Everytable Seeks Additional $10M In Investments To Make Food Affordable

After receiving $4M in program-related investments, Everytable sets a new goal for an additional $10M in 2021.

Everytable is dedicated to ending food inequality in the U.S. by lowering prices of high-quality food and hiring from low and moderate income communities. (Image credit: Everytable)
Everytable is dedicated to ending food inequality in the U.S. by lowering prices of high-quality food and hiring from low and moderate income communities. (Image credit: Everytable)

Everytable, a Los Angeles-based social enterprise seeking to end food inequality by making nutritious food affordable and accessible for all, has received a total of $4 million in program-related investments (PRI) and grants from several foundations and organizations to support a pioneering Social Equity Franchise program that fosters economic empowerment among entrepreneurs from marginalized communities. In 2021, Everytable seeks to raise an additional $10 million to fund the program’s expansion in both Los Angeles County and New York City.

The foundations and organizations include: W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, Dignity Health Medical Foundation, Acumen, The SAM Initiative, Hyundai, and the Kroger Co. Foundation as part of its Racial Equity Fund Build It Together grant challenge.

“At Everytable, our core mission is to push against structural inequality, first through the pricing and accessibility of our healthy food offerings, and second by hiring from the low-to-moderate income communities we serve,” said Sam Polk, co-founder and CEO, Everytable. “Now, with this extraordinary and meaningful funding, we can expand our socio-economic impact through the development of a franchise training and education program to empower disenfranchised entrepreneurs, who ordinarily might not be able to access capital, to bring affordable and nutritious food into their communities while also participating in the profits and capital gains from the success of their businesses.”

Founded in 2016, Everytable is a multi-channel, fresh-prepared food business blending grab-and-go storefronts, subscriptions, SmartFridges, and institutional food service supplied by a central kitchen with meals starting at $5.00 and are priced according to the neighborhood. The company now serves guests throughout Los Angeles County and plans to open its first storefronts in New York City this year, followed by expansion across the country within the next several years. 

“The lack of freshly made and affordable, healthy meals is a challenge that should not exist for anyone in a city as plentiful and kind as Los Angeles,” said Annenberg Foundation Executive Director Cinny Kennard. “Everytable is designed to effectively combat this existence of ‘food deserts.’ Along with the California Wellness Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation is pleased to support Everytable’s mission, especially its vital new social equity franchise program — making training and education available to entrepreneurs in underserved communities so they can manage and maybe even open Everytable franchises. With this new project Everytable aims to create jobs and lift up local economies. We are proud to be a part of such an innovative and inclusive approach. 

“Our $1.5 million investment in Everytable shows our commitment to leverage our endowment to serve communities that too often get left behind,” said Judy Belk, President and CEO of The California Wellness Foundation. “We’re committed to using every tool in our tool kit to advance our mission to improve the health and wellness of Californians. That includes grantmaking as well as making program-related and mission-related investments from our endowment. We’re thrilled to partner with the Annenberg Foundation to fund this ground-breaking franchise program. And I’ll tell you, those salads at Everytable are delicious, so we encourage folks to give them a try when one opens near you.”

Social Equity Franchise: Getting to the Root Cause of Structural Inequality and Divestment

Everytable’s new Social Equity Franchise Program invests in entrepreneurs to lift themselves, their families and their communities. Black and Brown entrepreneurs from underserved communities will own and operate Everytable franchises with zero-dollar investment required. Everytable will provide program graduates with funding to open Everytable locations, assist with retail site selection and build-out design, and provide marketing support. And, because most Black and Brown entrepreneurs often don’t have a cushion to fall back on, Everytable franchisees are guaranteed an annual salary of $40,000 in their first three years in business.

Program candidates will be recruited internally among current store-level managers, through non-profit and academic partners, and via standard online recruiting channels. With plans to open 40 Social Equity Franchises within the next few years, Everytable recently identified the program’s first Social Equity Franchise candidate, Dorcia White Brake, a Black single mother of three from South Los Angeles. Upon completing Everytable University within the next few months, Dorcia will own and operate a new Everytable storefront in Hollywood, California.

This is also the first Everytable with a full-service coffee program in partnership with local Black-owned establishment Hot & Cool Cafe​, proudly serving Crenshaw Coffee. Guests will also be able to order from Everytable’s convenient and flexible meal subscription and delivery program that brings the same meals home at the same affordable prices. The restaurant, which includes both indoor and patio seating, features original artwork by​ ​Ke’Ari Brooks​, a Los Angeles artist whose bold, beautiful and minimalist illustrations highlight the beauty of Black women and men with the goal of uplifting the Black community through celebrations of self-love and self-compassion.

Related:

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Building Out Funding for Women and Girls in Anti-Feminist Political Times

Author: Gender Equality Funding News

Philanthropy Women aggregates the most important gender equality funding news.

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