Brief from the Executive Director
Summer 2024
Aloha Tailhookers,
We hope you are enjoying a peaceful and rewarding summer and are preparing for what’s sure to be an epic Hook ’24 in Reno. As you know, Tailhook changed venues starting this year and will hold the annual symposium at the fantastic Grand Sierra Resort (GSR). We look forward to reconnecting with all of you there.
This set of remarks summarizes our 2024 scholarship selection results. Each year between 15 December and 1 March, your Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF) receives exceptional scholarship applications from the best and brightest Naval Aviation legacy students. This year, scholarship committee members reviewed and scored nearly 500 applications. From these, 130 students earned TEF grants, half of them graduating high school seniors and half current college students. Six recipients were Gold Star students, and three were enlisted applicants. TEF 2024 scholarship grants again averaged more than $4,000 per grant with one high school senior and one college student earning our top two $15,000 grants. This year, 54 of our 130 scholarships earned awards of more than $3,500. The table below shows TEF’s 2024 high‐value grants breakdown by number of grants and their associated values:
• 2 x $15,000 • 1 x $7,000
• 6 x $10,000 • 3 x $6,000
• 1 x $9,500 • 27 x $5,000
• 1 x $9,000 • 6 x $4,000
• 1 x $7,500 • 6 x $3,500
As we recap in our quarterly TEF remarks in The Hook magazine, without the steady contributions from our loyal Tailhook Association members, our like‐minded organizational wingmen, and our industry partners, TEF’s scholarship program would not exist. We also recognize our tireless scholarship committee as being a critical part of our program each year. We ask you to please review the insert on this page for the list of TEF’s 12 scholarship committee members, who spent countless days and hours reviewing the 2024 applications. Bravo Zulu and our heartfelt gratitude to them all for their hard work. TEF’s scholarship program would not succeed without their incredible efforts every year.
On behalf of our TEF chairman of the board, board of directors and staff, and expressly our Naval Aviation legacy superstars who earn a TEF grant each year, we genuinely thank you for your tenacious support of our foundation.
We look forward to seeing you all at Hook ’24. Please stop by and see us at the TEF booth in the GSR convention center.
Mahalo Nui Loa (thank you very much) again for your continued Kokua’(kind generosity) and long‐standing support to TEF and the Tailhook Association.
CAPT Rodger Welch, USN(Ret)
Executive Director
Tailhook Educational Foundation
Combined Federal Campaign No. 10251
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About The TEF
The Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF) is a charitable nonprofit California corporation created in February 1992. The Foundation's charter is "to educate the nation's public with regard to the history and present day activities of the United States Navy carrier aviation and its importance to our country's national security."
The main activities of the Foundation are:
To support the Tailhook Association
To distribute The Hook magazine to schools throughout the nation at no cost to the schools
To provide scholarships to qualified applicants
To support U.S Navy and Naval Aviation leadership
TEF Scholarships
TEF awards over 100 scholarships annually averaging more than $4,000 per grant with our top grant awarded at $15,000
Funding TEF scholarships is achieved either annually or perennially.
Perennial Scholarships
A perennial scholarship is funded by donating $70,000 or more to TEF. A $70,000 TEF Scholarship portfolio yields a $3,500 grant for your named scholarship per year in perpetuity.
An $80,000 TEF Scholarship portfolio yields a $4,000 grant for your named scholarship per year in perpetuity. Several of TEF’s perennial scholarship portfolios now exceed $100,000, all yielding at least $5,000 in an annual grant.
Sponsors funding perennial scholarships should also add funds to their portfolio whenever they can to ensure these portfolios continue to grow to keep pace with the increasing costs of colleges (1%~2% per year). When donations to existing perennial portfolios reach $10,000 or more, the annual grant yield for that scholarship increases $500 per year from that year on.
Annual Pass-through scholarships
An annual or “pass-through” scholarship is funded by providing TEF a payment of $3,000 or more each year to sponsor your named scholarship that year.
Pass through scholarship donations can also be for more than $3,000, and they can change each year by donating more than $3,000.
TEF’s current annual scholarships average more than $3,000 with our top grant awarded at $15,000.
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TEF awards over 100 scholarships annually averaging more than $3,250 per grant with our top grant awarded at $15,000.
A number of our annual scholarships are awarded to students pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum. All TEF grants assist Naval Aviation legacy undergraduate students obtain a higher education.
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Scholarship Eligibility
To qualify for a Tailhook Educational Foundation scholarship, an individual must graduate from high school and be the natural, step, or adopted child or grandchild of a current or former (U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps / U.S. Coast Guard) Naval Aviator, Naval Flight Officer, or Naval Aircrewman. Also eligible are individuals or children/grandchildren of individuals who are serving or have served on board a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier. Eligible applicants must also be accepted for undergraduate enrollment at an accredited college.
Applications are available at 1200 noon PST on 15 December and due back at TEF headquarters by 1200 noon PST on 01 March each year.
Scholarship Timeline
