Application period begins Friday for $24,000 Alworth Scholarships
“Our organization exists to give this money away, and we don’t want students to assume they don’t qualify for a scholarship when in fact they really may.” -- Alworth Executive Director Patty Salo Downs
The Marshall H. and Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund, which has awarded $57.8 million in scholarships to northern Minnesota students, begins its annual application period on Nov. 1, 2024. Applications for scholarships totaling $24,000 are due by Jan. 15, 2025.
Since 1949, Alworth scholarships have been awarded to dedicated high school seniors planning to enroll in four-year institutions to pursue careers in the science, mathematics, engineering and medical fields. Each scholarship is now $24,000 ($6,000 per year), available to applicants residing in one of these northern Minnesota counties: Aitkin, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Lake, Itasca, Koochiching and St Louis.
“The Alworth Memorial Fund is proud to have helped thousands of dedicated young people go on to make a big difference in the world through their contributions in the mathematics, science, engineering and medical fields,” said Alworth Board President Marieta Johnson. “We can’t wait to see what this year’s class will bring.”
Alworth Executive Director Patty Salo Downs said the application process is not complicated, taking only about two hours. “When the result could be a $24,000 scholarship, that works out to $12,000 an hour, so it’s well worth the effort to apply,” said Salo Downs. “Our organization exists to give this money away, and we don’t want students to assume they don’t qualify for a scholarship when in fact they really may.”
To assist students in filling out an application, the website – www.AlworthScholarship.org – includes tips for applying, eligibility criteria, majors funded and videos from scholarship recipients encouraging students to apply.
“We encourage high school seniors and their families to review the helpful information on our website, but do it soon because the Jan. 15 application deadline isn’t that far off,” added Salo Downs.
Since 1949, the Alworth Memorial Fund has awarded $57.8 million in scholarships to 5,390 students in northern Minnesota. As of 2024, there are over 260 active participants in the Alworth Scholarship program pursuing their degrees in colleges and universities across the U.S. and abroad.
