Before there was a foundation in his father’s name, Jim Schafer Jr. had spent years helping young people through coaching. The Jim Knute Schafer Foundation grew from that same commitment: find a way to help, start with the resources available, and keep working toward the next opportunity.
Its scholarship work has followed that approach. The Foundation began by contributing to other scholarship funds while working toward the resources needed to establish a fund of its own.
A Coaching Legacy Behind the Foundation
Jim and his father, Jim Knute Schafer, built relationships with young athletes that lasted beyond a season. Former players stayed in touch, and many became coaches themselves. Helping a student move forward was part of the work, whether that meant teaching the game, offering encouragement or making a connection.
After both of his parents died in 2024 following their battles with dementia, Jim decided on his father’s first birthday after his passing to establish a foundation in his name. He wanted to continue helping the kinds of student-athletes they had spent their lives trying to reach.
That purpose connects the Foundation’s work in sports, education and community support. Scholarships are one way to carry it forward.
Starting by Supporting Other Scholarship Funds
When Jim described the Foundation’s scholarship work in September 2026, he explained that it was still at the grassroots stage.
“We’ve been donating to other scholarship funds because we haven’t raised the funds to create our own scholarship fund.”
Contributing to existing efforts gave the Foundation a way to help student-athletes while building toward something of its own. Its early work included donating to and helping broadcast Battle by the Bay, a basketball showcase and scholarship fund.
That distinction matters for families learning about the Foundation. Supporting scholarship funds is part of its story already. Establishing and funding its own scholarship opportunities is the next step it is working toward.
Reaching More Young People Takes Support
Jim’s recent statement of the Foundation’s goals puts scholarships alongside funding and equipment as ways to reach more kids. He and Debby Schafer are committed to helping as many student-athletes as they can, and expanding that work takes donations and volunteers.
The Foundation has also partnered with G5 Dynasty Elite Basketball and Born Winner All Star Football to help children travel and compete when cost might otherwise prevent them from taking part. Those efforts share a purpose with its scholarship ambitions: helping young people gain access to opportunities their families may struggle to afford.
Jim reports that the Foundation has helped raise and donated more than $50,000 for people in need across its work. That figure reflects the Foundation’s broader support, including community needs; it is not a total of scholarships awarded.
The ability to grow a scholarship fund depends on the resources available. As Jim explained, “The budget and donations are the limit to our scholarships.”
Building Toward a Scholarship Fund of Its Own
The Foundation’s Scholarships page provides a place to share opportunities as they become available and to connect with people interested in helping fund them.
Individuals, families and businesses can contact the Foundation to discuss what they would like to support. That conversation could include the possibility of a scholarship honoring a family member, coach or mentor. The funding, eligibility and other details would need to be worked out with the Foundation before an opportunity is announced.
Families should look to the Scholarships page for confirmed opportunities and any published award amounts, deadlines and application instructions. The developing program does not yet mean that an application period or a particular award has been announced.
Help Create the Next Opportunity
The Foundation’s scholarship story is still being written. It begins with a family’s coaching legacy, continues through contributions to existing scholarship efforts, and looks ahead to what a wider circle of supporters could make possible.
To discuss helping fund a scholarship or supporting the Foundation’s work, contact the Jim Knute Schafer Foundation. Students and families can visit the Scholarships page for opportunities as they are announced.