Colorado Restaurant Foundation Scholarships

Note: Scholarship applications are closed for the 2022-2023 school year. We will reopen submissions in early 2023 for the 2023-2024 school year.


If you are interested in a rewarding career in the restaurant and foodservice industry, we offer a variety of merit-based scholarships for students considering enrolling in post-secondary culinary and hospitality programs.

The Colorado Restaurant Foundation, in partnership with Foundation Scholarship Donors, awards scholarships to qualified students in foodservice/hospitality management programs. Applicants must have demonstrated strong interest in the foodservice/hospitality industry as evidenced through documentable work experience in the industry.

Applications for Undergraduate and Colorado ProStart® Scholarships Are Now Open! As a reminder, these scholarships are for students enrolling in foodservice- and hospitality-related programs at accredited post-secondary institutions and programs here in the state of Colorado. The deadline is April 15, 2022, and scholarship recipients will be announced in May.

Undergraduate Eligibility Criteria

Available scholarships:

• Weil Family Foundation Scholarship - $10,000
• Kevin McNicholas Foundation Scholarship - $5,000
• Kevin McNicholas Foundation Scholarship - $5,000
• Kae DeBrent Hodges, Chris Weil, and FOODMatch Scholarship - $3,500
• Mile High Chapter Scholarship - $3,000
• Fred M. Laurita Scholarship - $2,500
• Fred M. Laurita Scholarship - $2,500
• PepsiCo Scholarship - $2,500
• Swire Coca-Cola - $2,500

Note: Submit one application to apply for all available scholarships. Any applications which do not meet the following criteria or are not legible will be automatically disqualified.

• You must be a US citizen or a permanent resident.
• You must plan to use the scholarship in a foodservice- or hospitality-related program at an accredited post-secondary institution or program in the state of Colorado.
• You must be enrolled or plan to enroll as a full-time or substantial part-time student taking a minimum of 9 credit hours each term.
• You must plan to be enrolled for at least two upcoming consecutive semesters.
• You must have at least six months of industry related work experience.

Colorado ProStart® Eligibility Criteria

COProStart students are eligible for the following scholarships:

• Kevin McNicholas Foundation Scholarship - $5,000
• Kevin McNicholas Foundation Scholarship - $5,000
• Mile High Chapter Scholarship - $3,000
• Fred M. Laurita Scholarship - $2,500
• Fred M. Laurita Scholarship - $2,500
• Kae DeBrent Hodges, Chris Weil, and FOODMatch Scholarship - $3,500
• PepsiCo Scholarship - $2,500
• Swire Coca-Cola - $2,500

Note:  Submit one application to apply for all available scholarships. Any applications that do not meet the following criteria or are not legible will be automatically disqualified.

• You must be a senior enrolled in the Colorado ProStart^® program at your high school or in your school district.
• You must be accepted into an approved post-secondary program, starting in the Fall 2022 term.
• You must have some documented industry-related work experience.

Scholarship Contributions

Since its inception in 1987, the CRF has awarded more than $750,000 in scholarships. Thank you to all of our generous contributors for supporting the future of the foodservice and hospitality industry.