Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Foundation
"Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it."
Marian Wright Edelman
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Nelson Mandela
Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Foundation Founders (From left to right) 2nd Lieutenants: Bill Melton, founder, Maurice Page, Lowell Steward, founder, Jack Holsclaw, and Buddy Lockett, founder. Founders not pictured include Col. Louis Hill, USAF Ret., Gurthalee Clark, Robert Rose, DDS, Henry P. Bowman, Robert Higginbotham M.D., James Jones, Col. Edward C. Gleed, USAF Ret.,Thomas Heywood, and William B. Ellis
If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.
Gen Colin Powell
The mission of the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Foundation (TASF) is to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen by providing motivation, access and scholarships to assist financially and academically deserving students in the pursuit of their college education.
TASF is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978 in order to provide educational and charitable services for the purpose of honoring living and deceased members of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Foundation also acknowledges other individuals who have made significant contributions in the field of aviation, aerospace and science technology.
Located in Los Angeles, California the Board of Directors is comprised of Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTAs), corporate partners and community leaders committed to providing leadership by ensuring that funds are available to help young people take their first steps toward college and subsequently a rewarding career.
With an initial goal of raising one million dollars, seed money came from pledges, contributions, and the proceeds of a Memorial Banquet honoring General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. The goal was achieved in 1997 and in 2015 the fund balance reached $2.3 million. Each year the number of scholarships that are available is directly related to income from this investment fund and the level of financial gifts provided by caring donors, historians, educators, faith communities, as well as active and retired servicemen and aviation enthusiast.
While some parents are emerging from economic downturns, still others lag behind in low-paying jobs, underemployment and unemployment that prevents parents from providing a quality education for their children. And although some students are accepted in their school of choice, they often find out that books and the cost of tuition are prohibitive. These first-year disappointments can be devastating and can turn away a student from further academic achievement.
Organizers of TASF understand this critical need and ask that you stand with the Tuskegee Airmen in their pursuit to help fill the gap between high school and post-secondary education. Your recurring donations can provide the financial incentive and encouragement to send a deserving student to school and help pay for their college education.
Make a donation today in support of the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Foundation. A deserving student is waiting for your generous financial gift. Or contact us to find out how you can get involved by becoming a mentor, volunteer, or educational advocate. Call our office at 323-318-0635.
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."
Booker T. Washington
"Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations."
Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.