KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is proud to announce 115 student veterans were selected to receive VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarships” for the 2026 fall semester. The student veterans will collectively receive nearly $550,000 in financial grants, helping to ease their student loan burden and provide peace of mind to hundreds of military and veteran families across the country. See the full list of recipients.
Established more than a decade ago, the Help A Hero Scholarship was created alongside Sport Clips Haircuts to help ease the financial burden service members and veterans face while working to achieve their postsecondary educational goals. The program is funded solely through donations from generous Sport Clips team members, clients, individual supporters and corporate sponsors, through an annual in-store donation campaign that this year will run from October 4 through November 14.
“Education is one of the most important investments we can make in our veterans and service members as they transition to civilian life,” said VFW National Commander Cory Geisler. “The leadership, discipline and experience they gained in uniform are tremendous assets to our workforce, and we're proud that the Help A Hero Scholarships help ease the financial burden of earning a degree while, more importantly, empowering veterans and their families to build successful futures. This is what putting Veterans First looks like."
“The Help A Hero Scholarship continues to change lives, giving veterans and service members the freedom to pursue their education without the burden of financial stress standing in their way,” said Gordon Logan, Air Force veteran VFW Life member, and founder and chairman of Sport Clips. “We remain deeply grateful for the support we receive each year from our stylists, owners and clients, and for our longtime partnership with the VFW Foundation. We look forward to continuing to honor those who have served our country through this scholarship program.”
To date, the program has awarded more than 3,660 Help A Hero Scholarships to student veterans totaling more than $16.6 million in scholarships. The application period for the spring 2027 semester is now open! To learn more about the scholarship and eligibility or to apply, visit vfw.org/Scholarship.
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About Sport Clips Haircuts: Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, consistently ranks in the Entrepreneur “Franchise 500” and Top Franchises by Franchise Business Review. There are nearly 1,800 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and ranks #13 in the 2025 Top Franchise for Veterans list by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed more than $16 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing team, Minor League Baseball (MiLB), and partners with local sports teams and organizations. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.