What Taco Bell Foundation does

The Taco Bell Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity established in 1992 and headquartered in Irvine, California, that empowers young people ages 16-26 to pursue education and career pathways through scholarships and grants to youth-serving nonprofits. The foundation's signature program is the Live Más Scholarship, a passion-based award (no GPA or test score requirements) that has distributed over $64 million since its 2015 launch across more than 3,000 scholars, with the 2026 class funding $14.5 million to 1,500+ recipients selected from a record 41,000+ applicants. Its second core program, Community Grants, awards grants to nearly 500 youth-serving nonprofits nominated by Taco Bell franchise owners across 48 U.S. states, with a record $28 million distributed in 2025. The foundation also operates the Ambition Accelerator (a partnership with Ashoka that expanded internationally with a 2024 India summit), the Summer of Connection annual scholar conference, Live Más Lab executive pitch experiences, and Emergency Relief Grants.

The foundation is funded primarily through customer donations at the point of sale via the Round Up program across 7,000+ Taco Bell restaurants (over $50 million raised in 2024), supplemented by the Owners' Giving Circle (franchisees contributing $350+ per restaurant, $2.5 million raised in 2025 with 95% owner participation), the TBF Champions program for socially conscious suppliers ($2.25 million+ in 2025), and events such as the Annual Golf Classic ($3.4 million in events fundraising in 2025). For the 2024 fiscal year, the foundation reported total revenue and support of $61,060,425 on its Statement of Activities, with cumulative grants and scholarships awarded exceeding $231 million since inception.

The foundation operates as an independent nonprofit entity closely affiliated with Taco Bell and Yum! Brands, governed by a board drawing from Taco Bell franchise organizations (Albor Restaurant Group, Tacala, Pacific Bells, Border Foods, K-MAC, Denali Foods), Taco Bell Corp., and advisors including a Treasurer from Deloitte & Touche LLP. It does not develop proprietary technology; digital interactions (scholarship applications via mykaleidoscope.com, donor inquiries, media relations) are handled through standard web infrastructure, and technology is explicitly described as not applicable to its operating model. The foundation has earned a Four Star Charity Navigator rating, Gold Transparency from Candid, and a 2025 Anthem Award Silver for community engagement.

Name

Taco Bell Foundation

Legal name

Taco Bell Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://tacobellfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Taco Bell Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Irvine, California, that funds education and career-readiness programs for young people ages 16-26 through the Live Más Scholarship, Community Grants to nonprofits, and the Ambition Accelerator partnership with Ashoka, financed primarily via customer Round Up donations across 7,000+ Taco Bell restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Youth education scholarships
• Community grants programs
• Nonprofit charitable foundation
• Career readiness programs
• Educational philanthropy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Round Up Donations: In-restaurant donation program where Taco Bell customers round up their total to the nearest dollar. The average donation is approximately 44 cents. This is the foundation's largest fundraising source, raising over $50 million in 2024.
2. Franchise Owner Contributions (Owners' Giving Circle): Franchise organizations join the Owners' Giving Circle by contributing $350 or more per restaurant owned annually. In 2025, this program raised $2.5 million with 95% of participating owners.
3. TBF Champions Program: Socially conscious suppliers and vendors contribute through the TBF Champions program, providing monetary and in-kind support. In 2025, Champions contributed over $2.25 million.
4. Event Fundraising: Annual events including the Golf Classic and other fundraising activities. In 2025, events raised $3.4 million.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Taco Bell Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity that empowers young people ages 16–26 through education and career-readiness opportunities. Its core offerings are the Live Más Scholarship (awarded directly to individual students), Community Grants (awarded to youth-serving nonprofit organizations), and the Ambition Accelerator program delivered in partnership with Ashoka.

Product overview

Taco Bell Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) public charity offering a portfolio of youth empowerment programs centered on education and career readiness. The core offerings include the Live Más Scholarship (a passion-based scholarship with no GPA requirements), the Live Más Scholarship Renewal Program (for ongoing recipient support), Community Grants (supporting nonprofit partners nominated by franchise owners), and the Ambition Accelerator (a social impact program in partnership with Ashoka). Supporting programs include Summer of Connection (annual scholar conference), Live Más Lab (executive pitch experience), Live Más LIVE (content creator opportunities), and Emergency Relief Grants. The foundation is funded primarily through the Round Up in-restaurant donation program and partner contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Live Más Scholarship: Passion-based scholarship program for young people ages 16-26 supporting education and career pursuits
• Ambition Accelerator
• Community Grants
• Summer of Connection
• Round Up
• Live Más LIVE

Products and services

• Live Más Scholarship A scholarship program that provides financial awards directly to individual students and young adults ages 16–26 to support post-secondary education, vocational training, or career-launch pursuits.
• Community Grants Grants awarded to youth-serving nonprofit organizations to fund programs serving young people in education, career readiness, and youth-development contexts.
• Ambition Accelerator A program operated in partnership with Ashoka that supports young social entrepreneurs and changemakers in advancing their career and community-impact ambitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached nearly 12 million young people and awarded $231+ million since 1992
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AshokacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2022Partnership with Ashoka, the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs, powers the Ambition Accelerator program. The program accelerates young innovators’ social impact ideas through workshops, peer networking, and pitch competitions with funding prizes. The partnership expanded internationally with a 2024 India summit.
• Boys & Girls ClubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing national partner receiving nearly $60M in grants since 1992 across 300+ Clubs. Supports programs like Youth of the Year and Keystone Clubs serving millions of youth through homework help, career readiness, arts, sports, and financial literacy programs.
• Junior AchievementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner receiving $1.4M in 2021 to 52 sites supporting nearly 30,000 students with high school programs focused on financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.
• City YearcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner providing nearly $800,000 to 23 sites in 2021, impacting approximately 11,400 students and 230 AmeriCorps members. Supports mentorship programs in under-resourced schools across 29 U.S. cities.
• College Advising CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner placing recent graduates as full-time college advisors in underserved high schools to increase enrollment and completion for low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students.
• Notes for NotescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew national partner in 2025 providing free recording studio environments to over 8,500 youth in 30 studios across 13 states. Foundation support helps deliver programming that develops confidence, creativity, and community through music.
• BravenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew grant recipient in 2025, a national organization helping first-generation college students and those from low-income backgrounds build skills, confidence, and networks for meaningful careers.
• California Restaurant FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew grant recipient in 2025, equipping high school students with culinary and hospitality skills for opportunities in the food service industry.
• PepsiCominorGTM or Marketing PartnerFiesta Sponsor of the 2026 Golf Classic event, contributing to fundraising efforts for scholarships and foundation programs.
• Golden State FoodsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTBF Champion hosting events with Live Más Scholars, providing community engagement and volunteer opportunities.
• Jones Valley Teaching FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Grant recipient using food-based, cross-curricular lessons for academic exploration and environmental stewardship in Birmingham community. Received $35,000 in 2024.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast OhiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Grant recipient with 40+ Clubs providing safe spaces for academic success, healthy lifestyles, social-emotional growth, and career readiness. Received $300,000 in 2024.
• HomeWorks TrentonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Grant recipient providing free after-school residential program for marginalized high school girls with academic and leadership enrichment. Received $25,000 in 2024.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ronald McDonald House Charities: The most directly comparable QSR-affiliated nonprofit: a 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm of McDonald's that channels POS-driven fundraising toward youth and family programming, mirroring Taco Bell Foundation's Round Up model and youth-education mission.
• Chick-fil-A Foundation: Corporate foundation of another major QSR brand funding education scholarships, leadership programs, and community impact initiatives through restaurant-network-embedded giving.
• Wendy's Foundation: Wendy's corporate foundation funding scholarships (e.g., Dave Thomas scholarship) and hunger-relief grants. Comparable because it is a QSR-tied foundation built around point-of-sale giving and youth-education scholarships.
• Starbucks Foundation: Corporate foundation of a major consumer brand that funds youth-opportunity and education programs (e.g., Starbucks College Achievement Plan, youth literacy). Same model: brand-tied 501(c)(3) leveraging retail POS channels for philanthropy.
• Burger King Foundation (Have It Your Way Foundation): QSR-affiliated foundation (Burger King / Restaurant Brands International) supporting youth education, scholarships, and disaster relief. Closely analogous structure: corporate-aligned 501(c)(3) leveraging restaurant-system traffic and franchisee networks.
• Yum! Brands Foundation: The direct parent-affiliated foundation through which the $100M Unlocking Opportunity Initiative reaches Taco Bell Foundation. Comparable because it shares corporate parent, overlapping board influence, and program/grantmaking overlap in education and workforce.

Broad incumbents

• McDonald's Foundation: The broader corporate philanthropic entity of McDonald's (separate from RMHC), funding education, employee assistance, and Ronald McDonald House Charities via corporate giving. A larger incumbent operating in the same corporate-grantmaking space for education and youth.
• The Coca-Cola Foundation: Large consumer-brand foundation awarding $100M+ annually across education, youth wellbeing, and community grants. Comparable because of scale, multi-program portfolio, and brand-tied grantmaking reach overlapping with Taco Bell Foundation's youth-education emphasis.
• Google.org: Corporate philanthropic arm of a major consumer/tech brand funding education, workforce, and social impact at global scale. Includes scholarship and skill-building programs analogous in mission but funded by a tech (not QSR) parent.

Others

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Taco Bell Foundation's largest national nonprofit partner (nearly $60M since 1992 across 300+ Clubs). Adjacent rather than competitive — an OTHERS peer operating as a national youth-services intermediary that Taco Bell Foundation channels grants through.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/feed/hashtag/tacobellfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/explore/hashtags/livemasscholarship

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments6 records

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Frequently asked questions about Taco Bell Foundation