Popeyes Foundation

What Popeyes Foundation does

Popeyes Foundation (legal name: The Popeyes Foundation, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) public charity established in 2018 and headquartered at 5707 Blue Lagoon Drive, Miami, Florida. It operates as the dedicated charitable arm of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. and runs all programs under a registered umbrella initiative called SERVING WITH LOVE®. The foundation executes two core programs: the Team Member Love Program, which provides emergency financial grants to Popeyes and Popeyes franchisee employees experiencing catastrophic hardship from natural disasters, medical emergencies, or family bereavement; and the Food Love Grants Program, a DMA-based grant mechanism that directs funds raised in Popeyes restaurants to local IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofits addressing food insecurity through food banks, mobile kitchens, out-of-school meals, homebound delivery, and disaster-related food support.

The foundation's technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: Submittable for Team Member Love applications and Airtable for Food Love Grants nonprofit intake forms. There are no disclosed proprietary platforms, APIs, or technology products; the foundation operates as a grantmaking intermediary rather than a technology company.

The business model is donation-funded: the foundation raises money through Popeyes franchisee contributions, supplier sponsorships, corporate partnerships (including 60+ supporters at the 2025 Popeyes Convention such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Ecolab, Pilgrim's, and Panasonic), individual donations via popeyesfoundation.org, and earmarked restaurant-based fundraising. Legal disclosures state that 100% of funds generated are directed to the foundation's charitable programs, with Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. receiving no compensation for its charitable services. Since 2018, the foundation has granted more than $874,000 to 760+ team members and directed $981,875 to 115+ local nonprofits in 2025 alone, with a 2026 plan to direct more than $1.12 million across 100 market areas.

Name

Popeyes Foundation

Legal name

The Popeyes Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://popeyesfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Popeyes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity established in 2018 that supports Popeyes team members facing emergencies through the Team Member Love Program and directs restaurant-raised funds to local nonprofits fighting food insecurity via Food Love Grants, operating under the SERVING WITH LOVE® initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation services
• Community food programs
• Employee emergency grants
• Food insecurity grants
• Disaster relief programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation operates as a 501(c)3 public charity (Federal Tax ID #81-4524745) that raises funds through restaurant-based donations, corporate partnerships, and individual contributions. One hundred percent of funds generated are directed to the foundation's charitable programs.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Popeyes Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that operates the SERVING WITH LOVE® initiative, providing financial grants to Popeyes team members experiencing catastrophic hardship through the Team Member Love Program and directing restaurant-raised funds to IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations addressing food insecurity through the Food Love Grants Program. The foundation also runs national initiatives such as the SERVING WITH LOVE® Tour in partnership with Feed the Children.

Product overview

Popeyes Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity established in 2018, operated by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. The foundation operates a single unified charitable platform called SERVING WITH LOVE®, which encompasses two core programs: the Team Member Love Program (providing financial grants to Popeyes employees experiencing catastrophic hardships) and the Food Love Grants Program (directing restaurant-raised funds to local nonprofits fighting food insecurity). The foundation also partners with Feed the Children for national initiatives including the 2025 SERVING WITH LOVE® Tour.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Team Member Love Program Financial support program providing grants to Popeyes and Popeyes franchisee team members in the U.S. who experience short-term, catastrophic hardships caused by natural disasters, emergency-related incidents, medical life-altering events, or loss in the immediate family. Since 2018, more than $874,000 has been granted to 760+ team members. Applications are submitted through an online Submittable portal.
• Food Love Grants Program DMA-based grant program that directs funds raised in Popeyes restaurants to IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that serve food to those in need locally. Grants (ranging from $1,000 to more than $60,000) support food banks, on-campus food pantries, out-of-school meal programs, mobile kitchens, warm/homebound meal delivery, neighborhood co-op food programs, and disaster-related food support. In 2025, directed $981,875 to 115+ local nonprofits; planned 2026 expansion to $1.12 million across 100 market areas.
• SERVING WITH LOVE® Initiative The foundation's overarching registered social-purpose initiative and branded platform (trademark: SERVING WITH LOVE®) that encompasses all charitable programs, unifying the foundation's mission of providing food to those in need and supporting Popeyes team members during challenging times.

Quantifiable outcome

• $874,000+ granted to 760+ team members since 2018
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feed the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Feed the Children is Popeyes Foundation's first national partner, announced in 2025. Together they launched the first-ever 15-city SERVING WITH LOVE Tour to provide food and daily essentials that help kids grow and thrive, supporting more than 6,000 families.
• Popeyes Louisiana KitchencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPopeyes Louisiana Kitchen is the parent brand and primary supporter of the foundation. The foundation's programs operate under the brand's SERVING WITH LOVE initiative. The brand, franchisees, and suppliers support foundation fundraising efforts.
• 2025 Popeyes Convention SupportersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOver 60 companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Ecolab, Panasonic, Warner Bros. Discovery, University of Miami, Kansas City Chiefs, Kendra Scott, Lasagna Love, and many more franchise suppliers and partners who support the annual Popeyes Convention.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Long-established charitable arm of McDonald's, the most recognized QSR-affiliated foundation in the U.S. Highly comparable to Popeyes Foundation in structure (corporate-affiliated 501(c)(3) leveraging restaurant footprint for fundraising) but operates at substantially larger scale with a distinct mission focus on pediatric healthcare.
• Yum! Brands Foundation: Corporate-affiliated foundation of Yum! Brands, parent of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill. Highly comparable structure to Popeyes Foundation as a QSR-parent-affiliated 501(c)(3) engaging franchisees and suppliers across multiple brands for fundraising and community programs.
• Chick-fil-A Foundation: Charitable arm of Chick-fil-A, a leading U.S. quick-service restaurant chain. Comparable to Popeyes Foundation in being a brand-affiliated 501(c)(3) running restaurant-network-driven community and team-member programs with strong franchisee engagement.
• Wendy's Foundation: Corporate-affiliated charitable foundation of Wendy's, another major U.S. quick-service restaurant chain. Directly comparable to Popeyes Foundation in operating model — restaurant-network-driven fundraising and community-focused grantmaking — and competes for the same franchisee and supplier donor base.
• Taco Bell Foundation: Brand-level charitable arm of Taco Bell (a Yum! Brands concept). Operates a youth-focused education and community grant model funded through restaurant-level fundraising — directly analogous to Popeyes Foundation's brand-level structure and restaurant-network fundraising mechanics.
• Burger King Foundation: Corporate-affiliated charitable foundation of Burger King, a sibling brand under Restaurant Brands International alongside Popeyes. Most structurally analogous peer — same parent ecosystem, same QSR category, and same franchisee-driven community giving context.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks Foundation: Corporate-affiliated foundation of Starbucks, a much larger foodservice/quick-service brand with broader geographic reach and a more diversified giving portfolio (agriculture, water, youth). Comparable as a large restaurant/foodservice-affiliated 501(c)(3) but operates at a substantially greater scale and scope than Popeyes Foundation.

Others

• No Kid Hungry: Share Our Strength's national campaign to end childhood hunger. Mission-aligned with Popeyes Foundation's food-insecurity focus but functions as a 501(c)(3) grantmaking campaign rather than a corporate-affiliated foundation; comparable as a community food-security partner and ecosystem actor.
• Lasagna Love: Volunteer-driven nonprofit providing free home-cooked meals to families facing hardship. Listed as a 2025 Popeyes Convention supporter and directly relevant as a community meal-delivery peer that operates in the same food-security and family-support space as Popeyes Foundation's grant beneficiaries.
• Feeding America: National network of food banks and the largest U.S. hunger-relief organization. Comparable as a community food-security funding and distribution partner — directly relevant because Popeyes Foundation's Food Love Grants program funds similar frontline hunger-relief nonprofits — but not a foundation peer, more accurately an ecosystem participant and potential grant beneficiary.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/renee-b-hobbs

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Popeyes Foundation