The scholarship helps students who have financial need and who are “late bloomers,” meaning a little late starting college or those who turned around their academic prospects while in high school. Students may use the award at any two- or four-year college or university. Kenneth and Concetta Schoen of Duluth established the fund to help students who have not consistently displayed high academic ability in the classroom but who have the potential to successfully complete postsecondary work and would otherwise be financially unable to attend a college or university.
Eligible applicants must be graduates of Duluth Denfeld, Duluth East, or Harbor City International School. They must demonstrate financial need and show how they have overcome challenges.
The Kenz Award recognizes the role Patricia McKenzie played and the long-lasting influence she had in the Fund Creator’s lives and the lives of girls in the Two Harbors community. Patricia McKenzie, through her roles as a Two Harbors High School girls’ physical education teacher, girls swimming and aqua maids coach and girl scout leader, shared her love of physical activities of all kinds – hiking, canoeing, camping, swimming, skiing – and simply spending time outdoors. Kenz created – often single handedly – opportunities for girls to participate in physical activities and to pursue wilderness adventures. Opportunities girls were often denied during those decades. Through those experiences, girls learned they could be strong and self-sufficient– both physically and mentally.
Eligible applicants must identify as female and be graduating seniors from Two Harbors High School. They should demonstrate an interest in physical activities, sports, and/or the outdoors and wilderness adventures, and exemplify the character of Kenz—showing courage to be themselves, a drive to make things happen, and a commitment to community service.
The fund was established from proceeds of the sale of a medical library collected by Dr. David Tilderquist, a prominent area physician
Eligible applicants are University of Minnesota-Duluth Medical School students who have completed at least one year of medical school. They must be certified by the Medical School as students in good standing and demonstrate financial need as determined by the UMD Medical School Financial Aid Office.
The Lawrence E. and Mabel Jackson Rudberg Scholarship Fund helps graduating seniors from Two Harbors Senior High School and from Duluth public and private high schools. Lawrence and Mabel Rudberg, from Duluth and Two Harbors, respectively, spent their lives teaching. Lawrence was a professor of economics, and Mabel was an elementary school teacher. They recognized the importance of higher education and wanted to help others pursue college degrees.
Eligible applicants are graduates of Two Harbors High School (preferred), or Duluth Denfeld, Duluth East, Marshall School, Harbor City International School, or Lakeview Christian Academy. They must demonstrate financial need, have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and show strong academic performanc
The Mary H. Rice Scholarship Fund for Native Students supports higher education. Mary H. Rice, known as the “Queen of Bayfield,” devoted her life to enriching the Chequamegon Bay area through her creativity, generosity, and commitment to community. A former Northland College board member, she championed education, youth programs, senior services, and the arts. Her legacy continues through this scholarship, which reflects her deep love for the region and its people.
Eligible applicants must be enrolled members of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, or Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. They must have graduated from high school or earned a GED and plan to pursue postsecondary education through a certificate, diploma, associate degree, or bachelor's degree program.
The Minnesota Power Foundation Positively Powerful Scholarship Fund provides need-based scholarships to deserving students in Minnesota Power’s service area who demonstrate integrity, academic achievement, grit and perseverance. These scholarships minimize financial barriers to higher education while creating an economically thriving and culturally vibrant talent community in northeast and central Minnesota.
Applicants must be graduates of a Minnesota high school located in the Minnesota Power service community and reside in one of the following counties: Aitkin, Benton, Carlton, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, Morrison, Otter Tail, Pine, St. Louis, Stearns, Todd, or Wadena. They must be pursuing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, Economics, Education (Math & Science), Engineering, Math, Science, or Technology, or an AA/AS degree in fields such as Business or STEM. Applicants must attend one of the following institutions: Central Lakes College, the College of St. Scholastica, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Hibbing Community College, Iron Range Engineering, Itasca Community College, Lake Superior College, Leech Lake Tribal College, Mesabi Range College, Rainy River Community College, the University of Minnesota Duluth, or Vermilion Community College. They must also demonstrate financial need, with an expected family contribution of no more than $25,000, have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and show grit and perseverance.
The Minnesota Section, Society of Mining Metallurgy and Exploration Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to individuals for the undergraduate study of engineering or geology. The fund supports college students and high school seniors pursuing engineering or geology studies at a Minnesota college or university. It gives priority to those who express an interest in working in the Minnesota mining industry.
Applicants must either be residents of Minnesota at the time of their high school graduation or attend a Minnesota college or university, including two-year colleges with the intent to transfer to a four-year institution. They must demonstrate financial need, have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and be pursuing a field of study in Engineering or Geology.
The Modern Woodmen of America Scholarship Fund was established by the Duluth Camp No. 2341 of Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal life insurance organization, to help non-traditional students in financial need. Applicants must be in the last half of an undergraduate associate’s or bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the College of St. Scholastica or Lake Superior College and be a primary caregiver to one or more children.
Applicants must be at least 22 years old and a single head of household, serving as the primary caregiver to one or more children under the age of 18. They must have completed at least 50% of their course instruction at the time of the award and be attending the University of Minnesota Duluth, the College of St. Scholastica, or Lake Superior College. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and show involvement in community or extracurricular activities.
The Northern Wisconsin Outdoor Experiential Education Fund helps residents of Chequamegon Bay communities participate in high-quality outdoors education programs. Applicants should demonstrate financial need and be among groups typically under-represented in outdoors education. Anonymous donors who benefitted from outdoors experiences in their lives created the scholarship to help others benefit from similar experiences.
Applicants must have lived in the Chequamegon Bay communities of Red Cliff, Bayfield, Madeline Island, Washburn, Ashland, or Bad River for at least four years and be at least 16 years old. They must demonstrate financial need and have been accepted to a program that emphasizes non-motorized travel in the backcountry, engages in environmentally sustainable practices, encourages participation from underrepresented groups in outdoor education, and promotes social responsibility. Qualified programs include the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, Environmental Traveling Companions, National Outdoor Leadership School, No Barriers USA, Northland College, Outward Bound, and Wilderness Inquiry.
The Northern Wisconsin Teacher Education Scholarship Fund helps students from the communities around Chequamegon Bay pursuing an education degree at Northland College in Ashland. Anonymous donors who embraced education and the northern Wisconsin communities around the Chequamegon Bay created the scholarship to help young people in the region.
Applicants must be graduates of Ashland High School, Bayfield High School, or Washburn High School, or residents for at least four years of the communities served by the Apostle Islands Area Community Fund or the Chequamegon Bay Area Community Fund. They must attend Northland College and demonstrate financial need. The field of study must be Education, and applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
The Northwoods Educational Opportunities Fund provides financial support for high school seniors and graduates of Mercer and Chequamegon (Park Falls) schools, as well as residents of the Town of Sherman.
Applicants must be graduates of Mercer or Park Falls, Wisconsin (Chequamegon School District), or residents of the Town of Sherman in Iron County, Wisconsin, regardless of the high school attended. They must be entering a post-secondary educational program at a two-year (or less) vocational/technical college or a four-year college or university (Master’s or doctoral students are not eligible). Applicants must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, demonstrate financial need, and participate in community service, volunteering, or leadership activities.
Patricia Scheiderick Gustafson graduated from Denfeld High School in 1956. She was valedictorian, a cheerleader, first-chair clarinet and a choir member. She attended UMD, graduating with a cum laude degree in English. She raised a family in Duluth and taught part-time.
Applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.4 and must attend the University of Minnesota Duluth, the College of St. Scholastica, or Lake Superior College.