TACO BELL FOUNDATION INC
Supporting Tomorrow's Leaders
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
At the Taco Bell Foundation, no cause is more important than supporting the passions and dreams of our youth. Why? Because we believe in the potential of young people. So often, they get boxed-in by standardized pathways to “success” and are challenged by the rising cost of education. Yet, we believe that the passions of young people can move the world forward. We believe that college tuition and overall costs should not hinder students from achieving their passions. Which is why we created the Live Más Scholarship.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Live Más Scholarship
In 2015, Taco Bell Foundation launched the Live Más Scholarship, a program aimed at empowering the nation’s next generation of dreamers, innovators and creators – those whose passions don’t fall into the conventional “academic” or "athletic” qualifying categories of traditional scholarship programs.
The Live Más Scholarship is not based on grades or how well you play sports. No essays, no test scores, no right or wrong answers. We’re looking for the next generation of innovators, creators and dreamers – whose post-high school education we will help fund.
Where we work
External reviews
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Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Taco Bell Foundation invests in America’s youth to help them pursue their educational goals and career aspirations – no matter what their unique passion. We aim to achieve a world where every young person has the opportunity to pursue their passions, carve out their own unique paths, and boldly disrupt conventions for the greater good. When young people can pursue their passions to make a difference through education and training, they can move the world forward.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Taco Bell Foundation helps young people explore their career passions through scholarships, experiences and community support. Our strategies include promoting career-readiness through the Live Más Scholarship, impacting challenges in higher education through strategic partnerships and connecting youth to future career opportunities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Taco Bell Foundation is unique in our ability to speak authentically to young people. In a world where loneliness and mental health are prevalent among young people, community and relationships are invaluable for youth. We aim to build community among our scholars through in-person experiences such as our regional workshops with scholars across the country over the last three years as well as our first-ever six-week virtual Live Más Scholarship conference in 2020. We gather our scholars to support, build, and empower them to pursue their passions together. The goals of our conferences are to equip scholars with the skills, tools and resources needed to develop their passions and reach their career aspirations; inspire them to ignite change in their local communities; and grow a community that collaborates, supports, inspires and takes pride in being a Live Más Scholar.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 1992, the Taco Bell Foundation has reached more than 4 million young people across the country and has awarded more than $95 million in grants and scholarships, focused on education and career readiness. In our sixth year of the Live Más Scholarship, we are more than halfway to our goal of providing $21 million in scholarships by 2021. In 2021, we will provide more than $7.5 million Live Más Scholarships. Our scholar community has grown to more than 1,100 young people from every state and walk of life.
As part of our five-year roadmap, the Taco Bell Foundation is expanding financial resources and programming. Our scholarship will grow to a $10 million annual distribution. We also intend to “own summer” as an intervention in scholar’s lives, by offering resources like workshops, a conference, and financial literacy tools. We will eventually expand some non-financial resources to all applicants, regardless of whether they receive a scholarship or not (currently more than 20,000 youth).
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
TACO BELL FOUNDATION INC
Board of directorsas of 02/20/2023
Neil Borkan
NJB Operations
Imaan Ferdowsi
American Hospitality Group
Rob Alvarado
Albor Restaurant Group
James Cascone
Deloitte & Touche LLP
David Grieve
A&C Ventures, Inc.
Todd Bisbocci
TacoBocci
Marjorie Perlman
Tacala Companies
Leigh Anne Tuohy
RGT Foods, Inc.
Steve Plank
Taco Bell Corp.
Neil Borkan
NJB Operations, Inc.
Kelly McCulloch
Taco Bell Corp.
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
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Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/09/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.