08/27/2026
We have BIG news to share!!! 🎉
For Immediate Release:
Alworth Scholarship Amount Increases, Board Prepares for Leadership Transition
The Marshall H. & Nellie Alworth Memorial Fund officially opens the annual Alworth Scholarship application on Sunday, November 1st for high school seniors in a 10-county region of northeastern Minnesota. This year, students will be applying for a newly increased amount. Finance Chair, Kurt Brooks announced, “The Alworth Memorial Fund strives to help students financially and will be providing $28,000 scholarships starting with next year’s awards to help deal with increasing college costs.” This is up from the previous award of $24,000. Scholarship recipients are selected and notified in the spring. $3,500 will disperse to each awardee twice a year over four years while they earn a bachelor’s degree in a math, science, engineering, or medical field.
The award amount increase isn’t the only change for the Fund this year. Board President Marieta Johnson will be retiring from the Board and Brooks will step into the role. He has served on the board since 2018 in a variety of roles and is an Alworth alumni scholar (’73). “It has been an honor to serve as President, and I know the future is secure with Kurt’s leadership,” said Johnson.
Last summer, the organization hired a new Executive Director, Breanne Tepler. The staff and Board have ensured a seamless transition immediately impacting the application process, marketing and communications, and strategic planning. “We’re planning technology updates over the next two years that will improve the application process for students and help us preserve the history of the Fund,” Tepler shared.
Since 1949, the Alworth Memorial Fund has granted scholarships that support students going into a math, science, engineering, or medicine related field with high scholastic records and financial need in the Alworth Memorial Fund region. The Fund has awarded thousands of scholarships, amounting to more than $60 million.
