Henry W. Bloch Scholarship

• Funds to pay for tuition and fees each semester*. (Scholarship is renewable for up to six semesters.)
• A personal coach to help you learn the ropes and stay motivated.
• The opportunity to continue your education and renew your scholarship at UMKC when you complete your Associate in Arts degree (General) with an emphasis in Liberal Arts from Donnelly College.
• Encouragement to keep working toward your dream.

 *Recipients may not qualify for any other Donnelly College Scholarships

• Complete the Donnelly College Scholarship Application and the Henry W. Bloch Scholarship Application. Submit the applications with supporting documents by the March 1, 2019 deadline to your admissions representative or to:

         Meg Jordan
         Henry W. Bloch Scholars Coach/Advisor
         608 North 18th Street
         Kansas City, KS 66102

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov and include a copy of your Student Aid Report 2019-2020 provide by FAFSA with the application
• Include two letters of recommendation from one of the following: an instructor, a college counselor, staff or administrator or a high school counselor or administrator with the application
• Include a one-page supplemental essay
• Include official and in progress transcripts from your high school or wherever you received your diploma and all transcripts for all college course work and institutions attended

It's the American dream. Two men start a company on a $5,000 loan and a prayer and turn it into one of the most successful companies in the world. It becomes a tax service that serves more than 24 million customers at more than 13,000 retail outlets and whose own tax return shows billions in income.

It is an amazing success story. Yet the H in H&R Block, Henry Bloch, was not a scholar.

Kansas City roots

Henry Bloch was born in 1922 and attended Southwest High School. He was an average student at best, struggling to make the grades. His college career spanned the University of Kansas City and the University of Michigan, from which he graduated in 1944.

After distinguished WWII service, he and his brother Leon founded a bookkeeping company, the United Business Company. After several disappointing months, Leon left the business and another brother, Richard, joined the company.

On the brink of cancelling one of the side services they offered clients, tax preparation, they were persuaded to try running an ad. The day it ran, Henry received a fateful message from his brother, "Hank, get back as quick as you can. We've got an office full of people!"

The rest is history

In 1955, the two brothers founded H&R Block. In just a few weeks. they grossed more than $20,000. The next year, they made more than $65,000.

In 1957, they began franchising the business. In 1962, the company made $800,000 and became a public company. Today it is a multi-billion dollar company.

A scholarship with a twist

In honor of his retirement from the Corporation, The H&R Block Foundation created a scholarship in Henry Bloch's honor that does NOT require a high GPA, high ACT score or a high rank in school. Since 2000, this scholarship has provided funds for tuition and fees for average students like himself who have the drive and determination to succeed.