Taco Bell Foundation Awards Millions in Live Más Scholarships to Young People

The Taco Bell Foundation's Live Más Scholarship has grown from a passion-focused education program into one of the larger recurring scholarship pools in fast food, with up to $14.5 million designated for 2026 recipients selected not on GPA or athletic performance but on how compellingly they can articulate what drives them.

The foundation's current program materials describe the eligibility window as ages 16 to 26, and the application itself asks for either a short video (30 seconds to two minutes) or a 250-to-500-word essay addressing three questions: what your passion is and how you're pursuing it, what impact you hope to make, and how you embody what the foundation defines as "Live Más." That definition, as written in the program's official materials, is specific: "Live Más means embracing an unconventional path to your goals, defying the norm, turning curiosity into bold action that lifts others while staying true to who you are." Applicants may attach one photo. There is no application fee.

The 2025-26 cycle closed January 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM PST. Selection runs through April 21, 2026, with award notifications expected on or about that same date.

For Taco Bell crew members and shift managers, the program is worth knowing about specifically because it has always included both employees and fans of the brand. That dual eligibility traces back at least to May 2020, when the foundation awarded $3 million in Live Más Scholarships to 622 Taco Bell team members and fans, with individual awards ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 per student. The foundation announced those awards from Irvine, Calif., on May 14, 2020, framing them as a direct response to the educational disruptions caused by COVID-19.

That same announcement included $8 million in grants to more than 350 youth-serving nonprofits across the country, bringing the total COVID-19 support package to $11 million. The named grant recipients included Boys and Girls Clubs, Junior Achievement, College Advising Corps, and City Year. The foundation also disclosed it had separately donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry, and that Taco Bell's in-restaurant Round Up program had raised nearly $4 million for that same organization as of that date.

The scholarship program has been running in some form since 1992. According to a third-party scholarship directory, the foundation has distributed more than $110 million in scholarships and grants to youth-serving nonprofits focused on education and career readiness since its founding, though the foundation's own public materials should be consulted to confirm that cumulative figure.

What sets the Live Más Scholarship apart structurally is its deliberate departure from conventional scholarship criteria. As the program stated in its 2020 announcement: "Unlike other scholarships, the winners aren't chosen based on academic merit or athletic ability." The program's official description now frames the award as broader than financial aid: "scholars gain access to mentorship, career-building resources, and a community that helps them turn ambition into lifelong opportunity."

Applicants for the next cycle can apply at TacoBellFoundation.org when the window opens. Those who encounter technical issues with the application can reach the scholarship management company at tacobell@mykaleidoscope.com.