The KMF Program is Performance-Based
The $12,000 scholarship is paid out over two years ($3,000 for four semesters). KMF also intends to award a total of $100,000 in annual scholarship bonuses for excellence in class participation, special projects and performance in team competitions.
Scholarships can be used for any educational purpose and/or living expenses, including tuition, housing, food, travel, cell phone, computer hardware and software, tutoring, training, and clothing.
As previously mentioned, recipients must maintain eligibility to receive funds. To this end, payments are made only to students who meet KMF's standards for professional accountability, as we believe they are essential in building a solid foundation for top 1% performance. These standards primarily apply to the following:
- Honesty and integrity
- Level of preparation and punctuality for all types of meetings
- Attention to detail in documents and other deliverables
- Timeliness and quality of communications
- Demonstrated understanding of two-way relationships
- Taking responsibility for mistakes, moving forward appropriately, not making excuses
In essence, KMF's standards are all about actions, not words, or intent, and have been developed to prepare KMF Scholars for real-world, early career employment conditions at top-tier professional services and/or technology firms such as the two that were founded by Mr. Kohlberg.
Early in year 1, the Program places extra emphasis on development of first-rate organizational/time management skills so KMF Scholars should have no difficulty maintaining eligibility. Additionally, Year 1s are individually mentored by Year 2s, helping ensure that Year 1s remain in good standing. This said, failure to adhere to KMF's standards can result in writing assignments, fines and possible suspension or termination from the Program.
Important: KMF reserves the right to modify or cancel the Program at any time, for any reason.
Program Components and Required Time Commitment
There are four primary components during each scholarship year (May - May):
- One-on-one video calls with Mr. Kohlberg. Subject matter and frequency are customized to each Scholar's unique circumstances. (Note - Mr. K is generally available 24/7/365 for ad hoc calls for any professional and/or personal reason and typically responds within 24 hours.)
- KMF group Zooms (10 - 15 per scholarship year) which typically take place on Sunday nights, last for two hours, and are generally scheduled to avoid conflicts with midterms and finals. KMFers must take detailed notes and record them into their KMF folders within 24 hours of each session.
- Short homework assignments prior to group Zooms (e.g. viewing assigned videos and/or reading articles).
- Preparation of key internship/job search-related documents (Resume, Cover Letter, LinkedIn profile, Relationship/Opportunity Tracking spreadsheet) according to KMF's quality standards and formats.
IMPORTANT – If you do not have the time to fully commit to the Program, for whatever reason(s), please do not apply!
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
Applicants must be enrolled as a full-time incoming college junior or senior at any U.S. college, university, or vocational school for the 2026-2027 academic year, beginning in September. As previously described, the Program is highly specialized and restricted to students intending to pursue careers in business or technology.
Scholarship selection criteria include, yet are not limited to, the following:
- Demonstrated high levels of achievement, resiliency, and maturity
- Academic record (minimum GPA of 3.4/4.0)
- Considerable achievements in sports, strategy/thinking games, technology, other extra-curricular activities, and/or other unique skills/accomplishments
- Demonstrated entrepreneurial experience or tendencies
- Unique/challenging personal/family circumstances (NOTE - KMF often favors applicants from lower privilege circumstances)
Important - Anyone currently planning to attend any type of graduate school (e.g., law, business, medical) directly after college, or for up to two years after that, should not apply to KMF, as a considerable amount of the curriculum is designed for succeeding in the workplace in the first few years after undergraduate education has been completed, thus having the greatest benefit to those who will start work right after college/university.
