The Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) is pleased to sponsor a post-secondary scholarship program. These funds can be used for 2 or 4-year academic institutions as well as technical and/or trades training.
The KCBS Scholarship program is open to graduating High School seniors and continuing College/Technical/Trade students who meet the criteria outlined below. However, in cases of scoring ties, preference will be given to graduating seniors.
- A parent and/or legal guardian must be a member in good standing of KCBS for at least the past three (3) years [since at least April 1, 2022].
or- The student may hold an individual membership, in which case they shall be a member in good standing of KCBS for at least one (1) year [since at least April 1, 2024].
- The student must have carried a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last school year.
- The student can show evidence of their good character by being involved in public service or extra-curricular activities.
The size of the awards will be determined based on funding availability and the number of applicants.
Scholarships may only be used to support undergraduate post-secondary education. Awards are not made for graduate education.
The application period opens on January 1, 2025. Applications must be received by 11:59 pm CENTRAL TIME on March 31, 2025. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Please note: Parents are encouraged to inform their children of this scholarship opportunity and send them the link to the scholarship application. However, all applications must be created and submitted by the student applicant and the email submitted as part of the application must be theirs. Parents will not be given information about a student’s application.
All applications must be created and submitted by the student applicant and the email submitted must be theirs. Parents should not log in to their KCBS account and start the application as it would then be in their name and could not be accepted or reviewed. Parents will not be given information about a student’s application.
Students interested in applying for a KCBS Scholarship must complete the KCBS Scholarship Online Application that includes: 1) Student contact information; 2) KCBS parent or student membership information; 3) Two mandatory essay questions and one optional essay question; 4) Transcript; and 5) Two letters of recommendation. The online application must be fully completed in order to be considered for an award. The application must be submitted in English.
Each student is required to submit their responses (up to 300 words) to the first two essay questions. The third essay is optional but is posted to obtain information that might help the committee make their selections.
1. Describe your involvement in the BBQ arena and any major lessons learned from your involvement.
2. KCBS and the KCBS Foundation are made up of volunteers and value such service. What volunteer and/or extracurricular experiences have you had? Please provide details as to what those experiences have taught you.
3. OPTIONAL: Please tell us about an obstacle or hurdle you have faced and how you managed to overcome it.
Students may start and save their application [use the Save and Return button]; however, the completed application must be submitted by the deadline (11:59 pm CENTRAL TIME on March 31, 2025).
In order for an application to be considered complete, two letters of recommendation must be submitted. Each letter must be signed by the person submitting the recommendation. Letters should be directly addressed to KCBS and should not be copied college application references.
It is strongly suggested that post-secondary students obtain these references from individuals who can speak to what the applicant is doing currently and not what was done in high school.
- Letter #1 must be from a school official (such as a guidance counselor/advisor, teacher, or professor). This letter MUST be on official letterhead.
- Letter #2 must be from someone with specific knowledge of the applicant's volunteer and/or extracurricular activities. This letter must indicate the person's relationship to the applicant (e.g., work supervisor, club mentor, coach). If possible, this letter should also be on letterhead.
It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that these letters are submitted on time. Please give the following URL to your letter writers and ask that they upload their letter of recommendation no later than March 31, 2025.
KCBS Letters of Recommendation
Click here to submit a letter of recommendation
Please note that KCBS Foundation Committee members will evaluate and score each application before any Scholarships are awarded. The committee's recommendations will be forwarded to the KCBS Board of Directors for approval. All decisions are final.
Each applicant will be notified of the status of their application by July 1, 2025. Students selected for a KCBS Scholarship Award will be required to submit proof of enrollment. Checks for KCBS Scholarships will be mailed by late August 2025 upon receipt of proof of enrollment.
Questions about the KCBS Scholarship awards can be emailed here.