Taco Bell Foundation Awards Record $14.5M in Live Más Scholarships to 1,500 Students
Event summary
- Taco Bell Foundation awarded $14.5 million to 1,500 students in its largest Live Más Scholarship class to date.
- Over 41,000 applications were received, nearly tripling year-over-year due to a new dual-format application process.
- 60% of scholarships were renewals, indicating long-term commitment to scholar development.
- Live Más Lab debut allowed six applicants to pitch business solutions to Taco Bell executives, each receiving $25,000.
- Community Grants program awarded $28 million in 2025, with plans for another record-breaking investment in 2026.
The big picture
Taco Bell Foundation's record-breaking scholarship awards reflect a strategic shift towards passion-driven education funding, aligning with broader industry trends of corporate social responsibility and youth empowerment. The foundation's ability to scale its impact while maintaining meaningful engagement with scholars will be critical as it approaches its third decade of operation.
What we're watching
- Program Scalability
- Whether the explosive growth in applications can be sustained without diluting the scholarship's impact.
- Corporate Engagement
- How Taco Bell's integration of scholars into business challenges through Live Más Lab will evolve.
- Funding Momentum
- The pace at which the Round Up program and other funding sources can support future record-breaking investments.