Soleil Restaurant, owned by Dorchester’s Cheryl Straughter, is among 12 small businesses statewide receiving community impact grants from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). Straughter’s Southern-inspired eatery, located in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, received a $5,000 grant.

“LGBTQ-owned businesses are an important piece of our Commonwealth’s economy and so this support not only helps each of the businesses receiving grants but also supports the communities they are a part of,” said Grace Moreno, executive director of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

“The LGBTQ community faces many barriers to creating small businesses,” she added, “and so we have a clear mandate to remove those barriers and find the resources to allow them to thrive. That is what our Chamber is all about.” 

The grant program, supported by the Grubhub Community Fund, annually provides financial support to businesses with grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. The program specifically supports LGBTQ+-owned and allied restaurants, cafes, bars serving food, and other eating establishments. 

Most of the recipients are members of the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber, which is an affiliate of the NGLCC.