INTRODUCTION
Tampa Bay Maritime Scholarship Foundation, Inc. is a public charity (501.c.3 Corporation) chartered in the State of Florida on 30 January 2015.
GOVERNANCE
The Tampa Bay Maritime Scholarship Foundation (TBMSF) is governed by a Board of Directors duly elected each year. The members of the TBMSF comprise the Port of Tampa Bay, Tampa Port Ministries, Propeller Club-Port of Tampa and the Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association.
MISSION
The mission of the Foundation is to assist high achieving graduates of the Hillsborough County Maritime Technology Programs at Thomas Jefferson High School Magnet Honors Maritime Academy and other public institutions by providing meaningful scholarship support for post high school education leading to maritime careers.
All scholarships awarded are issued under the name of ‘The George Steinbrenner Memorial Maritime Scholarship’ honoring the late Mr. George Steinbrenner (see ‘Background’ below).
GOALS
The George Steinbrenner Memorial Maritime Scholarship assists individuals enrolling in post-secondary college education or adult technical skills training leading to a wide range of career paths in the Maritime Industry. These career paths include but are not limited to: two or four year academic programs at maritime academies and colleges, or trade schools for technical training in welding, pipefitting, machinery, and electrical trades, industrial hygiene and safety, international trade, port and terminal management, logistics, finance, admiralty law, naval architecture and marine engineering. In short, eligibility is open to persons who intend to pursue any of the widely varied opportunities within or related to the maritime industry.
BACKGROUND
In 2006, under the leadership of the Education Committee, Propeller Club-Port of Tampa and working in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools, a project was commenced to design, build and support a Maritime High School Program within the Hillsborough School System. Through the hard work of this Committee, in 2011, Blake High School enrolled their inaugural class in their traditional career & technical maritime education program and was followed in 2013 by Jefferson High School as they enrolled their 1st class in their Magnet Maritime Academy.
In 2014, at the Annual Anchor Ball, the New York Yankee Foundation, in the name of George Steinbrenner, made a $10,000 donation to the TBMSF to support maritime scholarships. This donation continues annually. Therefore, all scholarships that the TBMSF award are in the name of the George Steinbrenner Memorial Maritime Scholarship.
On January 30, 2015, in order to raise funds, handle the scholarship donations and distribute the scholarships, the Tampa Bay Maritime Scholarship Foundation, Inc. was incorporated.
In June of 2015, the Blake High School program began graduating students, ready to take the next step towards the maritime career of their choice. That same year two graduates were selected to receive the first ‘George Steinbrenner Maritime Scholarship’. In 2019, the TBMSF’s first graduate, Ms. Stephanie Smith, having received a scholarship from the TBMSF for each of her four years, graduated from California Maritime Academy with a college degree and a 3rd Officers license and entered the Maritime field.
The Maritime Program at Blake High School cancelled after the 2019 school year due to County budget cuts. The Jefferson High School program continues.
To this day, donations and operational assistance for the Tampa Bay Maritime Scholarship Foundation are derived from several sources: Port Tampa Bay, The Propeller Club-Port of Tampa, Tampa Port Ministries, the New York Yankee Foundation, and the Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association.
TYPES OF SCHOLARSHIPS
Three types of scholarships are presently available:
Collegiate Scholarships – Designed for students applying to traditional two or four-year maritime programs.
Technical Scholarships – Designed for students applying for adult maritime technical skills training.
Collegiate Renewal Scholarships – Designed for Collegiate Scholarship recipients as they continue their years of maritime college enrollment.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information, on-line application materials, links to other maritime scholarship opportunities, colleges and training programs, see the navigation on this site.
Tampa Bay Maritime Scholarship Foundation, Inc. REGISTRATION #: CN48149
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.