Opportunity
The Wisconsin 4-H Foundation will award more than $20,000 in scholarships to outstanding Wisconsin 4-H members and alumni pursuing higher education in 2024. To be considered for financial support, applications will be accepted starting December 15, 2023, and must be received by the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation via email by Friday, March 1, 2024, 5:00 pm.
Wisconsin 4-H Foundation scholarships are awarded to students based on demonstrated personal growth through 4-H, development and leadership in 4-H, academic performance and future educational goals.
To be eligible for Wisconsin 4-H Foundation scholarships students must have been a Wisconsin
4-H member for at least three years; should have a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and be enrolled or planning to enroll at a university, college or technical school during the 2024-2025 academic school year. Scholarship winners from previous years are not eligible to receive a second 4-H Foundation scholarship.
All applications must adhere to the conventions outlined below. Any application that does not meet these requirements will not be considered. All documents must be emailed to the 4-H Foundation as one, two-page PDF. Any other cloud/internet shared documents will be NOT be accepted (do NOT use Google Docs, for example).
The application materials represent what youth may be asked to submit when applying for jobs. We encourage applicants to treat this process as if applying for a position. For help with creating cover letters and résumés, applicants should reach out to their club leaders, county educator or a teacher or parent.
Application
Applications must be emailed to scholarships@Wis4HFoundation.org. Applications will consist of a résumé and a cover letter. These two documents must be saved as one, two-paged PDF with page one the cover letter and page two the résumé.
Cover Letter
- Applicant’s name and contact information (including county where the applicant is/was a 4-Her) at the top of the page. Include email (choose one that will be active through Fall of 2024), address, phone.
- One page only – do not exceed one pageNo less than 3/4–inch margins and using type no smaller than 10 points
- Use this document to briefly describe your 4-H experience; to share how 4-H made an impact in your life, and to explain how you will be using lessons learned in 4-H as you move to higher education and into a career.
Résumé
- Applicant’s name and contact information (including county where the applicant is/was a 4-Her) at the top of the page. Include email (choose one that will be active through Fall of 2024), address, phone.
- One page only – do not exceed one page
- No less than 3/4–inch margins and using type no smaller than 10 points
- Suggested résumé headings include: Career Goals, School Experience, Work Experience, 4-H Projects and Activities, Leadership Experience, Activities Outside of 4-H
- Include probable school choice and major on your résumé
- Include a brief list of 4-H projects and activities that were most influential to you
Cover letter and résumés must be submitted via email as one, two-page PDF; must be named ApplicantLastName Application 2024 (example: Smith Application 2024), and must be attached to the transmittal email. No cloud sharing.
Résumé/cover letter PDFs must be received by the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation on or before March 1, 2024, 5:00 pm. Applications received after 5:00 pm, March 1, 2024 (as time stamped in the email), and any USPS mailed applications will not be considered. We encourage you to apply early.
Selection Process
A panel of experienced youth educators will screen the applications and select finalists. Applications chosen as finalists will be screened by a second panel comprised of 4-H and youth development experts. The finalist applications will be ranked. The 4-H Foundation will assign available scholarships to the top-ranking applications based on scholarship criteria (example: scholarships are available for specific geographical areas and project areas).
Notification
Applicants who are awarded scholarships will be notified by postal letter and email in May. This letter will include information about how to access the scholarship. Scholarship awardees are required to email a photo to the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation and provide a one-page thank you letter outlining 4-H experiences and future plans that the Foundation will send to the scholarship sponsor. Scholarship recipients and portions of their application materials (including their photo) may be featured in Wisconsin 4-H Foundation materials.
Questions
Call or email the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation: 608.262.1597 or Info@Wis4HFoundation.org
