National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Secures $5.1M Grant to Boost Training and Career Opportunities for Justice-Involved Youth in Six States

Funds will support community violence prevention and building jobs through the Foundation's HOPES program

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) will expand its restaurant and hospitality focused training, mentorship, and job placement outreach to young adults with justice involvement across six states thanks to a $5.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Growth Opportunities program. Funds will strengthen the Foundation's work with justice, agency, and community-based partners through expansion of its Hospitality Opportunities for People (Re)Entering Society (HOPES) program, to equip more than 425 young adults with industry-focused training to take on career-building jobs.

The Foundation will utilize the grant funding to engage justice involved young adults  between the ages of 18 and 24 within communities in Anchorage, Alaska.; Denver, Colo.; Bridgeport, Conn.; Dover, Del.; Georgetown, Del.; Wilmington, Del.; Flint, Mich.; and Pittsburgh, Pa. Implemented through support from the charitable foundations of the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailers Association; Colorado Restaurant Association; Connecticut Restaurant Association; Delaware Restaurant Association; Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association; and Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, as well as local correction departments, and community-based organizations, the expansion of HOPES will provide tailored training through the Restaurant Ready curriculum. The program is also designed to prepare participants to successfully enter, or re-enter, the workplace and succeed through long-term mentorship, violence prevention education, leadership development, and paid work experiences with restaurant and hospitality-focused employers.  

"HOPES is part of our work to help people from all backgrounds and experiences, including young people with justice involvement, see their possibilities in an industry career," said Foundation president Rob Gifford. "We are grateful for the opportunity to increase our investment in these young people and build greater opportunity for them to build a future in our industry."

Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, the Growth Opportunities program focuses on helping young people living amid poverty and violence in their communities by supporting local programs that improve participants' conflict resolution skills and self-perception while investing in the education, employment, and other stabilizing services needed to achieve long term goals.

HOPES facilitates work-readiness and restaurant industry-specific training and employment for people of all ages who have current or previous involvement in the justice system. To-date, over 1,200 people have completed the program, with more than 85 percent receiving occupation skills training and over 60 percent earning industry-recognized training. Participants have a placement rate of over 60 percent, with most placed in restaurant and foodservice-focused roles. Of those placed, over half were still employed at six months, while over one-third of participants maintained employment beyond the first year.

Along with the Restaurant Ready work-readiness program and Department of Labor-supported hospitality registered apprenticeship programs, HOPES is part of the NRAEF's core workforce development programming aimed at providing job training and career advancement opportunities in the industry.

Learn more about HOPES at ChooseRestaurants.org/HOPES.

About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF):  
As the supporting philanthropic foundation of The National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF's charitable mission includes enhancing the industry's training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – registered apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org. 

SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation