Joe Francis’ entrepreneurial spirit started at the age of 17, when he became the youngest licensed barber in the State of Minnesota. In 1957, Joe and his wife, Flo, opened a one-chair shop in West St. Paul, Minnesota where Joe’s spectacular journey of realizing his American Dream began.

A Master at his craft, Joe attracted success through his powerful self-confidence, positive outlook, faith in his associates and his vision to transform and elevate the industry. Joe earned worldwide recognition in hair competitions, particularly proficient in the razor cut; he became an expert and created a new technique and salon concept. In 1963, he introduced The Barbers Hairstyling for Men to the barber industry which was the first full-service salon for men that offered men’s facials, manicures, and his new unique razor cut technique.

Always in the forefront of industry trends, Joe’s ambition and vision to raise the stature of the hair care profession inspired him to pioneer a hair franchise development of The Barbers Hairstyling for Men. This venture was uncharted territory and a great personal risk for Joe and Flo. Together they gathered up their savings, used their credit cards, and got bank loans to develop this new salon concept. In 1968, The Barbers, Inc. became a publicly-traded corporation.

Being the first to franchise in the industry, Joe and Flo saw much success with The Barbers, giving prosperous opportunities to many barbers and stylists with the ability to own and manage their own salons. Having achieved a position of admiration and respect in the hair industry, Joe’s vision knew no bounds.

To be considered, an applicant must be currently applying for entrance into Cosmetology/Barber School, OR actively enrolled in a Cosmetology/Barber program.

If you graduate from Cosmetology or Barber School between the dates of January 1st through August 31st of the current award year, you are NOT eligible. Esthetician or Nail training students are NOT eligible.

The Application Process:

• During the application season, January 1st thru June 1st: Use the “Apply Online” link online to start your application process. Please review your application carefully to include all financial information, and respond to each question. Incomplete applications cannot be submitted.
• For your convenience, the process allows you to save your application as a draft, to return to complete as needed.
• Please follow the instructions (the online process will guide you through) to submit two letters of recommendation, only when the two letters of recommendation are received will you be allowed to submit your entire application for consideration.
• Deadline to submit application is June 1, 2026.
• All applicants will be notified in September of award status.

Scholarship Amount: $3000 (15 awards)

Application Deadline: June 1, 2026