When Frances Dadin-Alli, owner of Franyz Kitchen Nigerian Cuisine in Calgary, heard about DoorDash’s (DASH-Q) Black food entrepreneurs grants program, she thought to herself, why not apply?

“Someone sent it to me from Halifax. I was like, ‘I’m just going to apply,’ and see where it goes,” she told FoodNX in an interview.

When she found out she was one of 30 winners of the 2026 grants, it was surreal. “I’m always struggling to make ends meet; to get the kitchen running, and when I got an email saying I’ve been picked as one of the businesses to get the grant, it was like I was dreaming.”

Dadin-Alli was provided with a $10,200 cheque from DoorDash, which has partnered with Black Opportunity Fund (BOF), a Toronto-based community-led registered charitable organization that provides access to capital for Black-led businesses and offers grants to Black-led not-for-profits and charities.

Delivery service giant offers help to underserved cohort

DoorDash was founded in Palo Alto, Calif. in 2013, and has expanded to more than 40 countries including Canada. It offers food deliveries from restaurants, convenience stores, pet stores and grocery stores to consumers.

In its most recent financial results, the company brought in US$4 billion in revenue, and its GAAP net income rose 51 per cent from 2024 figures to US$213 million, according to its website.

For DoorDash, the #BlackFoodEnergy program allows an underserved group of business people to access funding they often struggle to find.

“We’ve supported dozens of Black-owned and Black-led restaurants across Canada. With our most recent cohort of 30 recipients, we’re nearing $1 million in total funding distributed through #BlackFoodEnergy,” Delly Dyer, integrated marketing lead at DoorDash Canada, wrote in an email exchange with FoodNX.

The initiative was launched in 2022 and expanded in 2024, with a goal to “expand access to opportunity by reducing barriers to growth, starting with capital,” she said.

“We want to help Black restaurateurs not only sustain their businesses but scale them by strengthening their long-term success and further connecting them with the communities they serve.”

Entrepreneurs can tap into restaurant industry knowledge

In addition to the grant funds, recipients receive a one-year Restaurants Canada membership that provides access to industry resources, Dyer said, such as research, advocacy and offers a national network of peers and partners.

“The program is designed to support businesses at different stages, whether they’re investing in operations, expanding or building long-term resilience,” she said.

It helps these young entrepreneurs with a capital grant, which for many Black business owners remains a barrier. “For Black entrepreneurs, that challenge is often compounded by systemic inequities, more limited access to networks and fewer pathways to traditional financing.”

Recipients are allowed to do what they wish with the funding – there are no conditions attached, she said.

“The funding is intentionally flexible to reflect the different needs of each business. Applicants outline how they plan to use it, but ultimately we trust operators to invest where it will have the most impact, whether that’s equipment, hiring, technology or expansion.”

Bringing Nigerian cuisine to Calgary

For Dadin-Alli, the program provides a great way to introduce her heritage to Calgary.

“My restaurant is Nigerian cuisine, mostly from the south of Nigeria, because I’m from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which is in the south, and I like to represent where I’m coming from.”

The region is known for its famous bole and fish, which is barbecued fish and plantains. “I’m bringing my kind of cuisine from the south to Calgary,” Dadin-Alli said.

She began her culinary career in 2010 in Halifax – where she emigrated to from Nigeria – by catering for events. “My business officially took off in 2019 and I moved to Calgary a year and a half ago, so I moved everything from Halifax to Calgary,” she said.

DoorDash is hoping to “level the playing field” for people such as Dadin-Alli, according to Dyer.

“DoorDash wants to continue enacting change within the restaurant community, building a stronger ecosystem around these entrepreneurs so they can grow and scale sustainably over the long term,” she said.

Needed support for Franyz Kitchen

For Dadin-Alli, the money will come in handy as she moves into the warmer months and will help her buy equipment and hire staff.

“This summer, I’m moving into just takeout and events because in the summer period usually there’s a lot of weddings; there’s a lot of events happening and I’m a very small business. I’m unable to have staff at different places so I’m really grateful for this fund but I’ll be able to get an extra hand to help me.

“I want to say thank you to DoorDash, and thank you to the Black Opportunity Fund for helping Black businesses, because it’s very difficult to go into a bank or seek help from the government, so money like this really goes a long way.”