YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – YBI announced Tuesday that it is a recipient of a 2026 Community Grant from the Taco Bell Foundation.
The $35,517 award marks the third consecutive year YBI’s Explore VR program has received a Community Grant from the foundation.
This year’s award will support career exploration and awareness in the Youngstown area through Explore VR’s immersive, VR-based lesson plans, a news release states.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Taco Bell Foundation and its local franchise partners for supporting YBI’s Explore VR youth program,” said Rochelle Landy, director of Explore VR at YBI. “This grant will help us reach even more students, introduce them to career paths they may never have considered and inspire them to see what is possible for their future. We’re thankful for the opportunity to create experiences that can make a lasting difference in the lives of young people in our community.”
The Taco Bell Foundation awarded a record $32 million in Community Grants this year to 700 nonprofit organizations nationwide, a 40% increase in nonprofit partners from last year. The Community Grants program is fueled in part by customers who round up their Taco Bell order totals, and it creates opportunities for young people through education, career readiness, mentorship and youth empowerment, the release states.
Taco Bell franchisees nominate organizations in their own communities to receive the grants, helping direct funding to nonprofits already creating opportunities for young people close to home.
“What I love most about Community Grants is how local they are,” said Morgan Tabor, executive director of the Taco Bell Foundation.