2025-2026 HTM Opportunities
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation (FRLAEF) offers events, activities, monetary support as well as teacher and student support for your Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) program.
The FRLAEF believes participation in these activities can lead to a richer learning environment for you and your students. Events and opportunities are listed throughout the August NewsBites below.
HTM/Foodsafety Curriculum & Fall Survey
The FRLAEF will distribute free HTM and ServSafe curriculum to Florida HTM schools during the 2025-2026 school year. In order to receive free HTM and Foodsafety curriculum, teachers should complete the Fall HTM Survey. Once you have completed the survey, we will send you a link to request up to $3,000 of free HTM curriculum and $500 free ServSafe materials!
TAKE THE FALL SURVEY NOW!
Deadline to complete survey is September 19, 2025.
Mini Grants
The FRLAEF is offering $125,000 in Mini Grant funding to HTM and ProStart schools this year. To assist in your planning, this averages to about $1000 per school.
There are two prerequisites for grant funding: 1) you must currently teach the HTM curriculum, and 2) you must complete the HTM Fall Survey.
The FRLAEF Board of Directors prefers to fund items that will make your classroom self-sustaining or equipment that will be used frequently throughout the year. The board WILL NOT APPROVE electronics to include printers, computers, iPads, and digital cameras. They also do not typically approve field trips, curriculum (to include ServSafe and SafeStaff) and transportation. Please include a good explanation of how the item will be used in the classroom as this is your justification for the purchase. If you are new to Mini Grants, please let us know what questions you have!
The application deadline is Friday, September 19, 2025.
APPLY FOR A MINI GRANT NOW!
GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION: The FRLAEF Board will meet in October to determine awards.
Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show takes place November 11-13 in Orlando.
HTM INSTRUCTORS
HTM teachers may use the following complimentary code to register for the Show. Complimentary code: ANDREAVIP
Go Here and click on “Start Non-Member Registration”
HTM STUDENTS
Up to 10 HTM students may attend the Show. However, there is a $30 fee per student and the following rules apply.
- Students may register at the rate of $30 per person.
- Each group of 5 students must be accompanied by a faculty member or chaperone (21+), and the group must remain with their chaperone at all times. Any students found unaccompanied on the show floor will be escorted back to the lobby and will have their badge voided with no refund. No more than 10 students will be permitted per school.
- If maximum student allotment is reached, student registration will be closed.
- Discount codes are not valid on Student Admission registrations and students will be required to show their ID to get their name badges.
To register your students, click the link above and enter the code STU2025
EDUCATION AT THE SHOW Forty-plus hours of education is included with your Show badge! Take advantage of the free education classes once you are at the Show. The schedule has not been set, but check for updates on THIS PAGE to plan your time at the Show to full advantage.
Florida HTM Competition
The 22nd Annual HTM Competition will take place February 25-27, 2026 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando. The FRLAEF will cover some costs of the competing teams, including hotel stay and 
most meals.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 3
APPLICANTS NOTIFIED STATUS: October 10
APPLY TO COMPETE HERE!
News from UCF Rosen College
Campus Refurbishment and Campus Tour Update
Our neighborhood is changing, and so are we. With brand new hotels and restaurants popping up all around us (plus a new theme park in our backyard!), UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management is right in the middle of the action. So, not to be outdone, we’re getting a refresh of our own with new spaces and learning environments fit for the heart of hospitality.
While campus renovations are underway, we’re offering live virtual sessions where students can explore what life at Rosen College is really like. You’ll hear from current students, find out what’s happening in the hospitality industry around us, and see why we were just ranked #1 in the world for hospitality and hotel management by CEOWorld Magazine.
This session is for students interested in pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Entertainment Management, Event Management, Hospitality Management, Lodging and Restaurant Management, or Theme Park & Attraction Management. Join us online and see what’s new, what’s coming, and why now is the perfect time to be part of Rosen College — because their story starts here.
*In-person campus tours are not available during the renovations to campus.
Application Information:
Freshman applicants are encouraged to apply to UCF through the Early Action Process. Visit https://www.ucf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/freshman/ for details about the admissions criteria. The Early Action Application Deadline is October 15th. The Materials Deadline is November 15th. Early Action Decision Notification Date is December 5th.
Virtual Prospective Student Information Sessions are offered on select Wednesdays at 4 p.m. Visit https://www.ucf.edu/admissions/undergraduate/info-sessions/#live-info-session-prospective to register for an upcoming session.
HTM FaceBook Group
Join the Florida HTM FB page to share resources, ask questions, etc. CLICK HERE and then request to be added.
Hospitality Industry Internships
The Hospitality Industry Internship (HII) provides the opportunity for Florida HTM instructors to work in a 
foodservice/lodging establishment for at least 40 hours. Once the required paperwork has been processed, the participant will receive a personal check for $600.
To qualify for an HII, the instructor must teach the HTM curriculum during the 2025-2026 school year. If you are already employed at a restaurant or hotel, you MAY NOT use that site for your internship. The restaurant/hotel must be a new work experience for you, not somewhere you have worked before or used as an HII internship location.
The applicant must secure a position at a foodservice or lodging facility where a minimum of 40 hours of hands-on experience is guaranteed. The host location may pay the recipient but is not required to do so.
The FRLAEF will award 11 HII’s this school year on a first-come, first-served basis. So apply NOW! Work experience may begin once the applicant receives an award notification from the FRLAEF.
APPLY NOW!
Scholarships
The FRLAEF will award at least $65,000 in scholarships during the 2025-2026 school year. Each scholarship awarded will be in the amount of $2,000 and will be a one-time, non-
renewable scholarship.
To be eligible for this scholarship the applicant must:
- Be enrolled in a ProStart program in a Florida secondary school
- Be a graduating senior who will begin post-secondary education in 2026
- Be entering a culinary or hospitality post-secondary program
- Return a copy of their OFFICIAL high school transcript to FRLAEF by application deadline
APPLICATION TIMELINE The FRLAEF Scholarship application will become available in January NewsBites. The application deadline is April 10, 2026.
The 5th annual HTM Summer Training will take place during July of 2026. It is anticipated the training will be held in Orlando, but more details will follow as they are finalized. 
PROGRAM COST
The FRLAEF will cover the cost of all Florida HTM instructors who have purchased and are using the Hospitality & Tourism Management curriculum during the 2026-2027 school year. Attendees will be responsible for their travel and some meals.
REGISTRATION
Online registration will begin March NewsBites.