Deadline: March 14, 2024 (U.S.) / March 15, 2024 (India)
Applications are invited for the Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator 2024. Are you a young person determined to drive positive change? Whether you have an idea to impact your community for the better or have already established a social impact initiative, Taco Bell Foundation’s Ambition Accelerator aims to fuel the next generation’s bold ambitions for creating change.
Prizes
All Eligible Ambition Accelerator Innovators can benefit from:
- An opportunity to articulate their project or idea
- Invitations to virtual learning session(s) where innovators will deepen their changemaking skills, connect with like-minded young people, and receive guidance on the application process
- Ashoka staff and Taco Bell Foundation network feedback on their entries
- An opportunity to offer and receive feedback from peers
- An invitation to join the Community review process
10 Early Entry Stand-Outs
Taco Bell and Ashoka will also select 10 Early Entry Stand-Outs among these innovators who apply by February 15, 2024 to receive the following prizes:
- $500 USD each if based in the United States or U.S. Territories
- ₹20,000 Indian rupees each if based in India
At least 1 Early Entry Stand-Out will be from the US, 1 from India, and 1 Taco Bell restaurant team member
250 Prize Awardees
Based on Community Review scores, we will select 250 Seed Prize Awardees who will receive the following prizes:
- $500 USD each if based in the United States or U.S. Territories
- ₹20,000 Indian rupees each if based in India
At least 50 Seed Prize Awardees will be from the US, 50 from India and 10 Taco Bell restaurant team members
75 Summit Semi-Finalists
Taco Bell and Ashoka will select 75 innovators in total (at least 5 will be Taco Bell restaurant team members) to participate at the local Summits in their respective countries. They will receive the following additional prizes:
- 50 Summit Semi-Finalists in the US receive $1,000 USD each
- 25 Summit Semi-Finalists in India receive ₹40,000 rupees each
10 Pitch Finalists
From the group of Summit Semi-Finalists, 5 innovators from the United States and U.S. Territories and 5 innovators from India will be invited to pitch their projects to a judges panel.
Based on their presentations the following awards will be offered:
US pitches:
- 4 Ambition Accelerator Finalists receive $5,000 USD each
- 1 Ambition Accelerator Grand Prize Winner receive a prize of $25,000 USD
India pitches:
- 4 Ambition Accelerator Finalists receive ₹200,000 rupees (2 lakh) each
- 1 Ambition Accelerator Grand Prize Winner receive a prize of ₹1,000,000 rupees (10 lakh)
All pitching innovators will also receive formal recognition of their contributions to the broader movement on the Taco Bell Foundation Ambition Accelerator website and social media platforms.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be at least 16 at the time of application and not older than 26 by the end of the entry period on March 14, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET, March 15, 2024 10:29 a.m. (India).
- Applicants must be residents of the United States, U.S. Territories or India.
- Applicants can apply with a team member or as an individual.
- Limit one entry per person/team.
- Applicants based in the United States or U.S. Territories must apply in English.
- Applicants based in India must apply in English or Hindi.
- Applicants must be the founder or co-founder of the initiative their application represents.
- Ambition Accelerator 2022 semi-finalists, finalists and grand finalists are not eligible to apply. In other words, if you were invited to the Ambition Accelerator Summit in 2022, you are not eligible to re-apply. If you won a $500 seed grant but were not a finalist for the Summit, you are still eligible to apply again.
- Taco Bell Corp. Employees that work at the Taco Bell Restaurant Support Center (RSC), All Employees and their immediate family of Ashoka, Yum!, Taco Bell Foundation, Inc. Taco Bell Corp., and participating advertising and promotional agencies directly involved in planning this Program are NOT eligible to apply or receive a prize through this program.
- Taco Bell Restaurant team members ARE eligible to apply to the Ambition Accelerator (from corporate and franchise restaurants).
- If based in the US: the applicant must be available to participate in the Ambition Accelerator U.S. Summit in the Greater Orange County Area, CA, week of August 2, 2024. For those who are under 18 years old at the time of the Summit, they will be required to be accompanied by ONE adult chaperone, who cannot be a team member and must be approved by their parent or legal guardian.
- If based in India: the applicant must be available to participate in the Ambition Accelerator India Summit in Bangalore, Karnataka, week of September 9, 2024. For those who are under 18 years old at the time of the Summit, they will be required to be accompanied by ONE adult chaperone, who cannot be a team member and must be approved by their parent or legal guardian.
Evaluation Criteria
Entries will be evaluated on the following 4 criteria:
- Fueled by Community: The applicant’s idea demonstrates a deep understanding of and connection to the problem they are tackling. The applicant is informed by the people most impacted by the problem and is focused on making a difference in a community that is meaningful to them.
- Innovation: The applicant is creating something new, addressing an overlooked challenge, or bringing a unique perspective or solution to a well-known problem.
- Collaborative Leadership: The applicant has or plans to build a team and form partnerships or mobilize others to join in their initiative.
- Commitment: The applicant has concrete plans to grow their idea or venture, including how to access expertise, resources, and more. They demonstrate a commitment to stick with their project with actionable steps.
Application
For more information, visit Ambition Accelerator.
