THE LIVE MÁS SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION OPENS FOR ITS EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR TO SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS

The Taco Bell Foundation is distributing up to $10 million in scholarships to passionate young people across the country

IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Taco Bell Foundation announced the opening of its eighth annual Live Más Scholarship (LMS) application, offering up to $10 million to connect the next generation – Taco Bell customers and team members – to the tools and resources they need to learn and thrive.

Each year, the Taco Bell Foundation awards millions of dollars to students pursuing their passions. This unique, "passion-based" scholarship program is for students looking to pursue higher education to prepare for the workforce and ignite change in their communities. The Live Más Scholarship supports all passions, from medicine to teaching, community service, filmmaking, and much more.

"It's one of the great honors of my position to award these scholarships to the next generation of leaders," said Jennifer Bradbury, Executive Director of the Taco Bell Foundation. "Every year we are continuously impressed by the passion, power and drive of these young people, and it is our pleasure to connect them to the resources they need to take the next step in their education and create a one-of-a-kind community of like minded scholars looking to make a difference in the world."

Students ages 16 to 26 years old are encouraged to apply for the scholarship through the Taco Bell Foundation's signature, non-traditional application. The process requires applicants to submit a two-minute video describing their passion, a positive change they want to make in the world, and how education will help them achieve that goal. The scholarship does not require students to submit grades, essays, or test scores.

The funds awarded can be applied to various types of educational paths, including community colleges, graduate programs, tech and trade schools. For example, last year the Taco Bell Foundation awarded Joel Bervell, a medical student at Washington State University, $25,000 to follow his passion advancing fellow minority doctors and impacting communities of color. But this program is not just financial support; the winners - like Joel - become a part of the LMS community of fellow scholars and mentors where they gain access to real-world opportunities, professional networking and annual conferences.

The application period will close on January 11, 2023, and recipients will be announced in April 2023. The awards amounts are $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 per student. Of these awards, the Taco Bell Foundation will allot more than $2 million for Taco Bell team members who have been a part of the Taco Bell family for at least 30 continuous days.

The Taco Bell Foundation partners with Taco Bell restaurants across the country to raise money through the Round Up program, where customers can choose to round up their order total to the nearest dollar to support Taco Bell Foundation year round. Round Up funds support Live Más Scholarships for consumers, while donations from Taco Bell franchise owners and Taco Bell Corp. support Live Más Scholarships for Taco Bell team members.

For more information on the Live Más Scholarship, or to apply, visit livemasscholarship.com/.

Taco Bell Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity that helps break down barriers to educate and inspire the next generation of America's young leaders. Since 1992, the Taco Bell Foundation has reached more than 5 million young people across the country and has awarded more than $130 million in grants and scholarships, focused on education and career readiness. For more information about the Taco Bell Foundation, visit www.tacobellfoundation.org.

Delani Marchigiani – Edelman
Delani.Marchigiani@edelman.com

Richard Villagomez– Taco Bell Corp.
Richard.Villagomez@yum.com 

SOURCE Taco Bell Corp.