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Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation
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      a JCLF Library Initiative
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Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation

An armed man is a citizen; unarmed, he is merely a subject

Apply for a Scholarship

Apply for a Scholarship

Notice to Applicants
 
Thank you for your interest in the Jeff Cooper Legacy Foundation scholarship.  This prestigious award provides tuition for the 250 Defensive Pistol Course at Gunsite Academy in Paulden, Arizona.  Applicants should note that they will be responsible for all expenses beyond tuition.
 
Gunsite Academy is internationally recognized as the gold standard in firearms training, founded on the principles established by Colonel Jeff Cooper, a pioneer in America’s firearms traditions and training.   Earning this scholarship is not only a significant honor but also a unique opportunity to train in the Cooper tradition.
 
We encourage all applicants to approach this process with careful thought and purpose.  To apply, you must submit your application plus a letter of recommendation from a sponsor who can speak to your qualifications and suitability for this scholarship.  A valid sponsor is someone other than the applicant or applicants family member.  This endorsement is a critical component of the application, offering the Board of Directors valuable insight into how your selection helps fulfill the Foundation’s mission.  This letter must include contact information for your sponsor.
 
Applications that do not meet these requirements will be considered incomplete and will be rejected.  
 
We look forward to reviewing your application and commend you for pursuing this opportunity.
 
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Jeff Cooper founded Gunsite in 1976 to be a school where the private citizen could learn the fundamentals of self-defense, and the safe and appropriate use of personal firearms. Since its inception in 2006, and in keeping with this spirit, the JCLF has awarded scholarships to a wide array of worthy applicants of all ages, from law enforcement to housewives, from pastors to high school students. Some of our recipients have been inspired to become firearms instructors themselves.

If you would like to be considered for a JCLF scholarship, please submit the application HERE.

Categories

Instagram

Our latest scholarship recipients at the Sconce October 30, 2026.
Lindy with Jesse Duffield, Lance Duffield and Kevin Ward.
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Our latest scholarship recipients at the Sconce October 30, 2026. Lindy with Jesse Duffield, Lance Duffield and Kevin Ward.
7 days ago
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1/9
Col. Cooper with his sporterized #3040krag at #gunsite. Photo restored & enhanced using Ai.
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Col. Cooper with his sporterized #3040krag at #gunsite. Photo restored & enhanced using Ai.
2 weeks ago
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2/9
#theguru
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#theguru
3 weeks ago
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3/9
What do you suppose the lesson being taught here is? #Tommygun #JeffCooper #API
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What do you suppose the lesson being taught here is? #Tommygun #JeffCooper #API
3 weeks ago
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4/9
Our latest scholarship recipients at the Sconce October 2, 2026.  Eric Brooks, Mike Metzler, Lindy, David Lis and Mildred Chernofsky.
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Our latest scholarship recipients at the Sconce October 2, 2026. Eric Brooks, Mike Metzler, Lindy, David Lis and Mildred Chernofsky.
1 month ago
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5/9
Hear, hear!
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Hear, hear!
2 months ago
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6/9
Jeff with some of his earliest and youngest students, perhaps?  Big Bear Lake, California.
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Jeff with some of his earliest and youngest students, perhaps? Big Bear Lake, California.
2 months ago
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7/9
If you are a shooting/gun club with a place to meet and space for a library, we are offering to seed your own version of The Cooper Shelf with a selection of Jeff Cooper’s books to get you started.  Please visit our website for details.  jeffcooperfoundation.org &  Spread the word!  Thank you!!
•
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If you are a shooting/gun club with a place to meet and space for a library, we are offering to seed your own version of The Cooper Shelf with a selection of Jeff Cooper’s books to get you started. Please visit our website for details. jeffcooperfoundation.org & Spread the word! Thank you!!
2 months ago
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8/9
Jeff out with daughter, Parry, doing some shooting.  August 1970.
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Jeff out with daughter, Parry, doing some shooting. August 1970.
2 months ago
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9/9
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Links:

links




Our Mission:

Our purpose is to promote and perpetuate the teachings and philosophy of Jeff Cooper, with special emphasis on the proper techniques for the use of small arms, the importance of self-reliance and the individual right and duty of self-defense.

The Foundation awards scholarships for training and education in the Cooper tradition.   In addition, it preserves, archives and maintains  Colonel Cooper’s writings and personal collections so that they may provide study and learning opportunities and inspiration for generations to come.

Photo Gallery

The "Sconce" taking shape.
The "Sconce" taking shape.
 Miradero in 1904.
Miradero in 1904.
 Proficient draw requires practice.
Proficient draw requires practice.
Jeff's older sister, Austeen "Phyllis" Cooper
Jeff's older sister, Austeen "Phyllis" Cooper
This photo was taken in the backyard of our house in Big Bear at 8 Robin Road
This photo was taken in the backyard of our house in Big Bear at 8 Robin Road
 Jeff in his R.O.T.C. uniform, Los Angeles High School.
Jeff in his R.O.T.C. uniform, Los Angeles High School.

Random Quote:

“This day I completed my thirty-first year, and conceived that I had in all human probability now existed about half the period which I am to remain in this sublunary world. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little, indeed, to further the happiness of the human race or to advance the information of the succeeding generation. I viewed with regret the many hours I have spent in indolence, and now sorely felt the want of that information which those hours would have given me had they been judiciously expended. But since they are past and cannot be recalled, I dash from me the gloomy thought, and resolved in future, to redouble my exertions and at least indeavor to promote those two primary objects of human existence, by giving them the aid of that portion of talents which nature and fortune have bestoed in me; or in future, to live for MANKIND, as I have heretofore lived for MYSELF.” (sic).

Meriweather Lewis

Products

  • Yukon Journal by Jeff Cooper - Free Shipping!!! Yukon Journal by Jeff Cooper - Free Shipping!!! $50.00
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