ProStart JumpStart

Industry Showcase Grant

ProStart JumpStart logoInterested in taking eight ProStart® students to the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show for a four-day immersive experience? Applications for the 2026 JumpStart Grant are now open  through November 12, 2025.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s JumpStart program provides a grant to one ProStart school to take up to eight students and two chaperones to the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago for a four-day immersive industry experience. The JumpStart grant covers travel, accommodations, participation fees, and up to $5,000 for additional expenses. During the 2026 Show, May 15-18, 2026, participating ProStart students will explore the vast show’s exhibits, meet with industry experts, and JumpStart their career journeys.

Launched in 2025, the JumpStart grant is open only to current ProStart program schools. Students must be current ProStart students and 16 years of age or older at the time of the event. The winning school will have demonstrated how this opportunity will have a positive impact on their ProStart students and how it will help launch and support their careers in the industry

Champion Future Talent: Support JumpStart Grants

Whether through financial support or an industry activation, there are many ways to help bring the ProStart JumpStart experience to life. Your partnership makes it possible for students to have formative opportunities to build meaningful careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

To learn more about donating to the JumpStart Grant, please contact us at: partnerships@nraef.org

Meet the 2025 JumpStart Grant Winners

W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center
Lafayette, Louisianna
ProStart Educator: Kandice Dequeant

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