Process #1: Scholarship – Requirements – Tall Clubs International Foundation

Academic Scholarship Requirements

(United States and Canada only)

The Tall Club Foundation scholarship application submission timeline is now closed.

Applications for the 2026 will commence on 1 Jan 2026. Please check back at this time for additional information.

We wish you all the best in your educational pursuits!

In memory/honor of Kae Sumner-Einfeldt, Virginia Linquist-Winker, Robert Rader, Carolyn Goldstein and Charles & Doris Chickering – Tall Clubs International Foundation awards annual scholarships to deserving High School Seniors in North America (United States and Canada only). TCI Foundation receives scholarship nominations from Tall Club International’s local member clubs and members-at-large (MALs) across North America. From this pool of nominations, the recipients are selected to receive a minimum of $1000 scholarship award from Tall Clubs International Foundation, Inc. (Note: Membership in a local club is NOT required).

In order to be accepted as a potential scholarship recipient, all applicants MUST meet ALL the following requirements:

Height: Meet the minimum height requirements for membership in Tall Clubs International—5′ 10″ (178 cm) for women and 6′ 2″ (188 cm) for men — in stocking feet. Note: TCI and TCI Foundation reserves the right to ‘measure’ an applicant’s height upon request.
Age: Be under the age of 21 when entering your first year of higher education.
School Entrance: Be entering your first year of higher education to an accredited United States or Canadian institute of higher education as a full-time student.
- Institute of Higher Education: TCIF will consider applicants who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an accredited institution for the purpose of obtaining a degree, certificate, or other recognized education credential offered by that institution. An eligible educational institution includes any accredited college, university, trade, technical, and career school or other post-secondary educational institution, which offers higher education beyond high school.
  NOTE: Institutional accreditation from a recognized accreditor and state authorization is required to be considered an accredited institute. Our definition is based on the Department of Education and IRS guidelines. References: U.S. Department of Education and EduCanada.
College: Must intend to enter an accredited United States or Canadian institute of higher education as a full-time student.
Funding: Must use the funds, if awarded, to attend an accredited institute of higher education.
Enrollment: Enrollment must be completed within the current calendar year.
General Release: A general release form must be signed by selected scholarship recipients, which allows Tall Clubs International Foundation, sponsoring Tall Clubs International Member Club or Member-At-Large sponsors to publish recipients name (first and last initial) on associated websites to recognize winners and solicit further participations. A blank General Release form can be found here: General Release Form (Blank).

Residence: Request sponsorship from an active TCI Member Tall Club participating in the Scholarship Program in your state/province of residence or have a TCI Member-at-Large participating in the Scholarship Program in your state/province of residence – see listing below. Students of military or diplomat families residing overseas (OCONUS) will use their official state of residence to apply.
When you submit your scholarship application form to the ‘correct’ sponsor – you are officially ‘requesting’ that they sponsor you for the scholarship. There is no need to contact them first.
- North America Residents only: TCI Foundation gives scholarships to United States and Canada residents only.
- California Residents: There are six (6) clubs that exist in California. Please choose the correct club based on the ‘County’ in which you reside.
- Canada Residents: There are three (3) clubs that exist in Canada. Please choose the correct club based on the ‘Province’ in which you reside.
- New York Residents: There are three (3) clubs that exist in New York. Please choose the correct club based on the ‘County’ in which you reside.
- Washington DC Residents: Please choose ‘District of Columbia‘ option under Member Tall Clubs.
- Wisconsin Residents: Please choose:
  - West Wisconsin: choose “Mad Town Talls” option under Member Tall Club.
  - East Wisconsin: choose “Tall Club of Milwaukee” option under Member Tall Club.
- Illinois Residents: Please refer to the following URL for Paramount Tall Club Sponsorship: Scholarship Information – Paramount Tall Club of Chicago (tallclubchicago.org)

Potential Sponsor by State/Province of residence (select only one):

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Each TCI Member club or Member-At-Large may choose to submit (2) separate scholarship recipients based on the following 2 types offered:

Merit Scholarship: Merit applicants are expected to achieve 90% score of criteria established by the board for selection of a scholarship. Scholarship review is based on an 80-point total as follows:

Activities. (20 points) – Activities you performed during 9th through 12th grade will be evaluated in depth, according to the following categories (if applicable):
- Awards (Academic and Others) received
- Extra-Curricular Activities include all club and athletic participation
- Community Service
- Volunteer Service
- Offices Held
- Employment (current or past)
Essay (20 points) entitled ”What Being Tall Means to Me’‘ must be submitted in .PDF Format. The essay should have a a minimum of 550 words and maximum of 650 words. Essays that are outside the word count, either less than 550 or more than 650, will not be considered for scholarship award. Please include the title “What Being Tall Means to Me” and applicant’s name at the top of the page; lack of a title & name will result in a 2 point deduction. The title and the applicant’s name are not included as part of the total word count. Please do NOT give us your ‘resume’. Essay will be read and evaluated for content, grammar and originality.
Official Transcript Grades (20 points) will be reviewed and analyzed. Transcripts MUST be current and include grades from ALL courses taken during your entire high school experience (9th thru 12th grades) – including the Fall Semester grades of your 12th grade (senior) year. You ‘may’ submit an ‘unofficial’ transcript when you submit your application. However, if you are chosen as a ‘FINALIST‘ – we REQUIRE an officially signed/embossed/certified transcript from your high school administrator.
Recommendations (10 points for each recommendation for a total of 20 points) are required and will be reviewed in detail.
- Two (2) separate Recommendation Rating Sheets and 2 Letters of Recommendation are required and MUST be uploaded before you submit your scholarship application.

- - 1st Recommendation: The first recommendation MUST be from a teacher or school administrator.
  - 2nd Recommendation: The second recommendation may be from a teacher, coach, clergy, etc.
  - Each recommendation MUST submit two (2) files:
    - A Recommendation Rating Form filled out and signed by your reference. A blank copy of the Recommendation Rating Sheet is attached here: Recommendation Rating Form (Blank).
    - A Recommendation Letter from your reference. Recommendation Letter must be on Organization Letterhead and signed by that Reference.
  - It is the responsibility of the applicant to VALIDATE recommenders receive the email with direction. Be sure recommenders check spam/junk folders.
  - If the school does not allow the recommendations to be released to the student, notify TCIF via email and directions will be provided.

Legacy Scholarship: Legacy scholarship applicants must provide all the same requirements listed for Merit applicants and achieve an 80% score of criteria established (previously outlined) by the board. This type of scholarship is based as follows:

Relative: Applicant must be a ‘direct relative‘ who is/was a Tall Clubs International current or past member in good standing for a minimum of 10 years. A ‘direct relative’ includes the following family members:
- Father
- Mother
- Sibling
- Grandfather (Maternal or Paternal)
- Grandmother (Maternal or Paternal)
- Uncle (Maternal or Paternal)
- Aunt (Maternal or Paternal)

Legacy applicants must be able to identify relationship of family member with prior TCI membership, which can be validated by the club or reliable persons from that club. If possible, TCI past membership rosters may be utilized if available.

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IMPORTANT SUBMISSION DEADLINES

2026 Scholarship Year:

(Note: Deadlines below are FIRM! Your Scholarship application will be rejected if submitted after deadlines stated below).

Thursday, January 1, 2026: Scholarship Applications will be open for submission by potential applicants to local TCI Affiliate Member Clubs or Members-At-Large.
Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm (PST): (Critical Date for Students)
- Completed Student Scholarship Applications submitted by Student MUST be submitted before this date.
- Application Review: The local Member Club or Member-At-Large that is responsible for your geographic area will act as your sponsor and review your submitted application.
- Application Disposition: When the sponsor has chosen a winner, your sponsor will notify you if you have won/lost at the local level.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026:
- Finalists: If you are chosen as the Finalist by your sponsoring Member Club or Member-at-Large, your sponsor will officially submit your application to TCI Foundation for review by this date.
- TCI Foundation Review and Evaluation: During the month of April 2026 – the TCI Foundation Scholarship Committee will evaluate and select scholarship winners.
Friday, May 1, 2026 (or sooner – if available):
- Sponsoring Member Club or Member-At-Large Scholarship Coordinator will be informed of this year’s TCI Foundation scholarship winners beginning on May 1, 2026 (or earlier if available).
- Sponsoring Member Club or Member-At-Large Scholarship Coordinator will inform you if you have officially won a TCI Foundation scholarship.
- Sponsoring Member Club or Member-At-Large Scholarship Coordinator will send an email to the winning applicant to confirm your final college of choice prior to sending a scholarship check.
- Scholarship Payment: Your scholarship check will be sent out sometime in May-July 2026. The check will be made payable to your confirmed college of choice (with your name and student ID# in the memo line).
July, 2026: Official TCI Foundation Scholarship Winners will be announced to Tall Club International at the Awards Banquet at the Tall Clubs International Convention. The exact date of this announcement is unknown at this time.

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When you are ready to officially submit your application – please make sure you have:

PDF Documents: All the required documents (excluding photo) mentioned above must be in PDF format only.
Photo: A current photo MUST be submitted in .JPG format only. Please submit a photo that shows your face and shoulders, no full body photos. The photo should be of only you, dressed appropriately.

NOW – you are READY TO GO! You can start the application process at the following URL: Process #2: Scholarship – Application Form (tallclubfoundation.org)

Good luck! If you have any questions or need further assistance on applying for this scholarship, please email your sponsoring Member Club or sponsoring Member-At-Large in your state/province of residence FIRST.

If you have any other questions, you may send an email to tcifscholarship@gmail.com to obtain guidance.

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