From Bake Sales to Nacho Nights: 22 Food Fundraising Ideas for Your School

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Need school fundraising ideas that people actually show up for? 🍕🎉 Check out these fun food fundraisers—perfect for PTA moms, school volunteers, and anyone feeding a crowd for a cause! #SchoolFundraiser #FoodFundraising #PTAideas #EasyFundraisers #BakeSale #SpaghettiDinner #SchoolLife

If there’s one thing that brings a school community together (besides a lost-and-found table overflowing with water bottles), it’s food! Whether you’re trying to raise money for new playground equipment, the 5th grade graduation party, or a field trip fund, food fundraisers are always a hit.

The best part? These kinds of fundraisers can be simple to pull off and really fun for the kids and families involved. I’ve rounded up some tasty food fundraising ideas that work well for different age groups—from adorable kinder cuties to high schoolers with bottomless appetites. Whether you’re a seasoned PTA superstar or just said “sure, I can help” during carline and now you’re planning a whole event (we’ve all been there!), this list has you covered.

Let’s dig in! 🍽️

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1. Bake Sale 🍪

The gold standard of school fundraisers.

Bake sales are simple, affordable, and they always draw a crowd—especially if you set up during pickup, at a school concert, or sports event. Families donate baked goods (homemade or store-bought depending on your school’s allergy policy), and volunteers help organize, price, and sell the treats.

Best for: Elementary & Middle School
It’s a great first fundraiser for younger students to get involved with—helping bake, decorating signs, or even manning the table with adult supervision.

🧁 Psst… if you’re planning one soon, I’ve got a full bake sale guide with best sellers, setup tips, and pricing tricks.

2. Spaghetti Dinner 🍝

Comfort food + community = a full belly and a fuller fundraiser jar.

A spaghetti dinner is a fun, sit-down event that brings the whole school community together. You can host it in the cafeteria, gym, or a local community center. Offer individual or family pricing, and keep it simple with pasta, sauce, salad, bread, and a dessert table. Want to boost your profits? Add a raffle, silent auction, or even student entertainment.

Best for: Elementary, Middle & High School
Older students can help serve or perform (think jazz band or choir), and younger ones love the novelty of “eating dinner at school.”

🍽️ I’ve got a full spaghetti dinner fundraiser guide if you want to make this one easy-peasy (lemon squeezy).

3. Ice Cream Social 🍨

The coolest fundraiser on the block.

An ice cream social is a laid-back way to celebrate the end of the school year or welcome families back after summer break. Set up a build-your-own sundae bar with different flavors, sauces, and toppings. Offer dairy-free or allergy-friendly options if needed, and keep things casual with outdoor seating or picnic blankets on the lawn.

Best for: Kinder & Elementary
Perfect for little ones, especially if you keep the serving lines short and the topping options extra colorful.

🍦 Want to make yours extra sweet? My Ice Cream Social Fundraiser guide has all the scoop on supplies, setup, and how to keep the meltdowns (ice cream and kid-related) to a minimum.

4. Chili Cook-Off 🌶

It’s a little spicy, a little competitive, and a whole lot of fun.

A chili cook-off is a community favorite—invite families, teachers, and even local businesses to enter their best chili recipe. Guests pay an entry fee to sample and vote for their favorites. You can offer prizes for things like “Hottest Chili,” “Most Creative,” and “Best Overall.” Add cornbread, drinks, or a bake sale table on the side to boost those dollars.

Best for: Elementary, Middle & High School
Older students can help with setup, signage, and even be the judges (if they’re brave enough to handle the heat!). Younger students love being taste testers alongside their families.

🔥 Pro tip: Give guests voting tokens or printed ballots—makes the event feel even more official and interactive!

5. Pancake Breakfast 🥞

Because people will always show up for pancakes—especially when they don’t have to make them.

Host your pancake breakfast on a Saturday morning in the school cafeteria or a local community hall. Keep the menu simple with pancakes, syrup, fruit, sausage or bacon, juice, and coffee. Charge per plate or offer family bundles. Bonus points if the principal flips pancakes or the 5th graders serve!

Best for: Elementary
This one’s especially fun for younger grades, and it’s a great way to get dads, grandparents, and other extended family involved too.

🥞 Want to make it even cuter? Set up a “pancake toppings bar” with chocolate chips, whipped cream, sprinkles, or fruit compote for an extra charge.

6. Food Truck Night 🚚

Let the food come to you—no cooking or cleanup required!

Invite a few local food trucks to set up in your school parking lot or nearby park. You can either collect a portion of their sales (most are happy to support schools!) or charge them a flat vendor fee. Combine it with a movie night, craft fair, or school showcase to bring in more families and increase foot traffic.

Best for: Middle & High School
Tweens and teens love the variety and cool factor of food trucks, and it gives them a way to hang out with friends outside of school hours.

🎶 Add music, lawn games, or student performances to make it a full-blown Friday night event.

7. Soup & Bread Night 🍲

A cozy crowd-pleaser that warms hearts and fills bowls.

This one’s ideal for fall or winter! Families donate crockpots of soup and loaves of bread (or rolls), and you set up a simple serve-yourself buffet. Charge per bowl or offer an “all you can taste” wristband. Add a dessert table or cocoa station for extra sales.

Best for: Elementary
Younger kids love coming in PJs for a cozy dinner at school, and this low-key setup makes it easy for volunteers to pull together. It’s also a great chance to involve the school staff—maybe someone’s famous for their broccoli cheddar?

🍞 Add table numbers and a little menu card for each soup so guests know what they’re trying—bonus if it was made by someone they know!

8. International Potluck 🌍

Bring your community together one dish at a time.

Ask families to bring a dish from their heritage, and turn it into a beautiful night of sharing culture through food. Charge admission, or suggest a donation at the door. Decorate with student artwork, set up music from around the world, or let students create little “recipe cards” to display with each dish.

Best for: Kinder through High School
This is such a lovely way for kids to feel proud of their roots—and for families to learn about one another. Younger kids get wide-eyed at new flavors, and older students can help organize, MC, or even perform.

💡 If your school is very diverse, this one practically runs itself—you just provide the tables and the invite.

9. Popcorn & Movie Night 🍿

Keep it simple, keep it fun—and don’t forget the butter.

Pick a family-friendly movie, rent or borrow a popcorn machine, and transform the gym or cafeteria into a cozy movie theater for the night. Charge for entry, or keep it free and make money through concession sales—popcorn, candy, hot dogs, and drinks can bring in more than you’d expect!

Best for: Kinder & Elementary
Little ones love the novelty of watching a movie at school in their PJs, and it’s a super chill way for tired parents to get a night off from dinner duty.

🎬 Don’t forget to check licensing for public movie showings—it’s usually easy to do through your school or district.

10. Cupcake Decorating Party 🧁

A sprinkle-filled, frosting-fueled good time.

Host a cupcake decorating event where kids get to decorate (and eat!) their own cupcakes. You supply the plain cupcakes, frosting in piping bags, and loads of toppings—sprinkles, mini candies, crushed cookies, the works. Charge a flat fee per child, or offer tickets for decorating multiple cupcakes.

Best for: Kinder & Elementary
Younger kids love getting creative with frosting and candy. It’s a great indoor event for winter or a fun Valentine’s Day add-on.

🎨 Want to level it up? Hold a “decorate the teacher” challenge or a friendly cupcake decorating contest with prizes.

11. Restaurant Spirit Nights 🍔

Zero prep. Zero cleanup. All the fundraising magic.

Partner with a local restaurant for a “spirit night,” where a percentage of that evening’s sales goes back to your school. You just spread the word—flyers, emails, social media—and families show up to eat. The more that dine in (or take out), the more your school earns.

Best for: All Ages
Perfect for busy families who don’t want to cook, and there’s no age limit on enjoying a night off. High schoolers can even organize and promote their own night for clubs or sports teams.

💡 Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Panera, and pizza spots are all common favorites—but don’t overlook local gems that want to support schools!

12. Cookie Dough Fundraiser 🍪

The easiest way to raise dough (literally).

This classic fundraiser involves selling tubs or pre-portioned packs of cookie dough, usually through a fundraising company. Families collect orders and payment, then distribute the dough once it’s delivered. Bonus: Some companies offer gluten-free or allergy-friendly options now too!

Best for: Elementary & Middle School
Younger students can help with order forms, while older ones can confidently handle simple sales pitches to neighbors and family. And let’s be honest—who doesn’t want cookie dough in the freezer?

📦 If you’re going this route, plan your delivery day carefully—it’s frozen dough, so you’ll want coolers or quick pickup coordination.

13. Pie Sale 🥧

Perfectly timed for the holidays—or just because pie is always a good idea.

Offer homemade or bakery-fresh pies for pre-order and pickup just before Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even Pi Day (March 14!). You can partner with a local bakery or organize a school-wide baking effort if you’ve got willing volunteers. Apple, pumpkin, pecan, and berry pies are always crowd-pleasers.

Best for: Elementary & Middle School
This is a great “parent-powered” fundraiser—kids don’t need to do much, but families love it. Easy to run through flyers, email forms, or online ordering.

🥧 Keep it simple: limit the flavors, offer early-bird pricing, and have a few extras on hand for last-minute buyers.

14. Soup Mix or Hot Cocoa Jar Sale 🫙

Equal parts delicious and adorable gift-ready.

Layer dry ingredients for soup (like bean chili or split pea) or hot cocoa with mini marshmallows in mason jars, add a tag with instructions, and tie it all up with a cute ribbon. These make great holiday gifts for teachers, neighbors, and coworkers—easy to sell and easy to love.

Best for: Elementary
Perfect for younger grades to assemble as a class project or scout troop-style activity. Parents handle the jar filling; kids decorate the labels and help at the sales table.

🎁 Want to boost your profits? Sell them at school craft fairs, during holiday concerts, or pair them with a bake sale.

15. Cake Walk 🎂

A sweet twist on musical chairs—with cake at the finish line!

Set up numbered spots in a circle, play music, and have participants walk around the circle until the music stops. Then draw a number—whoever’s standing on it wins a cake! You can ask families to donate store-bought or homemade cakes, and charge a small fee per round to play.

Best for: Kinder & Elementary
This is a school fair classic, and little kids get a huge thrill out of “winning a cake.” Older students can help run the music, take tickets, and organize prizes.

🍰 Don’t forget to include smaller prizes for extra rounds—think cupcakes, donuts, or cake pops so more kids get a treat.

16. Teacher Tasting Challenge 👩‍🏫

Let the kids judge the teachers for a change—deliciously, of course.

Here’s how it works: a group of teachers or staff each prepare a dish—could be desserts, dips, or something totally wild (mac & cheese with Hot Cheetos, anyone?). Students and families pay for tasting tickets and vote for their favorites. The teacher with the most votes wins a prize (or just eternal glory in the staff lounge).

Best for: Elementary & Middle School
Younger kids love seeing their teachers “compete,” and older students love voting. Teachers usually get way into it too—especially if there’s a silly trophy involved.

🏆 Make it extra fun by creating categories like “Spiciest Dish” or “Best Presentation.” And don’t forget to decorate the tasting table with school colors!

17. Crockpot Cook-Off 🥘

Easy to host, easy to serve—just plug and go!

Invite families to bring a crockpot of their favorite dish—soups, stews, pasta, meatballs—and host a tasting night. You can charge per sample or sell an “all-access pass” to taste everything. Don’t forget to offer small cups, napkins, and drinks!

Best for: Elementary & Middle School
It’s a great casual event where families mingle and try each other’s cooking. Bonus points if you do it on a cold night and call it something cozy like “Winter Warm-Up” or “Comfort Food Fest.”

🍛 Keep food labels clear for allergens, and set up extension cords in advance—this is a crockpot party, not a circuit-breaker blowout.

18. Candy Grams 💌

A little sugar + a sweet note = big smiles and easy money.

Candy grams are simple to run and super popular. Around Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Spirit Week, sell little notes with candy attached. Students fill them out and you deliver them during class. You can use mini candy canes, lollipops, or even non-food items like pencils if needed.

Best for: All Ages
High schoolers love sending them to their friends (or crushes), and younger kids love receiving them—even if it’s from their teacher or parents.

📬 Pro tip: Prep an order form and set up a few lunch-hour tables. Teachers and staff will get in on the fun too!

19. Frozen Treat Cart 🍦

When the weather gets warm, the popsicles practically sell themselves.

Grab a rolling cooler or cart, fill it with freezer pops, ice cream cups, or novelty frozen treats, and wheel it out during pickup, field day, or school events. Charge $1–2 per treat and watch the line form.

Best for: Kinder & Elementary
Kids love the surprise of a treat after school, and parents love how easy it is. Keep pricing simple and consider offering allergy-friendly or dairy-free options too.

❄️ Hot tip: This one’s also great for “surprise Friday” fundraisers or end-of-year celebrations—just be sure you’ve got a solid plan for keeping everything cold!

🍦 Psst… thinking about selling popsicles this summer? I’ve got a full frozen treat cart guide with setup tips, best-selling treats, profit-boosting ideas, and a few common mistakes to avoid so your fundraiser stays cool and stress-free.

20. Nacho Night 🧀

It’s messy. It’s cheesy. It’s guaranteed to sell out.

Nachos are an easy, budget-friendly food option for a casual evening event or concession stand. Set up a DIY nacho bar with chips, queso, salsa, jalapeños, beans, and maybe even a few extras like pulled pork or chili. Charge per plate, or offer combo deals with drinks and desserts.

Best for: Middle & High School
Older students love a build-your-own nacho situation (especially if they can pile on the toppings), and it’s perfect for dances, talent shows, or even post-game snacks.

🧀 Add a fun twist: vote on “Most Creative Nacho Combo” or offer a spiciest topping challenge!

21. School Picnic Fundraiser 🧺

A laid-back way to gather, play, and raise money—all in one go.

Invite families to bring their own blankets and join in for a weekend picnic at the school field or nearby park. You can sell picnic baskets, boxed lunches, or simple food like hot dogs, chips, and drinks. Add lawn games, face painting, or a student performance for extra fun.

Best for: Kinder through Elementary
This is the perfect springtime fundraiser, especially when paired with a school art show or outdoor movie. Younger kids love the freedom to run around, and parents love the relaxed vibe.

🌤️ Consider adding a raffle or selling picnic-themed merch like bubbles, mini frisbees, or sunhats!

22. Pie Eating Contest 🥧

It’s messy. It’s hilarious. And it’s an instant crowd magnet.

Set up a stage or table, grab some whipped cream pies (you can even use whipped topping in foil trays to keep it simple), and let volunteers compete to see who can finish first—hands behind their backs, of course! Charge an entry fee and make it a featured attraction during a school fair or end-of-year bash.

Best for: Middle & High School
This one is usually too intense for little ones, but older students and even teachers love getting messy for a good cause. Make sure you’ve got plenty of napkins, a tarp, and a volunteer with a hose nearby. 😂

🏆 Offer silly prizes like “Most Enthusiastic Eater” or “Cleanest Plate.”

And there you have it—22 fun, creative, and totally doable food fundraising ideas to help your school hit its goals (without anyone getting stuck elbow-deep in paperwork). Whether you go classic with a bake sale or bold with a pie-eating contest, the key is to keep it simple, get the kids involved, and make it fun for families.

If you’re planning a Bake Sale, Spaghetti Dinner, or Ice Cream Social, be sure to check out my full guides packed with tips, printables, and sanity-saving shortcuts. You’ve got this—and I’m cheering you on from the snack table! 🎉💪🍽️