“Restaurants are vital to our state’s hospitality sector, and this program exists solely to help them,” Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland said. “Hospitality businesses have been incredibly resilient through this historic and unprecedented challenge, and restaurants have had to be creative to get through the storm. This program is a lifeline for them, and I would encourage all Kansas restaurant owners who need help to take full advantage.”Gov. Kelly said the American Rescue Plan Act has established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to give funding to restaurants and other eligible businesses that need help keeping their doors open. She said the program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related loss of revenue, up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. She said recipients are not required to pay the funding back, as long as funds are used only for eligible costs no later than March 11, 2023.According to Gov. Kelly, eligible entities are as follows:<ul>
 <li>Restaurants;</li><li>Food stands, food trucks, food carts;</li><li>Caterers;</li><li>Bars, saloons, lounges, taverns;</li><li>Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars;</li><li>Additional entities if onsite food or beverage sales are at least 33% of gross receipts (e.g. Bakeries, brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms, breweries and/or microbreweries, Wineries and distilleries, Inns).</li>
 </ul>ADVERTISEMENT“Restaurants and the foodservice industry are critical to the economic wellbeing of our communities,” said Michael Barrera, District Director, SBA-KC District. “Restaurants are gathering places for our cities and towns and are where many milestones and everyday conversations take place in our lives. The RRF will help keep these ‘centers of influence’ going and we here at the SBA look forward to working with our Kansas partners to make this program a Kansas success!”To learn more about the webinar, click&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.ks.gov/rrf/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.To learn more about and apply for the RRF, click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/restaurant-revitalization-fund" target="_blank">HERE</a>.

Restaurant revitalization fund now accepting applications