USA Scholarships
Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship 2027 - $500-$4,000
The Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship is not one award but three, and picking the right track is the first decision you make. The Foundation was set up by the Georgia Mining Association in 1987 and now gives away more than $40,000 a year to Georgia students. The GMF College Scholarship pays $500 to high school seniors heading into an accredited Georgia college or university, with a small number of $1,000 awards on top. The GMF Technical College Scholarship pays $500 to students going into one of Georgia's technical colleges, and it asks for far less paperwork. The Endowment for Education scholarship, named in 2026 for industry figure Cliff Sheppard, goes to one senior a year and pays $1,000 a year for four years of undergraduate study at one of five named Georgia universities. All three are paper applications posted to the Foundation's office in Macon. The 2026 cycle has closed, and the 2027 packets have not been published yet, so the dates below are drawn from the pattern of past years rather than from an announced 2027 calendar.
What is the Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship?
The Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship is the funding arm of an industry body that most Georgia students have never heard of, and that is part of why it is worth your time. The Georgia Mining Association counts more than 30 mining and mineral producers with operations across 133 Georgia counties, plus another hundred or so suppliers, and between them they employ over 13,000 people in the state. In 1987 the Association set up the Foundation to put some of that money back into Georgia classrooms. Today it gives away more than $40,000 a year across three separate scholarship programmes, and every one of them is closed to students outside Georgia.
Three tracks, three sets of rules. The GMF College Scholarship is the broadest: $500 awards for high school seniors from any Georgia county who have been accepted into an accredited Georgia college or university, with a small number of $1,000 awards on top. You need an 85 per cent overall average, a 960 SAT or an 18 ACT, and a specific run of high school courses covering English, history and social sciences, and five maths or science subjects. The GMF Technical College Scholarship pays $500 to students going into one of Georgia's technical colleges and asks for a fraction of the paperwork, with no test score at all. The Endowment for Education scholarship is the big one and the hardest: a single student a year gets $1,000 annually across four years, but only at Georgia Tech, Mercer, Kennesaw State, the University of Georgia or Georgia Southern, and only after answering three essay questions about minerals, the environment and industry. The 2026 Endowment award was named for Cliff Sheppard of Howard Sheppard, Inc.
Two things about the process will shape your calendar. First, there is no portal. You print the packet, fill in the form, collect a signed recommendation and an official transcript, and post the lot to the Foundation office at 113 Arkwright Landing in Macon. The information sheets say outright that electronic copies will not be accepted, and it is the postmark that counts. Second, a teacher or counsellor has to sign the application form itself, not merely write a letter, and Endowment applicants need the principal's approval too. That makes this an application you start in the autumn term, not in the week before the cutoff.
Now the honest part about dates. As of September 2026 the Foundation's Scholarship Opportunities page still carries the 2026 cycle, whose deadlines have passed, and the 2027 packets have not appeared. The 2026 files went up in August 2025, so the new set should arrive on the same page in the months ahead. The dates on this guide are planning targets drawn from the last cycle rather than published 2027 cutoffs, and the last cycle itself was not fully consistent: the website gave 13 March 2026 for the College and Technical College deadlines while the packets said 27 February 2026, and the website advertised six $1,000 College awards where the packet said three. Work to the earlier date, take the smaller number as your assumption, and confirm both with the Foundation on [email protected] or 478-757-1211 before you commit. Get the recommendation and the transcript ready now, and posting the packet becomes an afternoon's work once the 2027 forms go live.
Eligibility
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✓A Georgia high school studentThe College Scholarship is open to high school seniors attending school in any Georgia county, and the Endowment scholarship uses the same rule. The Technical College Scholarship instead asks that you will be a high school graduate by 1 June of the award year. None of the three is open to students outside Georgia.
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✓Accepted at a Georgia institutionCollege Scholarship applicants must have been accepted into an accredited college or university in the state of Georgia and plan to attend. Pending acceptance counts, so you can apply while an offer is still in progress. Endowment applicants are limited to five universities: Georgia Tech, Mercer, Kennesaw State, the University of Georgia and Georgia Southern, and a copy of the acceptance letter has to be attached.
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✓SAT 960 or ACT 18Both the College Scholarship and the Endowment scholarship set a floor of 960 on the SAT, counting Evidence-Based Reading and Writing plus Math, or 18 on the ACT, counting English, Math, Reading Comprehension and Science. The Technical College Scholarship sets no test score at all, which is one reason to look at that track if your scores are not where you want them.
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✓An overall average of 85 per cent or higherThe College and Technical College tracks both ask for an overall grade average of 85 per cent or better. The Endowment scholarship words it differently and asks that you be in good academic standing, backed by a copy of your transcript.
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✓Specific high school coursework (College Scholarship)Four years of college preparatory English, three years of history plus social sciences, and five courses drawn from Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Physical Science, Biology and Chemistry. Check your transcript against that list before you start writing, because it is a hard gate on the College track rather than a preference.
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✓A faculty recommendation with a signatureA teacher or counsellor has to recommend you and sign the application form itself, which means you cannot finish this application alone the night before. The letter runs to one page at most and covers integrity, written and oral expression, activities, personality, motivation, initiative, leadership, community involvement and financial need. Endowment applicants also need approval from the principal or head master.
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✓A paper packet, postmarked in timeEvery track requires physical copies mailed to Georgia Mining Foundation, 113 Arkwright Landing, Macon, GA 31210. The Foundation states plainly that electronic copies will not be accepted, and what matters is the postmark date, not the date it arrives.
Benefits
- Standard award $500
- Larger awards $1,000 each
- Number of $1,000 awards Six per the website, three per the 2026 packet
- Total scholarship fund $40,000
- Eligible institutions Any accredited Georgia college or university
- Link to the industry Direct contact with GMA member companies
- Renewal in later years Not renewable, a one-off award
- Full tuition Not covered, this is a top-up award
- Out-of-state study Not eligible, the college must be in Georgia
- Award amount $500
- Programme fund $20,000
- Eligible institutions Georgia's technical colleges
- Test scores required None, no SAT or ACT floor
- Stacking with the HOPE Grant Allowed, list it on the form
- Coursework requirements None beyond the 85 per cent average
- Transcript Named on the deadline notice, not in the criteria list
- Renewal Not renewable
- Award amount $1,000 per year
- Duration Four years of undergraduate study
- Total value $4,000
- Number of awards One student per year
- Industry mentoring Direct contact with GMA and its members throughout your degree
- Eligible universities Georgia Tech, Mercer, Kennesaw State, UGA, Georgia Southern
- Any other Georgia institution Not eligible on this track
- Applying alongside the College Scholarship Different deadline, late January rather than March
Document checklist
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✓The GMF application formEach track has its own form, bundled into the information packet PDF on the Foundation website. Print it and fill it in by hand or type into it. It asks for your details, your high school, your counsellor and principal, your intended college and major, and a list of every other non-repayable grant or scholarship you expect to receive.
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✓Faculty recommendation letterOne page at most, from a teacher, instructor or counsellor. The same person signs the application form. For the Endowment track you also need the principal or head master to approve the application.
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✓Personal essay, 200 words or lessFor the College Scholarship, cover your activities, home life, what you plan to do with the money, how it will help you and anything else the committee should know. For the Technical College Scholarship the essay is narrower and addresses your financial need.
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✓Three Endowment essay answersEndowment applicants skip the 200-word essay and instead answer three questions out of a published list of eight, typed, one page maximum per answer. The questions run to the value of minerals in daily life, whether the US should mine its own minerals or import them, renewable substitutes for nonrenewable minerals, and what your intended field of study could contribute to the industry.
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✓Official high school transcriptAn official copy, requested through your school office. Order it early in the term, because school offices slow right down close to the holidays and the Endowment deadline falls in late January.
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✓College acceptance letterRequired for the Endowment scholarship, where a copy of the acceptance letter from one of the five named universities has to be attached. College Scholarship applicants can still be in pending acceptance status.
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✓Evidence of financial needThe College and Technical College forms both invite you to explain any further evidence of financial need. It is optional in the sense that no specific document is named, but need is one of the qualities the recommendation letter is asked to address, so it clearly counts in the decision.
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✓A stamped envelopeAn ordinary point, and the one that catches people out. The whole packet travels by post and the postmark is what the Foundation goes by, so get it to the counter with days to spare rather than hours.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship?
It is a set of three scholarship programmes run by the Georgia Mining Foundation, the charitable arm the Georgia Mining Association established in 1987. Together they give away more than $40,000 a year to Georgia students. The College Scholarship pays $500 with a handful of $1,000 awards, the Technical College Scholarship pays $500 to students at Georgia technical colleges, and the Endowment for Education scholarship pays one student $1,000 a year for four years.
How much is the Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship worth?
Most awards are $500. The College Scholarship also carries larger $1,000 awards, and here the Foundation contradicts itself: the Scholarship Opportunities page says six $1,000 scholarships are available, while the 2026 College Scholarship information packet says three. Confirm the number with the Foundation if it matters to your planning. The Endowment scholarship is the largest at $1,000 a year for four years, so $4,000 in total.
What is the Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship deadline for 2027?
No 2027 deadline has been published yet. In the 2026 cycle the Endowment packet had to be postmarked by 30 January 2026, and the College and Technical College packets by 13 March 2026 according to the website, though the packets themselves said 27 February 2026. Treat late January for the Endowment and late February or early March for the other two as planning targets, and check the official page once the 2027 files go up.
Who is eligible for the Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship?
Georgia high school seniors and graduates heading into Georgia institutions. The College Scholarship needs acceptance at an accredited Georgia college or university, SAT 960 or ACT 18, an 85 per cent average and a specific list of high school courses. The Technical College Scholarship needs high school graduation by 1 June and an 85 per cent average, with no test score. The Endowment scholarship narrows the field to five universities: Georgia Tech, Mercer, Kennesaw State, UGA and Georgia Southern.
Can international students apply for the Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship?
The Foundation publishes no statement on international eligibility, but the application form asks for a Social Security Number and asks whether you are a US citizen, and every track requires study at a Georgia institution after schooling in a Georgia county. In practice the programme is built around students who went to high school in Georgia. If you are on a visa and think you meet the criteria, email [email protected] and ask before you post a packet.
Do you have to study mining to get a Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship?
No. The application asks for your college major but sets no restriction on it, and past programme wording refers to business, science and education as examples. What the Foundation does look for on the Endowment track is engagement with the minerals industry through the essay questions, which ask about minerals in everyday life, environmental safety and the industry itself. Interest counts more than your intended major.
Can you apply for the Georgia Mining Foundation Scholarship online?
No. Every track requires physical copies of the application, the recommendation, the essay and the transcript posted to Georgia Mining Foundation, 113 Arkwright Landing, Macon, GA 31210. The information sheets state that electronic copies will not be accepted, and the postmark date decides whether you made the deadline.
What is the Cliff Sheppard Endowment Scholarship?
It is the name the Georgia Mining Foundation gave its 2026 Endowment for Education award, honouring Cliff Sheppard of Howard Sheppard, Inc. for his work in the mining and mineral industry. The Endowment is presented in honour of a different figure from year to year, so the 2027 award may carry another name while the terms stay the same: one student, $1,000 a year across four years of undergraduate study, plus contact with the Association and its members throughout.
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