Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation

08/18/2026

Spud Athletics+FREE Popcorn+Make a Difference=152Club!
🧡🖤🥔🧡🖤
Every classroom starts with potential.
A student chasing a dream.
A teacher sparking innovation.
A community showing up when it matters most.
This past spring alone, MLEF awarded more than $117,000 in scholarships to 80 graduating seniors — helping students take the next step toward their future.
But the impact doesn’t stop there.
MLEF helps provide milk and snacks to students in need, because no child should have to learn on an empty stomach.
And through Spud Impact Grants, teachers are bringing bold new ideas to life — inside and outside the classroom.
Want to make a difference?
Join the 152Club and support the pride of Spud Nation.
With your annual $152 donation, you’ll receive a Spuds Activity Pass plus free popcorn at all MHS regular season home events.
Every dollar helps fuel opportunities for Moorhead students and educators.
https://moorheadlegacyeducationfoundation.ddock.gives/?givingPageId=07e430ca-238a-4a63-941b-96ec638cf648

08/07/2026

: Our Executive Director, Janelle Leiseth was on the North Dakota Today Show with Host and Producer, Bijanca, a proud Spud Alum!

Watch the link for details on how you can support Spuds during our school supply drive, running through August 12th.

Moorhead drop-off sites are listed on our page. Students are in need of new or gently used backpacks, and basics like paper, notebooks, folders, pens and pencils, crayons and more.

recurring recording of North Dakota Today on KVLY

08/07/2026

We are pleased to announce MLEF has been awarded a $5000 Community Grant from FM Area Foundation. We are grateful for their trust in our mission to support and enhance the educational experience of all Moorhead students. We look forward to celebrating the foundation's community-wide generosity at their upcoming Summer Celebration on August 11th.

Thank you, FM Area Foundation!
. .

The FM Area Foundation is the community foundation created by and for the people of Cass County, North Dakota, and Clay County, Minnesota. The FM Area Foundation helps people give back to the community and ensures the needs of the community are addressed now and in perpetuity. Working in partnership with individuals, families, businesses and professional advisors, the FM Area Foundation manages charitable funds and provides grants to qualified nonprofit organizations and scholarships to students. The FM Area Foundation has been serving the community through philanthropy since 1960.

07/29/2026

Thank you to Stacia Sytsma, Executive Director of the Greater MBA for having our ED, Janelle Leiseth speak at a recent "Let's Do Business" to discuss our mission to support the educational experiences of Moorhead students! Stacia was instrumental in helping us make some business connections for the district's school supply drive. Many thanks to the following businesses who have agreed to be a drop-off site for school supplies leading up to August 12th:
702 Communications (702 Main Ave)
Good Shepherd - Moorhead (4000 28th St S)
Moorhead American Legion Post 21 (303 30th St N)
Swing Barrel Brewing Company, LLC (814 Center Ave)
Valley Premier Bank in Moorhead (3004 14th St S)

Stacia met with Janelle and they explored the incredible work Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation is doing for kids in the community.

Janelle shared just how much need there is right now, and honestly, that is a hard fact to swallow. But in the middle of that need, Moorhead Legacy Foundation is showing up in such meaningful ways. They are helping make sure kids have opportunities, support, and resources that can truly make a difference. We are so grateful to have organizations like Moorhead Legacy Foundation in our community, doing the quiet but powerful work that matters so much. Thank you, Janelle, for taking the time to meet and for all you do for Moorhead's kids.

07/15/2026

We are pleased to share we have five drop-off locations for our Spuds Care School Supplies Drive! Bring new (or gently used) backpacks and supplies to any of these locations in the next four weeks leading up to August 12th.

*If your business or nonprofit would like host a drop-off spot, message us by emailing [email protected] today!

Moorhead American Legion Post 21 (303 30th St N)
702 Communications (702 Main Ave)
Valley Premier Bank in Moorhead (3004 14th St S)
Swing Barrel Brewing Company, LLC (814 Center Ave)
Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd - Moorhead (4000 28th St S)

07/13/2026

Thank you to the Greater MBA for having Executive Director, Janelle Leiseth speak at a recent Wednesday "Let's Talk Business" lunch. Our foundation is partnering with local businesses to collect school supplies for the upcoming school year. We are able to deliver signs and collection bins to businesses who want to help with this effort - message us if you are interested in becoming a drop-off site. Thank you!

This week at Let’s Talk Business, we were joined by Janelle Leiseth from the Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation, and what a great reminder of how much good is happening for Moorhead students.

The Legacy Foundation supports and enhances educational experiences for Moorhead Area Public Schools through scholarships, staff grants, Food For Thought, Spud History, and more. Their work helps past, present, and future Spuds feel supported, seen, and celebrated.

Janelle also shared a very simple way our business community can help right now. Every year, by the time backpacks and school supplies make it to Moorhead, they are often already gone. They are looking for businesses willing to host donation bins for school supplies at their workplace.

If your business would be willing to have a donation bin, please reply to this post and we will help connect you.

Thank you, Janelle, for sharing the heart behind this work and for giving our members a way to show up for Moorhead students!

07/13/2026

Our latest e-newsletter was sent out to donors and sponsors in thanks for their impact during the 2025-26 school year. We are grateful to those dedicated to our mission to support and enhance educational experiences for all Moorhead Spuds.

Below, you'll find a report on the impact made possible for the students and staff of Moorhead Schools. We are grateful for your support!

06/24/2026

Hey, look at this! Our mailbox is overflowing with thank you notes and letters from Moorhead students who have received scholarships this year. The MLEF SpudScholars program would not exist without YOU, our donors. These notes of gratitude are for you, too!

06/19/2026

Congratulations to this year's Post-secondary Spud Scholar Awardees. These MHS Alumni have won premium scholarships that are made possible by the Pitsenbarger Family Fund:

•Abbigale Kurpius, attending Minnesota State University Moorhead
•Ella Cole, attending University of MN Duluth
•Karena Christenson, attending Pennsylvania State University
•Malik Smith, attending Concordia College

Congratulations!
~MLEF Board of Directors & Staff

04/28/2026

For Immediate Release:
Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation Celebrates 35 Years of Spud Scholarships

The Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation (MLEF) is proud to mark a significant milestone this spring as it celebrates 35 years of the Spud Scholars program. Since its inception in 1991, the foundation has been a cornerstone of support for Moorhead Area Public Schools ISD152, awarding over $2 million in scholarships to approximately 2,200 graduating seniors to assist in their pursuit of post-secondary education.

This year’s awards ceremony continues a powerful community tradition of "Spuds helping Spuds." In 2024, the foundation reached a major financial goal by building its endowed scholarship funds to $1.52 million. This milestone ensures the perpetuity of the program, allowing the foundation to use interest from these funds to provide annual scholarships ranging from $500 to several thousand dollars to deserving students.
“The Spud Scholars program has been awarding scholarships to graduating seniors since 1991, and reaching this 35-year anniversary is a testament to the generosity of our community,” says Janelle Leiseth, Executive Director of MLEF. “Every donation, from our annual Spud Phonathon to individual endowments, helps create a lasting legacy for learning for Moorhead students."

The scholarship awards are funded through individuals who set up endowments, through business and organizational support, and through the annual Spud Phonathon, which is completely driven by student callers. MLEF is awarding 76 individual scholarships to graduating seniors, and 4 Moorhead alumni scholarships later this spring, totaling over $117,000.00 in financial support for post-secondary education.

A full list of this year's Spud Scholars and their respective awards will be published and announced following the MHS Award Ceremony, which will be held on Wednesday, April 29th at 7pm.

About Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation:
The Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the educational experiences of all students within the Moorhead Area Public Schools district. Beyond the Spud Scholars program, MLEF supports students and staff through the Food for Thought initiative and Spud Impact grants for innovative programming and classroom projects.