One of the most pressing needs in higher education today is funding for scholarships.
Scholarships allow deserving students to attain their educational goals, meet their professional
objectives and succeed to their fullest ability.


What is our Mission?
Provide a scholarship program for the children and siblings of Brothers in the Iron Order Motorcycle Club. We want to support exceptional students, their thirst for knowledge and desire to pursue their aspirations.


Eligibility
To be eligible to receive a scholarship, an applicant must be a child, stepchild, grandchild, step-grandchild, sibling or dependent (IRS definition) of a member in good standing of an Iron Order Charter (or who was in good standing at the time of his death). Applicant must be a high school graduate, a high school senior, or current undergraduate or graduate college student. This scholarship is also available for vocational training program.


Award
The 2025 Scholarship amount is $2000.00; awarded to up to four individuals.

Instructions for Applying for an Iron Order Educational Scholarship

  • You must submit a new application each year. Changes are sometimes made in the information required. Applications from previous years will NOT be considered.
  • Complete all information. Where needed, mark items as “Not applicable” rather than leaving blanks.
  • Be sure to include all required attachments. We will not consider incomplete applications.
  • Check your work, including spelling and grammar. The neatness and correctness of your work will be considered.

MOST COMMON ERRORS:

Many of these errors result in an application not being considered, or scoring too low to receive an award.

Incomplete applications. All questions and sections of the application are important. Don’t leave blanks –if an item does not apply, write “Not Applicable.” FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS on each section of the application.


“Contact me if you need…” Do not send an application missing a required attachment or section, with a notation to contact the applicant if the information is needed. If we did not need it, we would not ask for it. It is your responsibility to follow up on these items. We will not contact you for information not included in your application.


“See Attached…” Although we welcome additional material to help us in our decision on your application, please do not use attachments as a substitute for “filling in the blanks” on the application. If information is not included in the application itself, it is very easy for us to miss it in the scoring process, and you could miss getting credit for some of your accomplishments or needs. Please fill in the application first, and then attach any additional material to elaborate if needed. It will be most helpful if you clearly label all supplementary material to indicate the sections of the application they are to accompany. Please do not include attachments not directly related to the information requested on the application.


“Mailed Separately…” We understand that some schools insist on mailing transcripts directly to us, and that other attachments might have to be emailed separately from your main application. Please recognize that there is a risk of these items not being considered in your application. Many applications stating that an eligibility verification or transcript was being “mailed separately” end up going un-considered because the separate materials never arrived. Please make every effort to obtain all materials in advance and include them under one cover.


Failing to attach required transcripts: Remember that you must send us a transcript of your last completed year of school. If you are currently in your first year of college, a transcript of your first semester grades must also be included.


Failing to attach proper financial documentation. A copy of your PARENTS’ most recent tax return (unless you are no longer a dependent) MUST be included with your application. Our awards are based on need as well as merit. If you are unable or unwilling to provide this information, please do not apply –we will not consider your application without it. PLEASE REMOVE/REDACT ALL SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS FROM TAX RETURNS AND/OR DOCUMENTS.


Missing verification of eligibility: You MUST submit written verification of your Iron Order connection for consideration. This means a letter from the Charter President verifying that your parent/grandparent is (or was before his death) a full patch member in good standing.


Late applications: Start early enough to complete your application, obtain all the necessary documentation, and get the application submitted before the deadline. We will disqualify late applications.


Failing to complete questions in a thoughtful manner: The content and quality of your writing makes a difference. We are looking for thoughtful, reasoned responses to the questions and essay that give us an idea of your personality and abilities and needs. If you simply write perfunctory answers without giving thought to them, it will show and will reflect poorly on your chances for an award. Remember, you are communicating your needs and abilities. Give it an appropriate amount of time and effort.


The Big John Taylor Educational Scholarship program is very competitive; many well-qualified individuals may not receive awards in any given year. Here are the basic areas we look at and minimal standards we require.


BASIC ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible to receive a scholarship, an applicant must be a child, stepchild, grandchild, step-grandchild, sibling or dependent (IRS definition) of a member in good standing of an Iron Order Charter (or who was in good standing at the time of his death). Applicant must be a high school graduate, a high school senior, or current undergraduate or graduate college student. This scholarship is also available for vocational training program.


ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: The level of your academic performance and achievements in the past is a major factor in our decision, and the average academic level of applicants is quite competitive. Please note that the academic section of the application specifies a minimum GPA of 3.0 for all applicants. If your GPA is below this level, you will not qualify for an award.


FINANCIAL NEED: Some very academically talented students do not receive awards because of our financial need standards. While we recognize that college is expensive for even the highest income families, we have based our standards on the range of incomes of our applicants. If your family has a large income, relative to the number of people in your household, you should not expect to receive an award. We do consider special financial circumstances if you make us aware of them.


OTHER ACTIVITIES: Although these do not receive major weight in our process, they have certainly made the difference in decisions between highly qualified candidates. Success in outside activities often correlates to success in higher education.


Timeline for 2025 Application Process
5 February 2025 – Available Online
31 March 2025, 11:59 p.m. (EST) – Application Due


Note to All Applicants Concerning Final Decisions:

The Iron Order Motorcycle Club reserves the right to change procedures, documents and requirements, of whatever kind, affecting applicants, without prior notice. An announcement will be made about who has been awarded the scholarships at the International Rally Memorial Day weekend. In addition, we will send out decisions electronically to the email address you provided on your application following the
International Rally.

Only recipients of the scholarships will receive notification. An announcement will also be made on the forum listing the award winners.

Big John Taylor Scholarship Application

This form is to apply for the Big John Taylor Scholarship yearly award.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Mailing Address*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Max. file size: 8 MB.
Name of parent or guardian*
Address of parent or guardian*
Drop files here or
Max. file size: 8 MB, Max. files: 3.

    Essay Upload

    In your essay, please answer the following questions: What are the reasons for your interests? Analyze your childhood. How were your interests shaped from your upbringing?
    Max. file size: 8 MB.

    Financials

    A copy of your PARENTS’ most recent tax return (unless you are no longer a dependent) MUST be included with your application. If the student is no longer a dependent, a copy of the student’s most recent tax return must be included. (Please redact/remove all Social Security Numbers)
    Max. file size: 8 MB.
    STATEMENT OF ACCURACY*
    I hereby affirm that all the above stated information provided by me is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I consent that my picture may be taken and used for any purpose deemed necessary to promote the IOMC Scholarship program.