High school culinary programs can now apply for $5,000 grants through the 2026 Rachael Ray ProStart Grow Grants™, a joint initiative from The Rachael Ray Foundation and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). Applications opened Aug. 18 and close Sept. 24, with award announcements expected in late October.
Eligible uses include commercial kitchen equipment, classroom enhancements, student certifications, and curriculum resources — making the grants directly relevant to foodservice equipment dealers and manufacturers who supply or donate to vocational culinary programs. Both existing ProStart schools looking to expand their programs and schools seeking to launch a new ProStart program qualify to apply.
Program Track Record
Since 2019, the ProStart Grow Grant program has distributed more than $1 million across 153 school grants nationwide. That scale makes the program a meaningful channel for introducing the next generation of culinary professionals to commercial-grade equipment — the same cooking, refrigeration, and prep tools they will specify and operate in professional kitchens. The ProStart curriculum requires more than 400 hours of practical work experience and leads to industry-recognized certifications and access to apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities.
"ProStart educators are inspiring the next generation of restaurant and hospitality professionals by connecting classroom instruction with hands-on industry experiences," said Michelle Korsmo, CEO of the NRAEF. "The Rachael Ray Foundation ProStart Grow Grants help educators expand those experiences and equip students with the skills, confidence, and industry exposure needed to explore rewarding careers in the nation's second largest private employer."
What It Means for the Equipment Trade
For equipment dealers and manufacturer reps, ProStart classrooms represent both a pipeline investment and a specification opportunity. Schools building out or upgrading culinary labs frequently turn to local dealers and manufacturer rep groups to source commercial-grade ranges, combi ovens, refrigeration, and smallwares at educational pricing. Grant-funded purchases also introduce future operators and buyers — the eventual foodservice managers and chefs who will drive equipment decisions — to specific brands and platforms early in their careers.
The broader foodservice industry context reinforces the stakes: the restaurant sector is the nation's second-largest employer, offering more than 2,000 career pathways across 70-plus vocations. Strengthening the vocational pipeline that feeds that workforce aligns directly with ongoing energy-and-sustainability and kitchen design investment in institutional and commercial settings, and mirrors the growing operator focus on prep-and-storage equipment specification for training and commissary environments.
Educators and school administrators can apply at chooserestaurants.org/programs/scholarships-grants/rachael-ray-prostart-grow-grant.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
