Over $450,000 in Educational Scholarships and Professional Grants Available
New York, NY (March 25, 2014) – Beginning April 1, the James Beard Foundation, the world’s foremost culinary nonprofit organization, will begin accepting applications for its 2014 scholarship program, with over $450,000 in scholarships and grants available. Established in 1991, the James Beard Foundation Scholarship Program assists aspiring and established culinary professionals who plan to further their education at a licensed or accredited culinary school or hospitality institution.
“Our Foundation is proud to nurture and educate the next generation of great chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and beverage experts through our prestigious scholarship program,” said Diane Harris Brown, director of educational and community programming for the James Beard Foundation. “As of this year, we will have awarded over $5 million in financial aid to 1,670 admirable recipients.”
The host of new scholarship and grant offerings for 2014 include:
- Spencer’s Restaurant at the Mountain: the four-star American restaurant in Palm Springs, California is offering an unrestricted scholarship to a deserving student selected by the JBF Scholarship Selection Committee.
- Andrew Zimmern’s “Second Chances” Scholarship: sponsored by Eyebobs, will offer a student faced with extreme challenges, a “second chance,” to overcome these hardships.
- Green Door Gourmet Scholarship: sponsored by Sylvia Harrelson Ganier, will reward a student with an interest in sustainable farming and learning creative cooking using fresh, nutritious foods.
- Miljenko “Mike” Grgich’s American Dream Scholarship: sponsored by Grgich Hills Estate offers a professional wine studies program.
- Union Center National Bank Scholarship: will be presented to an individual from the state of New Jersey who possesses an entrepreneurial spirit and aspiration for excellence.
Additionally, JBF School Scholarships will include a $16,000 tuition waiver scholarship from the new Colorado Culinary Academy in Denver, and two scholarships of $15,000 each in Culinary Arts or Hospitality Management from Drexel University in Philadelphia.
The James Beard Foundation also offers work study grants for current working culinary professionals to expand their culinary experiences. As in previous years, the Jean-Louis Palladin Professional Work/Study Grant, in memory of one of the great culinary geniuses of the 20th century, will be offered, enabling a qualified professional to work with food producers at their source and to study varied specialized skills. Also granted again this year will be the Rhone Rangers Professional Study/Travel Grant for working chefs or sommeliers who wish to learn about American Rhône-varietal wines.
The James Beard Foundation Scholarship Program is administered by the Scholarship Management Services division of Scholarship America, a nonprofit organization that has helped award scholarships to over one million students. Applications for scholarships are received and evaluated by Scholarship America. The applications of the finalists are then submitted to the James Beard Foundation’s Scholarship Selection Committee for final review.
Application forms will be available at . The submission period begins on April 1, 2014. All scholarship application materials, including transcript, must be postmarked by May 15, 2014. Professional grant applications must be postmarked by June 15, 2014. Scholarship winners will be notified in August 2014.
About the James Beard Foundation:
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation’s mission is to celebrate, nurture, and honor America’s diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful and delicious food. Today the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. In September of 2012, the Foundation launched the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Protocol and helped create the American Chef Corps as a way to champion American chefs abroad, promote American food products and foster an interest in American culinary culture and history through international programs and initiatives. For more information, please visit www.jamesbeard.org. Find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation’s blog Delights & Prejudices. Join the James Beard Foundation on Facebook. Follow the James Beard Foundation on Twitter and Instagram.
Contact: Diane Stefani or Maggie Beaudouin
Diane@rosengrouppr.com/Maggie@rosengrouppr.com
212.255.8455
Twitter: @beardfoundation
