LRA Education Foundation offers $60,000 in hospitality scholarships

Scholarship Fund to aid students for fourth consecutive year

The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF), through its LRAEF Scholarship Fund, is now accepting applications through May 21, 2014.

The LRAEF Scholarship Fund was created in 2009 to provide an opportunity to further educate ProStart^® students, culinary/hospitality students, industry employees and educators.  By providing financial support via scholarship funds, recipients are encouraged to select the culinary and/or hospitality fields as a career choice, or to further their career in the industry. With this year’s awards included, the LRAEF Scholarship Fund has gifted $200,000 to eligible students since its inception.

Applicants must be currently enrolled in or accepted to a degree-seeking program related to the hospitality or culinary industries. Scholarship awards may vary based on available funds and are merit-based.  Applicants who have completed ProStart will be eligible for the LRAEF-National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) Co-Branded Scholarship. All others will be eligible for the LRAEF General Hospitality Scholarship. 

At the 2013 LRAEF Five Star Futures Gala, 24 students
received scholarships totaling $50,000 to pursue or continue
their culinary and/or hospitality education. 

The top applicant will receive the Jim Funk Scholarship Award. The LRAEF’s most prestigious award, the scholarship is named for former LRA President & CEO Jim Funk, who retired in 2010 after 30 years of service. Funk is a LRAEF co-founder and culinary education champion.

DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED: Available for download here, the application must be completed and postmarked by Wednesday, May 21, 2014.

“The LRAEF is proud to offer monetary assistance to students both beginning and furthering their education in the culinary and hospitality fields,” said LRAEF Executive Director Alice Glenn. “Louisiana is on pace to add a minimum of 17,000 new industry positions over the next 10 years. Our goal is to support young people by providing merit-based financial assistance as they prepare for the many lucrative restaurant careers in Louisiana.”

The LRAEF, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, exists to enhance the restaurant community through expanded educational and career opportunities, the formation of strategic partnerships and the elevation of professional standards and practices. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Alice Glenn, aglenn@lra.org or (504) 454-2277, ext. 565.

The LRAEF is grateful to its 2014 annual partners: 5 Diamond—Acme Oyster House, Auto-Chlor Services, Louisiana Hospitality Foundation and Louisiana Seafood; 4 Diamond—Performance Foodservice-Caro; 3 Diamond—Atmos Energy, Drago’s Seafood Restaurant, Louisiana Culinary Institute, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers; 2 Diamond—Louisiana Gas Association, Whole Foods Market and Chef Paul Prudhomme’s “Sea of Hope”; and 1 Diamond—Entergy.