About the Scholarship

When comparing Texas REALTORS® membership demographics as a whole versus the demographics of the association’s commercial members, we can see significant disparities emerge. For example, Black and African Americans comprise 10% of total membership but only 3% of commercial membership. Similarly, those identifying as Hispanic or Latino include 15% of full membership but only 9% of commercial membership. The TACS Scholarship is intended to encourage greater diversity in commercial real estate and alleviate these types of gaps.

The Texas REALTORS® TACS Scholarship is for members with less than five years of experience in real estate who have faced discrimination, exclusion, or hardship in their entry into commercial real estate based on their status in a protected class. Protected classes include race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The scholarship aims to increase diversity in commercial real estate services by funding scholarship recipients’ completion of the Texas Accredited Commercial Specialist (TACS) program. The total scholarship value is approximately $1,000 per recipient and covers the following TACS program costs:

  • TACS 1: Introduction to Commercial Real Estate (30-hour course)
  • TACS 2: Commercial Real Estate Property Development (30-hour course)
  • TACS 3: Commercial Real Estate Marketing & Negotiation (30-hour course)
  • TACS certification application fee

Additionally, scholarship recipients may be eligible for reimbursement for one night of hotel accommodations at a Texas REALTORS® annual meeting.

For more information on the TACS program, please see the FAQs. REALTORS® who are already in the process of completing the TACS program are not eligible for the scholarship.

Funding

Scholarship funds for the TACS coursework will be disbursed incrementally by Texas REALTORS® to the TACS course providers on behalf of scholarship recipients before each TACS course. Funding for a TACS course other than TACS 1 is contingent upon recipients’ successful completion of the preceding course. Scholarship recipients shall provide an advance 30-day notice to scholarship@texasrealtors.com of any specific TACS course they wish to attend. This will ensure timely payment by Texas REALTORS® to the TACS course providers. Any payments made by a recipient directly to the TACS course provider will not be reimbursed. 

Texas REALTORS® will waive recipients’ TACS certification application fee upon completing the coursework and submitting an otherwise completed TACS Certification Application. 

Lastly, Texas REALTORS® will reimburse recipients for one night of hotel accommodations (standard rate plus taxes and fees only) at the following Texas REALTORS® annual meeting — the Texas REALTORS® Winter Meeting or Texas REALTORS® Conference — following the date of recipients’ TACS certifications, provided: (i) the recipient does not live locally in the area where the meeting is being held; and (ii) the recipient submits a request for reimbursement, with a copy of the receipt enclosed, to scholarship@texasrealtors.com within 60 days of incurring the cost.

Requirements

To receive the total scholarship value, scholarship recipients must:

  • Complete all TACS coursework within one (1) year of being awarded the scholarship.
  • Within (3) years of completing all coursework, obtain a TACS certification* from Texas REALTORS® under the TACS Program.
  • Within 60 days of incurring hotel costs eligible for reimbursement, properly submit a request for reimbursement.

*To obtain a TACS certification, recipients must, among other TACS program requirements, complete two commercial transactions after beginning TACS 1.

Application

The recipients of the 2023 scholarships have been notified. The application submission period is currently closed.