PLATINUM2025

Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation

Feeding Dreams, Building Futures

aka Texas Restaurant Foundation   |   Austin, TX   |  https://bit.ly/TexasRestaurantFoundation

Mission

The Texas Restaurant Foundation was established by the Texas Restaurant Association in 1994 as a 501c3 non-profit organization, to focus on providing the necessary resources to help restaurateurs confront educational and labor challenges with the latest innovations in education, technology, and training. The Foundation’s mission is to offer educational opportunities for restaurant careers in Texas.

Ruling year info

2019

Principal Officer

EMILY WILLIAMS KNIGHT

Main address

512 E Riverside Dr Ste 250

Austin, TX 78704-1300 USA

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Formerly known as

Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation

EIN

74-2732907

NTEE code info

Public, Society Benefit - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (W99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Across Texas, restaurants are struggling with a severe workforce shortage that threatens one of our state’s largest industries. At the same time, thousands of young people and vulnerable populations—like foster youth, justice-involved individuals, and students without access to career education—face barriers to stable, rewarding careers. Misconceptions and stigma around foodservice work mean that many never see the restaurant industry as a first-choice pathway, despite its proven ability to provide upward mobility, entrepreneurship, and community impact. The Texas Restaurant Foundation bridges this gap by equipping Texans with training, certifications, and mentorship that turn entry-level opportunities into lifelong careers. We connect talent with employers, reduce barriers for underrepresented groups, and show the next generation that hospitality is not just a job—it’s a future.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Pathways

athways - Foster Youth Program: An initiative by the Texas Restaurant Foundation dedicated to guiding foster youth into meaningful employment within the restaurant industry. Our Program: Empowerment: Equips participants with the tools and knowledge to excel in the workforce. Unlocking Potential: Focused on discovering and nurturing the untapped potential within each participant through comprehensive training and support.

Population(s) Served
Offenders
Incarcerated people

Second Chances ©, is a transformative initiative led by the Texas Restaurant Foundation. Our mission is to provide comprehensive training and unwavering support to justice-involved individuals seeking to rebuild their lives through a career in the vibrant Texas restaurant and hospitality industry. Recognizing the immense potential within everyone, we strive to empower them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and certifications to succeed upon their reentry. In addition to equipping participants with the skills needed for successful reentry into the workforce, the Second Chances © Program engages with employers to foster a supportive environment for these individuals. Through employer training sessions and ongoing support, we empower employers to be pillars of support for their employees, providing resources and guidance when obstacles are encountered. By forging these partnerships, we aim to not only reduce recidivism rates but also create a more inclusive and supportive community.

Population(s) Served

Texas ProStart is a Texas Education Agency approved curriculum for culinary arts and restaurant management. Texas ProStart is an introduction to careers in the restaurant industry.

Population(s) Served
Non-adult children
Students

Where we work

  • Texas (United States)

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of students enrolled

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Texas ProStart

Type of Metric

Other - describing something else

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The Texas Prostart program is being taught in over 250 high schools with 27,000 students learning culinary arts and restaurant management.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Foundation’s primary goals and objectives are to promote public awareness of careers in the foodservice industry, enhance educational opportunities by providing professional development training for new and existing personnel, and to provide industry based education to culinary educators in an effort to reach new standards in high school foodservice education. It is the mission of the Texas Restaurant Foundation to provide educational opportunities for restaurant careers in Texas.

The Texas Restaurant Foundation (TRF) aims to enhance workforce development in the restaurant industry through multiple programs. These include ProStart-a high school culinary arts curriculum, Second Chances-a training programs for justice-involved individuals, Pathways-a Foster Youth Program- will serve foster youth across Texas, and the Texas Restaurant Relief Fund for disaster-affected restaurants.

To support these initiatives, TRF needs to expand its donor base beyond the board of directors and engage restaurant owners, employees, and other stakeholders across Texas.

The Texas ProStart program has expanded to over 250 high schools educating 27,000 culinary arts students.
We recently launched Second Chances, transformative program by the Texas Restaurant Foundation dedicated to supporting justice-involved individuals.
Pathways-a foster youth program will launch in 2025.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • 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,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    Legalities

Financials

Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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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

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation

Board of directors
as of 9/19/2025
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Alicia Voltmer DIRECTOR-WORKFORCE DEVEL. CHAIR

April Zamora DIRECTOR

Ashlee Chance DIRECTOR

Ashley Rosenfeld IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR

Brier Hanson DIRECTOR-TDCJ INITIATIVE CHAIR

Casey Covington DIRECTOR

Chris Aslam DIRECTOR

Chris Berry DIRECTOR

Chris Snyder DIRECTOR

Dan Garrison DIRECTOR

David Cole VICE CHAIR

Edgar Guevara DIRECTOR

Elizabeth Fauerso DIRECTOR

Ellis Winstanley DIRECTOR

Emily Durham DIRECTOR-LONE STAR BASH CO-CHAIR

Emily Williams Knight PRESIDENT & CEO

Erik Dickison DIRECTOR

Fernando Perez DIRECTOR

Harlan Scott DIRECTOR

John Grube DIRECTOR

Kirk Greenwood DIRECTOR-POPULATION DEVEL. CHAIR

Lorena Legaretta DIRECTOR

Louis Rainey DIRECTOR

Lupita Corbeil DIRECTOR

Marcus McMellon DIRECTOR-K12/PROSTART CHAIR

Melissa Doolin-Kohne TREASURER

Rose Broussard DIRECTOR

Russell Woodward CHAIRMAN

Skeeter Miller DIRECTOR

Tom Foley DIRECTOR

Tony Birsinger DIRECTOR-GOVERNANCE CHAIR

Vanessa Miller DIRECTOR-FOSTER CARE INIT. CHAIR

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability