Polish American Journal Foundation Scholarship (PAJF)
If you are a college student of Polish or Polish American descent looking for scholarship money to help pay for your education, then you need to know about the Polish American Journal Foundation Scholarship program. The Polish American Journal Foundation, widely known as the PAJF, is currently accepting applications for its 2026-27 scholarship cycle, and this is one of the more unique opportunities available to students in the Polish American community in the United States today.
What makes this scholarship stand out is not just the financial award itself. It is the entire purpose behind it. The PAJF exists to preserve and promote Polish and Polish American culture, history, and identity in the United States. When you apply for this scholarship, you are not just filling out a form for money. You are becoming part of a larger story, one that connects more than a century of Polish American experience to the next generation of students who carry that heritage forward.
This guide covers everything you need to know: who can apply, what the scholarship pays, how the selection process works, what the judges look for, how to write a strong application, and how to submit before the August 31, 2026 deadline.
What Is the Polish American Journal Foundation Scholarship?
The Polish American Journal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was established in 2014. It was created to promote Polish and Polish American culture and traditions among members of the general public as well as other Polish and Polish American organizations and groups. The PAJF does this through organizing and supporting special events, networking, and providing consultation to individuals and groups that want to learn more about the Polish community in the United States.
The foundation is closely connected to the Polish American Journal, a national newspaper that has been serving Polish immigrants and their descendants since 1911. That is over 100 years of telling the stories, struggles, and achievements of Polish Americans across the country. The Polish American Journal has a unique and long view of the challenges facing this community, including the funding shortfalls that have prevented many great cultural and academic projects from ever getting off the ground.
The PAJF was born out of a desire to change that. The founders recognized that too many talented students with a passion for Polish American culture and heritage were choosing other paths simply because they could not find the financial support to pursue studies in Poland, fund community projects, or cover costs related to cultural activities. The foundation decided it was time to start helping its own.
Today the PAJF is headquartered in North Boston, New York, and is led by a board of directors that includes professionals from across the United States, including Chicago, Illinois; Arlington, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; Baltimore, Maryland; and Buffalo, New York. Mark A. Kohan serves as President of the PAJF, with MaryLou Wyrobek as Secretary.
The 2026-27 Kamylla and Czeslaw Kaszuba Scholarship
The main scholarship offered by the PAJF for the 2026-27 academic year is the Kamylla and Czeslaw Kaszuba Scholarship. This award is named in honor of Kamylla and Czeslaw Kaszuba, whose legacy is kept alive through this yearly educational award for students of Polish or Polish American descent.
The scholarship was opened to applications earlier in April 2026, and students across the country who meet the eligibility requirements can now submit their applications. This is an annual scholarship, meaning it is awarded every year to a new class of deserving students, giving the program a consistent and reliable presence in the Polish American community.
Award Amounts
The 2026-27 Kamylla and Czeslaw Kaszuba Scholarship offers two levels of financial awards:
The first-place winner receives a scholarship of $1,500. The second-place winner receives a scholarship of $500. Both awards are meaningful contributions toward the cost of a college education, and because the program is open to students at multiple levels of higher education, a wide range of students can benefit.
It is worth noting that funds are disbursed to the winner upon proof of full-time studies at an accredited institution. This means that once you win, you need to provide documentation confirming your enrollment before the money is released. This is a standard practice in scholarship programs and ensures the funds go directly toward educational expenses.
The Josephine Kaszuba-Locke Scholarship
In addition to the Kamylla and Czeslaw Kaszuba Scholarship, the PAJF also runs a separate annual award called the Josephine Kaszuba-Locke Scholarship. This second scholarship was established in 2015 and is specifically presented to students of Polish descent who are focused on journalism and the arts.
The Josephine Kaszuba-Locke Scholarship is presented every October, which is Polish American Heritage Month in the United States. The award includes an essay requirement, and the winning essay is published in the October edition of the Polish American Journal. This means the winner not only receives financial support but also gets their writing published in one of the longest-running Polish American publications in the country, which is a meaningful form of recognition in its own right.
If you are a student studying journalism, creative writing, fine arts, or another arts-related field, this second scholarship is worth looking into alongside the Kaszuba scholarship. Keep an eye on the PAJF website for updated details on the Josephine Kaszuba-Locke Scholarship timeline and requirements.
PAJF 2026 Scholarship Eligibility Requirements
Before you invest time putting together an application, you need to make sure you actually qualify. The eligibility requirements for the 2026-27 PAJF scholarship are clear, and all conditions must be met for your application to be considered.
American Citizenship
Applicants must be an American citizen, either by birth or through naturalization. This requirement applies to both the first-place and second-place awards. If you are not yet a citizen but are in the process of naturalization, it is a good idea to confirm your status before submitting.
Polish or Polish American Ancestry
Applicants must be of Polish or Polish American descent. This means you need to have Polish heritage through your family background. You do not need to be a first-generation immigrant, and there is no requirement that a certain percentage of your ancestry be Polish. The key is that you have a genuine connection to Polish heritage that you can speak about in your application materials.
Full-Time Student Status
Applicants must be full-time college students, either currently enrolled at an accredited college or university in the United States or confirmed to attend one in the fall of 2026. This means both current undergraduates and incoming students who have been accepted and are preparing to begin their studies are eligible. Graduate students are also welcome to apply.
High school seniors who have been accepted to a college or university and plan to begin full-time studies in the fall of 2026 are also eligible to apply, which opens the program up to students who are just finishing their secondary education and preparing for the next chapter.
Polish Community Involvement
Applicants must be able to describe their involvement with the Polish community, whether that involvement is in the past, the present, or something they are committed to pursuing in the future. This is an important element of the application because it connects the scholarship directly to the PAJF’s mission of keeping Polish American culture alive and active in the United States.
Your community involvement does not have to be formal or institutional. It can include participation in a Polish cultural organization or dance group, volunteering at a Polish heritage event, attending Polish language classes, being involved with a Polish Catholic parish, or any other meaningful engagement with Polish American life in your community. What matters is that you can speak about it honestly and specifically.
No Application Fee
One of the things that makes the PAJF scholarship genuinely accessible is that there is no application fee. Many scholarship programs charge a processing or administration fee, which can discourage students with limited financial resources from applying. The PAJF does not do this. Submitting your application costs nothing, which means every eligible student has a fair shot regardless of their financial situation.
What the Selection Committee Looks For
The PAJF is transparent about its selection criteria, and understanding what the committee prioritizes can help you put together a much stronger application. The factors for consideration are listed in order of importance, so you can focus your energy accordingly.
1. Demonstrated Interest and Involvement in Polish American Cultural Activities
This is the single most important factor in the selection process. The committee wants to see that you have a genuine, active connection to Polish American culture and that you have plans to continue advancing those interests in the future. This is not just about what you have done in the past. The committee wants to understand where you are going and how your involvement with the Polish American community will grow.
Think about this carefully when writing your application. Do not just list activities. Explain what they have meant to you, how they have shaped your identity or your studies, and what you hope to do with that connection as you move through your education and your career.
2. Significant and Potential Contributions
The second factor the committee considers is the breadth and depth of your contributions, both those you have already made and those you have the potential to make. These contributions can be academic, cultural, scientific, or civic in nature. Importantly, the program is open to all career fields, which means you do not need to be studying Polish language, history, or culture to qualify. A student studying medicine, engineering, business, or any other field can make a compelling case for how their work will contribute to their community and to society.
What the committee is looking for here is evidence of a person who does not just consume opportunities but creates value for others. Community service, leadership roles, academic research, creative projects, entrepreneurship, volunteer work and any number of other activities can speak to this criterion.
3. Academic and Scholastic Performance
Academic achievement is the third factor, which means your grades and academic record are part of the picture but are not the defining element of your application. The PAJF wants well-rounded students who are genuinely engaged with their heritage and their community, not just students with high GPAs who have no other connection to the Polish American world.
That said, strong academic performance will strengthen your application. Include your transcripts and highlight any academic honors, awards, or achievements that reflect your commitment to your studies.
The Essay Requirement: Writing About Poland and American Polonia
One of the most distinctive features of the PAJF scholarship is its essay requirement. Candidates for scholarships from the PAJF are required to compose an essay about a facet of Poland and/or the history of American Polonia. This essay component is central to the application process and to the PAJF’s larger mission.
American Polonia refers to the Polish diaspora community in the United States, the collective of Polish immigrants and their descendants who have built lives, institutions, and traditions in America over more than a century. Writing about Polonia means engaging with this history in a thoughtful, informed, and personal way.
This essay is not just a test of your writing ability. It is an opportunity to demonstrate that you have taken time to learn about your heritage, that you care about it, and that you can think critically and creatively about what it means. Students who approach this essay seriously and bring genuine insight or personal perspective to their topic are the ones who stand out.
Some topic ideas to consider for your essay include the history of Polish immigration to the United States, the role of Polish American organizations in preserving culture, the contributions of notable Polish Americans in fields like science, art, literature, or politics, the significance of Polish American Heritage Month, the history of the Polish press in America, or personal family stories that connect to the broader history of Polish immigration. The topic is yours to choose, and a personal, specific approach is almost always more memorable than a generic one.
The PAJF notes that this essay component also serves an educational purpose. By requiring applicants to research and write about their heritage, the foundation ensures that students develop a deeper understanding of where they come from. That understanding is something that stays with a person long after the scholarship has been spent.
Application Deadline and Timeline
The deadline to submit your complete application package for the 2026-27 PAJF scholarship is August 31, 2026. All application materials must be received in their entirety by this date.
The winner will be announced on September 30, 2026, which gives the committee a full month after the deadline to review applications and make their decisions. Funds will be disbursed to winners upon confirmation of full-time enrollment at an accredited institution in the fall of 2026.
The August deadline gives applicants several months to prepare their materials, which is genuinely helpful for a scholarship that requires an essay and documentation of community involvement. Do not treat this as a reason to procrastinate. Start early, give yourself time to write a strong essay, and make sure every part of your application package is complete before you submit.
How to Apply for the PAJF 2026 Scholarship
Applying for the PAJF scholarship is straightforward. The complete application package is available for download from the Polish American Journal Foundation’s website. There is no online portal or complicated digital submission process. You download the application, complete it, gather your supporting materials, and submit the full package before the deadline.
To access the application and get started, visit the official Polish American Journal Foundation page to download the 2026-27 scholarship application. The application PDF is linked directly on that page.
If you prefer to reach the PAJF directly for questions about the application or the program, you can write to them at their mailing address: PAJF 2026-27 Scholarship, P.O. Box 271, North Boston, NY 14110-0271. You can also reach them by email at editor@polamjournal.com, or by phone at 716-312-8088 or 800-422-1275.
Once your application is complete, make sure you have included all required materials before submitting. A missing document is one of the most common reasons a strong applicant gets disqualified from a scholarship, so take the time to double-check everything before you send it in.
Tips for Writing a Winning PAJF Scholarship Application
The PAJF scholarship is competitive, but it is not a mystery. The selection criteria are published, and the foundation is open about what it values in its applicants. Here is some practical advice to help you put together the best possible application.
Be Specific About Your Polish Community Involvement
When describing your involvement with the Polish community, specific details matter far more than general statements. Saying that you are proud of your Polish heritage is not nearly as compelling as describing the three years you spent performing with a Polish folk dance group, or the role you played in organizing a Polish heritage festival in your town, or the Polish language classes you have been attending since childhood. Real, specific stories leave a stronger impression than abstract statements of pride.
Look Forward as Much as You Look Back
The most important selection criterion is not just what you have done but what you plan to do. The committee wants to invest in students who will carry the Polish American cultural mission forward. Think carefully about how your education connects to your involvement in the Polish community and where you see yourself contributing in the future. Even if your academic field seems unrelated to culture or history, there are almost always ways to connect your studies to your community work.
Write Your Essay Like a Writer, Not a Researcher
The essay about Poland or American Polonia is your chance to show the committee who you are as a thinker and a person. Do not just compile facts. Bring your own voice, your own perspective, and your own emotional connection to the subject. The best essays combine solid historical or cultural knowledge with genuine personal reflection. If you can make a committee member feel something while reading your essay, you are doing it right.
Get Your Academic Documents Ready Early
Requesting official transcripts can take time, especially if your school has a slow administrative process. Do not wait until the last week of August to request yours. Get them ordered early so they arrive with plenty of time to spare before the deadline.
Ask for Recommendation Letters Well in Advance
If the application requires letters of recommendation, ask your recommenders early and give them clear information about what the scholarship is looking for. A recommender who understands the PAJF’s mission and your connection to the Polish community will write a much more targeted and effective letter than one who is writing a generic character reference.
Proofread Everything
This sounds obvious, but it is worth saying. A scholarship application with spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or incomplete sections sends a message that you did not take it seriously. Read your application through multiple times and ask someone else to review it as well. A fresh set of eyes almost always catches things you have missed.
Past PAJF Scholarship Recipients
Looking at the list of past winners gives you a sense of the diversity of students who have benefited from this program over the years. Students from cities and states across the United States have received the PAJF scholarship, including recipients from Minnesota, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, Colorado, New York, and beyond.
In 2025, the PAJF awarded scholarships to four students: Michael Kozlowski of Ham Lake, Minnesota; Joshua Skrzypczak of Pleasanton, California; Magda Slowakiewicz of Chicago, Illinois; and Jayvion Williams of University Park, Illinois. The 2024 recipients included Magda Slowakiewicz, Natalia Szala of Bensenville, Illinois, and Olivia Westphal of Fraser, Michigan. Olivia Westphal also received the award in both 2022 and 2023, which shows that multiple-year recognition is possible when a student continues to demonstrate exceptional commitment.
Earlier recipients go back to 2017 and include students from New York, California, Michigan, Connecticut, Colorado, and other states. This national reach reflects the fact that the Polish American community is spread across the entire country, and the PAJF scholarship is genuinely open to eligible students wherever they are studying.
About the Polish American Journal
To fully understand the PAJF and its scholarship program, it helps to understand the publication at the heart of it. The Polish American Journal is a national newspaper that has been in continuous publication since 1911, making it one of the longest-running Polish American publications in the United States. It serves Polish immigrants and their descendants across the country, covering news, culture, history, and community events relevant to the Polish American experience.
The PAJ operates out of North Boston, New York, and publishes content in English, making it accessible to later generations of Polish Americans who may not speak Polish fluently but remain deeply connected to their heritage. The publication has always been a platform for Polish American voices, and the PAJF scholarship program is a natural extension of that mission.
The requirement that the PAJF scholarship essay be written in connection with Polish and Polish American history reflects the journal’s editorial values. The PAJ has been telling Polish American stories for over a century, and the scholarship program asks new generations of students to engage with that same body of history and culture, ensuring it is not forgotten.
Why the PAJF Scholarship Is Worth Applying For
You might be looking at a $1,500 first-place award and thinking it seems modest compared to some of the larger scholarship programs out there. And it is true that some scholarships offer five or ten times that amount. But there are several reasons why the PAJF scholarship deserves your attention regardless of its size.
First, the competition pool is smaller than most major national scholarship programs. Because eligibility is limited to students of Polish or Polish American descent who are American citizens, the number of eligible applicants is naturally more limited than a scholarship open to all students. That means your chances of winning are meaningfully higher than they would be in a program with hundreds of thousands of eligible applicants.
Second, there is no application fee. Every dollar you spend on an application is a dollar that could go toward your education, so the fact that the PAJF charges nothing to apply makes it a genuinely low-risk opportunity.
Third, the essay requirement actually works in your favor if you are serious about it. Most students apply for scholarships with minimal preparation. A student who puts real thought and effort into their essay and their application will stand out clearly from those who submitted something rushed or generic. The bar for a compelling application is not as high as you might think.
Fourth, winning a scholarship connected to the Polish American Journal and the PAJF carries a kind of cultural recognition that goes beyond the money. The October edition of the PAJ publishes winning essays through the Josephine Kaszuba-Locke Scholarship, and scholarship recipients become part of the public record of Polish American students who have been honored by one of the community’s oldest and most respected institutions. For students who care about their heritage, that recognition matters.
Other Polish American Scholarships to Know About in 2026
The PAJF scholarship is an excellent opportunity, but students of Polish American descent should know that it is not the only option available to them. There are several other organizations that offer scholarship funding to eligible students with Polish heritage.
The Kosciuszko Foundation offers tuition scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students of Polish descent, with awards ranging from $1,000 to $12,000. These are among the most prestigious scholarships available to Polish American students, though the application process is more involved and deadlines for the 2026 cycle fall in late February with recommendation letters due in early March.
The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America (PRCUA) offers two types of scholarships, including non-member educational scholarships and fraternal scholarships for members. The Polish American Congress of Michigan runs a separate scholarship grant program for students in that state. The American Polish Cultural Society and the Polish Century Club also offer awards to eligible students, though these tend to be more locally focused.
The advantage of the PAJF scholarship over some of these alternatives is its open national reach, its no-fee application, and its relatively late August deadline, which gives students who are just finishing the school year more time to prepare a thorough application. For students who missed earlier deadlines in 2026, the PAJF scholarship is one of the best remaining opportunities available.
PAJF Membership and How to Support the Foundation
The PAJF is a membership-based nonprofit, and its scholarship program is funded in part by donations from members and supporters of the Polish American community. If you are interested in supporting the work the PAJF does, whether as a past scholarship recipient, a Polish American community member, or simply someone who believes in the importance of cultural preservation, membership is open to all and donations are accepted in any amount.
All donations to the PAJF are tax-deductible, and the foundation’s Federal Tax ID number is 46-4279861. Membership levels range from Friend of the PAJF for any amount up to $49.99, through Individual, Family, Sustaining, Patron, Benefactor, and up to the Chairman’s Circle for donations of $2,500 or more. Members who donate $50 or more receive a courtesy subscription to the Polish American Journal.
As a PAJF member, you can also suggest causes and organizations you think deserve the foundation’s support. The board reviews member suggestions and creates a ballot of the most-requested causes, which members then vote on. This participatory model makes the PAJF a genuinely community-driven organization, not just a top-down institution.
Final Thoughts: Do Not Wait on This One
The Polish American Journal Foundation 2026 Scholarship is a genuine, accessible, and meaningful opportunity for students of Polish descent who are pursuing higher education in the United States. With a first-place award of $1,500, a second-place award of $500, no application fee, and a deadline of August 31, 2026, this is a program that rewards preparation and sincerity over everything else.
If you have Polish or Polish American heritage, are a full-time college student or confirmed incoming student, are a U.S. citizen, and can speak meaningfully to your involvement in the Polish community, then you are eligible. The rest comes down to how seriously you take your application.
Start working on your essay early. Think carefully about what your connection to Polish American culture means to you and what you plan to do with it. Gather your academic documents and any supporting materials. And get everything submitted well before the August 31 deadline.
To download the official 2026-27 application and access all program details, visit the Polish American Journal Foundation scholarship page and apply today. This is your community investing in your future. Make the most of it.
