The Burger King Foundation is a U.S. based 501(c)(3) public nonprofit that believes without education you limit your potential to be your own way. Inspired by Burger King Restaurants co-founder, Jim McLamore, it's our mission to create brighter futures by empowering individuals and feeding potential through education and emergency relief. As a global Foundation, the Burger King Foundation partners with select nonprofits focusing on scholarships, literacy, and creating sustainable learning environments.
Our story started back with our namesake Burger King Co-founder James “Jim” W. McLamore and his belief in the importance of a higher education for all. With the inspiration and intention to honor Jim, the Burger King Scholars program was created in 2000. The intention of the program was to advance the education of deserving students in North America and serve as a tribute to Jim, and it has been doing so for the last 17 years with the help of the McLamore Family, Burger King guests, franchisees, system vendors and supporters that believe in the mission of the program, and the Foundation.
To provide a helping hand in times of need, Burger King Corporation established the BK℠ Family Fund for its employees in 2004. As they both served to build brighter futures, the programs came together under the creation of what is now known as the Burger King Foundation—a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization—in 2005.
In 2011, the McLamore Family Foundation added a new category to the Burger King Scholars program to help make a greater impact. The James W. McLamore WHOPPER® Scholarship Award was created, allowing the Foundation to grant three $50,000 awards to deserving students each year.
Our first global partnership came to fruition when we joined efforts with Room to Read in 2012. The partnership has brought literary environments to children across Africa and Southeast Asia, impacting the lives of nearly 150,000 students to date, with more to come in the future. Following this, the Foundation focuses their impact in the Latin America and Caribbean region by bringing literacy and skills training to residents in disadvantaged areas, with our first center built in the Dominican Republic in 2016.
Burger King Foundation President
Chairman & CEO, Quality Dining, Inc., Burger King Foundation Co-Chairman
President, BURGER KING® Brand, North America, Burger King Foundation Co-Chairman
Director of Marketing, Restaurant Brands Iberia
President, Rackson Restaurant Corp.
CEO, BK® Dominican Republic
Partner, The Phoenix Organization
President, BURGER KING® Brand, APAC
CEO, BURGER KING® India
President, BURGER KING® Brand, LAC
CEO, St. Juste Management Corp.
Chief Legal Officer, Restaurant Services, Inc
President, BURGER KING® Brand, EMEA
President, Glencoe Management
Executive Director
Fundraising Development & Marketing
Finance & Accounting
Fundraising Development
Fundraising Development
Events & Sponsorships
Global Programming
Finance
Each year, through the Foundation’s Burger King Scholars program, we award thousands of scholarships to eligible high school seniors and Burger King employees, their spouses and children. This year alone, we awarded over $4.6 million in scholarship grants to almost 4,000 students in North America.
Since 2012 with Room to Read, we’ve impacted the lives of more than 100,000 children. How did we do this? By establishing over 200 libraries, schools and literacy programs, as well as publishing five children’s books for students in South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, our focus is on bring literacy and skills training to students and families in disadvantaged areas. Our efforts are a step towards creating more literate communities in Latin America.
