The Rachael Ray Foundation's Prostart Grow Grant™

ProStart high schools across the country can win a $5,000 grant to make a difference for their educators, students and community, thanks to The Rachael Ray Foundation (RRF).

Through The Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grants, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) will provide grants for ProStart schools or schools with culinary arts programs, demonstrating a strong need to build up or enhance programming.

ProStart, a two-year technical education program focused on culinary arts and restaurant management, is offered at nearly 1,850 schools across the country and enrolls nearly 165,000 students who are closely connected to industry experts through guest speakers, class mentors, tours of local facilities, student competitions, and more – all to ensure real-world experience is brought directly to the classroom. ProStart students finish the program ready to join the workforce and make an immediate impact in restaurants and foodservice.

Funding from RRF will provide schools the opportunity to upgrade or purchase new resources, build up their classrooms in preparation for return to school, and support teachers with whatever they need to help their students learn career-building skills.

The NRAEF will facilitate the grant process by accepting applications from all current or onboarding/incoming ProStart schools for the 2024-2025 academic year. Each school will submit a complete application and, if selected, will be required to sign an agreement about joining ProStart for the next school year or return the funds.

Application and Timeline

Applicants will need a valid email address (accessible year-round) to create a profile on our portal to access the application. The application includes a complete profile and four application sections with one student essay and two educator essays.

  • Applications open Monday, March 25, 2024
  • Applications close Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 11:59pm PT

View ProStart Grow Grant FAQs

For more information, please contact ProStart@nraef.org

About ProStart

ProStart is a career and technical education program teaching culinary arts and restaurant management fundamentals in nearly 1,800 high schools across the country. During the two-year curriculum, ProStart showcases the breadth of opportunities the industry has to offer and leverages it as a lens to learn crucial skillsets including marketing, math, public speaking, teamwork, and time management. Students complete ProStart prepared for either college or a career. ProStart is offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense bases around the world. ProStart is run by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

About The Rachael Ray Foundation

The Rachael Ray Foundation™ (RRF) is a private foundation that is fully funded by the proceeds from the sale of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®. RRF was launched by Rachael in 2016 to better support the causes she cares for most such as helping animals in need. Additionally, RRF works with organizations that support the mission of Yum-o!, Rachael’s 501c3, in order to bolster and amplify their efforts through additional funding. Yum-o! empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. It also teaches families to cook, feeds hungry kids, and funds cooking education, among other initiatives.