Mike Groff Community Leader Award
Toyota has established a scholarship program to assist graduate level students working towards a Master’s or Ph.D. in any discipline. Scholarships are offered each year for full- or part-time study at an accredited four-year college or university of the student’s choice.
Mike Groff Community Leader Award
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Mike Groff Community Leader Award must be:
- Nominated by one of the Toyota partnered Boys & Girls Clubs in California. Each nonprofit partner may only nominate one student per year.
- Graduate level students working towards a Master’s or Ph.D. in any discipline
- Planning to enroll in full- or part-time graduate level study at an accredited four-year college or university for the entire upcoming academic year
Employees, vendors and business partners of Toyota and its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, promotion and advertising agencies, and members of their immediate family (defined as spouse and parent, children and siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and persons living in the same household, whether or not related, of such employees, are not eligible to apply.
Students may not be recipients of both the Mike Groff Community Leader Award and the Toyota Scholarship during the same academic year.
Awards
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic record
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- An online recommendation
Selection of finalists is made by Scholarship America and recipient selection is made by Toyota. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive an award of up to $25,000.
One (1) award will be granted each year. Awards are not renewable, but students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
Awards are for graduate study only.
Notification
Applicants will be notified in February. Students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes Mike Groff Community Leader Award scholarship payments on behalf of Toyota. Payment is made in equal installments in early-August and mid-December.
Privacy Policy
Participation in the Mike Groff Community Leader Award is voluntary. By submitting the Mike Groff Community Leader Award Program application, you are agreeing to share your personal identifiable information with Scholarship America, a third party, which administers this program on behalf of the Toyota.
The scholarship application is confidential. Finalist applications will be shared with Toyota. Personally identifiable information (e.g. employee name, employee id, employee email, dependent child’s home address, email address, date of birth, etc.) will not be shared with another third-party except for servicing the scholarship (e.g. scholarship recipient checks or status of the scholarship recipient at their university, etc.).
The scholarship application becomes property of Scholarship America and Toyota. Non-recipient applications are maintained for one year and then destroyed. Scholarship recipient applications are maintained for the award period plus one additional year, and then destroyed.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
One online recommendation form from your nominator must be submitted on your behalf no later than November 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM Central Time. The assigned Recommender must be a representative of the Toyota Boys & Girls Club partner which is nominating you.
Your application is not complete unless all required documents are submitted electronically through the Scholarship America Student Hub.
