KMF Ninja Professional Development Scholarship Program

The KMF Scholarship Program is Performance-Based

Scholarship funds are only distributed to students who meet KMF’s clearly defined standards for professional accountability, as we believe they are essential in building a solid foundation for top 1% performance in their professional careers.

These standards primarily apply to four main areas:

• Level of Preparation
• Attention to Detail
• Composure, Responsiveness and Timeliness of Communications
• Demonstrated Understanding of Two-Way Relationships

In essence, KMF’s standards are all about actions, not words, or intent, and are designed to simulate real-world early career employment conditions at a top-tier professional services firm led by an experienced, quality control-focused CEO or president (such as the two that were founded by Mr. Kohlberg).

To help KMFers complete the Program successfully, we grant one "Significant Professional Accountability Mistake” to each KMFer. If they make one or two more, they lose some of their scholarship funds. If they make a fourth, they drop themselves from the Program automatically.

Early in year 1, KMF places extra emphasis on development of first-rate organizational and time management skills, so each student should have no difficulty maintaining eligibility. Additionally, first-year KMFers are individually mentored by Year 2s, who are responsible for guidance and support, thereby helping to ensure that Year 1s meet KMF's professional standards.

Timing and Conditions of Scholarship Payments

As previously described, KMF provides up to a total of $15,000 for incoming college juniors and/or seniors.

Incoming juniors can receive up to $7,500 for their junior year and $7,500 for their senior year. Incoming seniors can receive up to $7,500 for their senior year and $7,500 for their first year in the workplace. Scholarship payments are made in four equal installments during the academic year, with 25% ($1,875) distributed at the middle and end of the fall and spring semesters.

Scholarships can be used for any educational purpose and/or living expenses, including tuition, housing, food, travel, cell phone, computer hardware and software, tutoring, online courses and training, and clothing.

It's important to reiterate that the KMF Program is performance-based, and scholarship recipients must maintain eligibility requirements, based on KMF’s professional accountability standards, to receive funds. Additionally, KMF reserves the right to modify or cancel the Program at any time, for any reason.

Program Components and Required Time Commitment

There are five primary components to the KMF Program during each academic year:

1. One-on-one Zoom calls with Mr. Kohlberg (typically 2 during the first semester and one for subsequent semesters, each 30-60 minutes). Subject matter and/or frequency will be customized to each KMFer's unique needs.
2. KMF group Zoom calls (average of 16 per academic year, 8 per semester), each consisting with a recap of recent KMF-related experiences/events, scheduled topics and occasional guest speakers. Group Zooms typically take place on Sunday nights (start time is usually 8:00 p.m. EST, 5:00 PST), last for two hours (including a short break), and are generally scheduled to avoid conflict with KMFers' preparation for midterms and finals.
3. Short homework assignments, which will be assigned for each Zoom session.
4. Preparation of key internship/job search-related documents (resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, Relationship/Opportunity Tracking spreadsheet) according to KMF standards/format.
5. Videos and articles sent by KMF for which confirmation of receipt is required within 72 hours, some requiring a brief summary of findings.

Thus, the total time commitment for the 10 month period (August - May) is approximately 45 hours during each of the Program’s two years.

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 2025-2026 academic year, beginning in September.

As previously described, the program is highly specialized and restricted to students with intended careers in business, computer science and/or data science.

Important - Anyone currently planning to attend any type of graduate school directly after college, or for the year after that, should not apply for this Program, as a considerable amount of the content is designed for succeeding in the workplace in the first few years after undergraduate education has been completed.

Scholarship selection criteria include, yet are not limited to, the following:

• Demonstrated high levels of achievement, resiliency, and maturity
• Academic record (minimum GPA of 3.3/4.0)
• Considerable achievements in sports, other extra-curricular activities, and/or other unique skills or accomplishments
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial experience or tendencies
• Unique personal/family circumstances