KMF Ninja Professional Development Scholarship Program

Scholarship Sponsored by Kohlberg-Manacher Foundation

The KMF Professional Excellence Scholarship Program is in its fourth full year of operation and provides up to $15,000 per recipient, over two years, to support them in achieving their full potential.

We are looking for exceptional incoming college juniors and seniors who come from low-income, less-privileged families and are mature, ambitious, high-achieving, and most importantly, have an entrepreneurial mindset.

The Program is performance-based and limited to students with intended careers in business (all disciplines/industries, yet especially management consulting, investment banking, market research and/or asset management), computer science, artificial intelligence, and/or data science.

Our mission is to help these promising young people achieve top 1% performance in their professional careers, thereby contributing to happy, fulfilling lives and the ability to significantly help their families, communities, and fellow KMF scholarship recipients ("KMFers").

The KMF Scholarship Program is Performance-Based

Scholarship funds are only distributed to students who meet KMF’s clearly defined standards for professional accountability, as we believe they are essential in building a solid foundation for top 1% performance in their professional careers.

These standards primarily apply to four main areas:

• Level of Preparation
• Attention to Detail
• Composure, Responsiveness and Timeliness of Communications
• Demonstrated Understanding of Two-Way Relationships

In essence, KMF’s standards are all about actions, not words, or intent, and are designed to simulate real-world early career employment conditions at a top-tier professional services firm led by an experienced, quality control-focused CEO or president (such as the two that were founded by Mr. Kohlberg).

To help KMFers complete the Program successfully, we grant one "Significant Professional Accountability Mistake” to each KMFer. If they make one or two more, they lose some of their scholarship funds. If they make a fourth, they drop themselves from the Program automatically.

Early in year 1, KMF places extra emphasis on development of first-rate organizational and time management skills, so each student should have no difficulty maintaining eligibility. Additionally, first-year KMFers are individually mentored by Year 2s, who are responsible for guidance and support, thereby helping to ensure that Year 1s meet KMF's professional standards.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Applicants must be enrolled as full-time college junior or senior at any U.S. college, university, or vocational school for the 2024-2025 academic year, beginning in September.

As previously described, the program is highly specialized and restricted to students with intended careers in business, finance, computer science and/or data science.

Important - Anyone currently planning to attend graduate school directly after college, or for the year after that, should not apply for this Program, as a considerable amount of the content is designed for succeeding in the workplace in the first few years after formal academic education has been completed.

Scholarship selection criteria include, yet are not limited to, the following:

• Demonstrated high levels of achievement, resiliency, and maturity
• Academic record (minimum GPA of 3.3/4.0)
• Considerable achievements in sports, other extra-curricular activities, and/or other unique skills or accomplishments
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial experience or tendencies
• Personal/family circumstances