Rodney J. Kidd, former UIL Director and founder of TILF, planted the idea of giving scholarships to the academically talented when there were not many scholarships available to these students. Records indicate that the first scholarship was given in 1958 before TILF was formally founded, and was valued at $300.
To be eligible to apply for a TILF scholarship, students must have participated in a UIL Academic State Meet or been recognized as an Outstanding Soloist at TSSEC during their high school career. Participation in athletic contests does not qualify a student to apply for a TILF scholarship.
The Texas Interscholastic League Foundation has given away more than $29 million since 1958 to more than 19,000 Texas high school students who have competed in the UIL Academic State Meet and the Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest.
During a typical academic year, TILF will disburse more than $1 million to more than 600 students attending colleges and universities throughout Texas. TILF awarded 351 new and 217 renewed scholarships in 2015.
The TILF has over $11 million in endowed funds and receives direct scholarship grants each year of more than $800,000 from foundations, individuals and corporate sponsors throughout the state. TILF anticipates disbursing over $1.1 million during the 2015-16 academic year.
Who can apply?
Students who meet the following criteria:
- Must have competed at the UIL Academic State Meet, CX State Meet, or Congressional Debate State Meet any year of their high school career (CX debaters must have advanced to the second day of competition) OR must be a state finalist in the Barbara Jordan Historical Essay Competition, the Latino History Essay Competition, or the UIL Young Filmmakers Festival
- Must plan to attend an accredited college or university in the state of Texas
- Must enroll full-time in college and maintain a 2.5 college GPA (some scholarships require higher GPAs)
- Must have taken either the SAT or the ACT
Important Steps to a Successful Application:
1. Complete all required fields on the application. (Note: Welch Foundation and Red Oak Foundation applicants must also complete an additional statement.)
2. Have the following items on-hand to upload. If you do not include these items, your application will be incomplete and will not be considered.
- A transcript from your high school which lists your SAT and/or ACT scores. If your transcript does not include test scores, include a screenshot or scanned copy of your results from the College Board and/or ACT.
- A letter of recommendation from one of the following school administrators: superintendent, principal, assistant principal, UIL coach, or counselor.
- A copy of the first two pages of your parent(s) or guardian's most recent IRS form 1040. Social security numbers and bank routing numbers should be blacked out. If this form is unavailable, provide a letter of explanation from your parent, guardian, or one of the school administrators listed above.
All items must be submitted by May 11, 2018. Due to the late competition date of some of the UIL speech contests, applicants competing in those contests may email updates to their application through May 25, 2018.
Late applications will not be considered. Submitting multiple applications does not improve your chances of being selected for a scholarship. If you submit multiple applications, only the most recent one will be used.
If you have questions or concerns about applying or need to make changes to your application, please email trichards@tilfoundation.org and we will respond as soon as possible. All applicants will be notified of the outcome by mail in mid-July.
