Each year, the Taco Bell Foundation awards millions of dollars in the form of community grants. These grants are distributed among youth-serving organizations in areas where Taco Bell does business. Specifically, funds are dedicated to expanding youth access to academic mentorship, career exploration, financial literacy and more.
“We believe that empowering young people is one of the most meaningful ways we can invest in the future.– Lisa Lane Cardin, Executive Director of the Taco Bell Foundation”
Border’s Big Impact
This was a record-breaking year for the Taco Bell Foundation, and we were excited to be part of it. Border Foods awarded over $3 million of the $28 million total raised!
These funds were made possible thanks to the generous contributions of guests, Taco Bell team members and franchisee owners. But just how does it all come together?
A Little at a Time
We spoke with a couple of Border team members to learn more about the fundraising process. They shared that “rounding up” — the practice of asking guests when checking out if they’d like to round up their total to the next dollar (with the extra funds going straight to the Taco Bell Foundation) — is responsible for a huge portion of the money that’s raised each year.
Aaron Engler, our CEO & President, explained that we’ll see the impact of the funds that were raised right here in our communities. Rather than going to one centralized location, the money that each Taco Bell franchisee generates goes to local organizations of their choosing in the areas that surround their restaurants.
“Giving back to the communities we operate in has always been important to us.” –Mollie Sommer, Community Engagement Specialist
Uplifting Youth
We spoke with Max Thao, Program Director at the Boys & Girls Clubs East Side, which is one of the many local organizations that will benefit from a Taco Bell Foundation community grant. He shared that that the money they receive will be dedicated to improving the organization’s college and career readiness programming, helping prepare participants for the real world outside of high school and beyond.
In addition to local Boys & Girls Clubs, we were thrilled to present checks to a number of nearby Junior Achievement organizations, the YMCA of Rapid City, SD and more.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this generosity possible!
Please note: In order to make a larger impact in some markets, Border’s giving was combined with funds raised by fellow franchisee owners in surrounding areas.
