LRAEF Scholars
2025 Scholars information is coming in November! Check back then.
Since its inception in 2009, the LRA Education Foundation has awarded over $750,000 through its Scholarship Fund. To further educate ProStart® students, culinary/hospitality students, industry employees, and educators, this financial support has created an annual class of LRAEF Scholars. These Scholars have chosen the culinary and/or hospitality fields as a career choice or wish to continue to work in the industry. With this financial support, Scholars have access to post- secondary education in the culinary and/or hospitality fields or special certificate programs for educators or industry professionals. The scholarships are awarded for one time financial assistance.
The LRAEF awards five types of scholarships each year. Preference is given to those students who hold the ProStart Certificate of Achievement.
- Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers Scholars: The highest awards given, these prestigious $5,000 awards are given to four qualified Louisiana students who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to pursuing a career in the restaurant, foodservice, tourism, or hospitality industry. ProStart students who completed the Certificate of Achievement will be given priority.
- Jim Funk Scholarship: (One) The LRAEF’s highly regarded award honoring the contributions of longtime LRA CEO Jim Funk who founded the LRAEF.
- LRAEF Scholars: Awarded to qualified Louisiana students who intend to pursue a career in the restaurant, foodservice, tourism, or hospitality industry.
- Louisiana Seafood Scholarship: Established through a generous gift from the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board, this $5,000 scholarship is awarded to a qualified applicant who expresses an interest in cultivating, protecting, and promoting Louisiana seafood.
- Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management Scholarship: A partnership between the LRAEF and the Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration at the University of New Orleans (UNO), this up to $ 5,000 award is given to incoming and continuing students pursuing a Master of Science degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at UNO
2024 LRAEF Scholars
The LRAEF Board of Directors, through its Scholarship Fund, awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 17 students during the March 6 event, Serving the Future - Celebrating Careers in Hospitality presented by Ecolab.
This year marks the introduction of the Raising Cane's Scholarships, valued at $5,000 each. The 2024 Raising Cane's Scholars are:
Aronicia Hudson, University of New Orleans
Rachel Cannata, Cornell University
Alayna Moore, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Kaleb Johnson, The Culinary Institute of America