The Taco Bell Foundation wants to help send you to college by offering more than $21 million in college scholarships by 2021. What might be the best part? Taco Bell doesn’t care about your SAT scores, nor your GPA. Applying is simple – students must submit a two-minute video describing their passion.
Earning a college degree provides a major advantage in the workforce. According to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, 65 percent of all jobs in the American economy will require education beyond high school by 2020.
Many Americans struggle to afford the expenses of college, but philanthropic efforts like Taco Bell’s are becoming more common amongst major corporations who are interested in appealing to young consumers. While vacation giveaways and celebrity endorsements were typically tried-and-true marketing techniques for brands, efforts such as Taco Bell’s emphasize changing priorities. Natural Light joined the efforts in February, announcing it would be giving away $1,000,000 to help graduates pay off student loans.
The Taco Bell Foundation begun offering the Live Más Scholarship four years ago, while the initiative was originally designed to give away just $10 million. Now, the organization has decided to double its efforts.
“We know that affordability is a major barrier to education,” said Tina Nguyen, Executive Director of the Taco Bell Foundation, in a statement, “so we hope that by doubling our funding we can double the number of doors opened for young people, and remove twice as many obstacles for innovators, creators and dreamers.”
The Live Más Scholarship offers students between the ages of 16 and 24 prizes ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. This year, the Taco Bell Foundation plans to give away over $4 million in awards, with roughly $1 million going to students who work for the fast-food chain. Students must submit their video applications by February 21, 2019 – and remember – there’s no need to add your SAT scores or grades.