USA Scholarships
Partial Funding Undergraduate Professional the USA

Hoffa Memorial Scholarship 2027

Deadline
Around 2 March 2027
142 days left
Up to $10,000
$2,500 a year, 4 years
High school seniors
Plus a vocational track
Around 2 Mar 2027
Portal opens late November
Teamster families
United States and Canada
How to apply Am I eligible? Official website
Hosted by James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund Published

The Hoffa Memorial Scholarship is the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund award for children and financial dependents of Teamster members in good standing. Academic winners receive either $1,000 once or $10,000 paid as $2,500 a year for four years, sent to the college. A separate vocational track pays up to $2,000. The 2026 cycle is closed. The fund's own FAQ says the online system opens in late November, and the last published completion date was 2 March 2026.

What is the Hoffa Memorial Scholarship?

The Hoffa Memorial Scholarship is the college and training money the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund pays to children and financial dependents of Teamsters. Hoffa joined the union in 1934, served 14 years as General President, and was named President Emeritus for life. The fund was created at the November 1999 General Executive Board meeting. It is a separate 501(c)(3), not a dues account, and it exists only to make these awards.

Two checks are easy to mix up. The academic award, for a high school senior headed to a four-year college, is either $1,000 once or $10,000 spread over four years at $2,500 a year. The larger one renews only if you keep a 3.0. The vocational award, up to $2,000 for a single year, is for community college and trade programs tied to work Teamsters already do: freight, rail, warehouse, airlines, food processing, health care, and the rest of the list in the FAQ. You pick one. The money goes to the school.

The 2026 cycle is finished. Teamsters Local 117 says so in plain language and tells members the 2027 scholarships will be posted when they exist. Local 773, while the last cycle was open, put the completion deadline at 2 March 2026. The fund's own FAQ still says the online system appears in late November and that seniors are the ones who apply. Use jrhmsf.org for the live link. A bookmark to last spring's ApplyISTS page is how people file a dead form. Questions go to 855-670-4787, [email protected], or [email protected].

Who can apply

Eligibility

Your progress 0 / 6
  • ✓
    Child or dependent of a Teamster
    You must be the son, daughter, or financial dependent of a Teamster member in good standing under Article X, Section 5 of the International Constitution. Spouses do not count. The fund includes members of the BLET, BMWED, and TCRC, and retirees who qualified while they were working. On the form, an IBT member is marked IBT.
  • ✓
    Not the child of a full-time local officer or staffer
    Children or financial dependents of full-time local union officers, or of full-time staff of local unions, are ineligible. That bar is in the fund FAQ. A member who is not full-time staff can still be your qualifying relation.
  • ✓
    High school senior, GED, or homeschool transcript
    Academic awards go to high school seniors planning to enroll in a four-year college. A GED qualifies if you will attend a four-year college for the academic award. Homeschool students qualify if the program issues an official transcript, or a transcript signed by a credentialed teacher. The fund does not award K-12 scholarships below the senior year.
  • ✓
    One scholarship type only
    You apply to one award. Academic and vocational are separate. The academic file is read for academic accomplishments, community service, financial need, and, if you are a Canadian or Puerto Rican applicant, letters of recommendation.
  • ✓
    Vocational track stays in Teamster work
    The training and vocational scholarship is for community college, trade, or other non-baccalaureate programs related to a Teamster-represented industry, class, or craft. The FAQ lists airlines, freight, rail, warehouse, health care, food processing, solid waste, and others. Associates degrees sit on this track, not on the $10,000 academic award.
  • ✓
    3.0 GPA to renew the $10,000 award
    Winners of the $10,000 academic award are renewed each year, up to four years, at $2,500 a year, and must keep a 3.0 (B average). The one-time $1,000 academic award and the vocational awards are single-year payments. Money is paid to the school, not to you.
What you get

Benefits

  • Four-year Hoffa Memorial Scholarship $10,000, paid $2,500 a year
  • One-time academic award $1,000
  • Paid to the college Yes
  • Renewal if you keep a 3.0 On the $10,000 award only
  • Full tuition Not covered
  • Training or vocational award Up to $2,000, based on need
  • Paid to the school Yes
  • Renewal Single-year award
  • A four-year university degree Not this track
What to prepare

Document checklist

Documents gathered 0 / 6
  • ✓
    Online application on jrhmsf.org
    The fund FAQ says high school seniors apply online, and the system is available by late November. The 2027 form was not posted as of 11 October 2026. Teamsters locals have pointed applicants to aim.applyists.net/JRHMSF when a cycle is open. Use the link the fund publishes for 2027, not a leftover 2026 bookmark.
  • ✓
    Academic record
    Academic accomplishments are a review category for the academic scholarship. Homeschool transcripts must be official or signed by a credentialed teacher. The public FAQ does not require an SAT or ACT score.
  • ✓
    Community service record
    Community service is named beside academics in the academic review. Put the work on the application. A transcript alone does not cover it.
  • ✓
    Financial need details
    Financial need is part of academic review and part of vocational review. Report what the form asks. The award amount on the vocational track depends on need and tops out at $2,000.
  • ✓
    Recommendation letters, Canadian or Puerto Rican applicants
    The academic criteria list letters of recommendation if you are a Canadian or Puerto Rican applicant. Other applicants are not given that requirement in the same sentence. Read the live form before you skip them or collect extras.
  • ✓
    Vocational personal statement and essay
    The vocational review names a personal statement, an essay, letters of recommendation, and financial need. That packet is for the training track. The academic description does not list an essay.
Step by step

How to apply

  1. 1

    Confirm the Teamster relation

    Your parent or the person who claims you as a financial dependent must be a member in good standing, including BLET, BMWED, and TCRC. Spouses cannot be the qualifying relation. Children of full-time local officers and full-time local staff are ineligible.

  2. 2

    Pick one track

    Choose the academic award if you are a high school senior headed to a four-year college. Choose vocational if the program is community college, trade, or another non-baccalaureate program in a Teamster-represented industry. You cannot file both.

  3. 3

    Wait for the late-November portal

    The fund FAQ says the online system opens by late November. Teamsters Local 117 says the 2026 awards are closed and that the 2027 scholarships will be posted when they exist. Check jrhmsf.org rather than an old ApplyISTS link.

  4. 4

    File the academic or vocational packet

    Academic review covers academics, community service, and financial need, plus recommendations if you are a Canadian or Puerto Rican applicant. Vocational review adds a personal statement and an essay. Homeschool students need a signed transcript.

  5. 5

    Submit by the March close

    The last completed cycle, documented by Teamsters Local 773 while applications were open, had a completion deadline of 2 March 2026. Treat 2 March 2027 as the planning date until the fund prints the new one. Questions: 855-670-4787, [email protected], or [email protected].

  6. 6

    Keep a 3.0 if you win the $10,000

    That award renews for up to four years at $2,500 a year only if you hold a 3.0. The $1,000 academic award and the vocational award do not renew. Checks go to the school.

When

Deadline and timeline

Application deadline
Around 2 March 2027
142 days left
Late Nov 2026
The fund FAQ says the online application for high school seniors is available by late November. Confirm the 2027 link on jrhmsf.org.
2 Mar 2026
The last documented completion deadline, from Teamsters Local 773. That cycle is closed. Local 117 says 2027 will be posted when it opens.
Around 2 Mar 2027
Planning deadline if the fund repeats the prior calendar. Do not mail a 2026 form to this date unless the fund says the form is current.
After selection
Awards are paid to the college or training program. In recent years the fund has announced winners in late summer. The 2024 announcement was 5 September.
Each renewal year
$10,000 winners must still meet the renewal rules and a 3.0 GPA to receive the next $2,500. Other awards stop after the first payment.
Questions

FAQ

What is the Hoffa Memorial Scholarship?

It is the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) set up in 1999 to pay for college and training for children and financial dependents of Teamster members. Academic awards are $1,000 once or $10,000 over four years. Vocational awards go up to $2,000. The fund's office is 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 106-289, Washington, DC 20016.

Who can apply for the Hoffa scholarship?

High school seniors, including GED and homeschool students with a proper transcript, who are the son, daughter, or financial dependent of a Teamster in good standing. Spouses are not eligible. Children of full-time local union officers and full-time local staff are not eligible. Members of the BLET, BMWED, and TCRC count. Canadian and Puerto Rican applicants are contemplated in the recommendation rule.

How much is the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship?

The academic scholarship is either $10,000 paid as $2,500 a year for four years, or a one-time $1,000. The $10,000 renews only if you keep a 3.0. Vocational and training awards are up to $2,000 based on need, for one year. All of it is paid to the school.

When does the Hoffa scholarship application open?

The fund FAQ says high school seniors can apply when the online system is available in late November. As of 11 October 2026 the 2027 form was not open. Teamsters Local 117 says the 2026 cycle is closed and the 2027 scholarships will be posted on the local page and at jrhmsf.org when they are ready.

When is the Hoffa scholarship deadline?

The last completed deadline published by Teamsters Local 773 was 2 March 2026. The fund has not printed a 2027 date. Plan on early March 2027, and use the date on jrhmsf.org once the portal opens. CareerOneStop also lists the close as March.

Can you apply for both Hoffa academic and vocational awards?

No. The FAQ says you apply to one scholarship based on the type you choose. Four-year college is the academic application. Community college and trade programs in a Teamster-represented industry use the vocational application.

Does the Hoffa scholarship require SAT scores?

The fund's public scholarship page and FAQ do not list an SAT or ACT score. They list academic accomplishments, community service, financial need, and recommendations for Canadian or Puerto Rican applicants. Read the live application in case a cycle adds a test field.

Is the Hoffa scholarship only for U.S. students?

The qualifying relation can be a Teamster in the United States or Canada. The FAQ discusses Canadian applicants and Puerto Rican applicants in the recommendation rule, and it names TCRC alongside BLET and BMWED. You still have to be the member's child or financial dependent, not a spouse.

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Always verify scholarship details on the official source before applying. Information on this page may change.

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