Promote 4-H youth leadership with the Helping Hands and Food Partner Challenges

For everyone

Get ready to empower Minnesota 4-H youth to lead real change in their communities! Applications for both the Helping Hands Challenge and the Food Partner Challenge are live. Start sharing this exciting news with your local clubs, leaders, and youth now so they can begin brainstorming ideas.

These two distinct funding opportunities give 4-H members the resources to turn ideas into action and address pressing community needs. The Helping Hands Challenge offers $300 to $2,000 for broad, youth-led service projects across focus areas like STEM, environmental stewardship, arts, and mental health. The Food Partner Challenge provides $500 for youth-led groups to partner with local food shelves, food assistance programs, or community organizations to tackle food insecurity, with a focus on going beyond simple donations to create deeper, sustainable local impact. Both initiatives emphasize youth leadership, hands-on community engagement, and storytelling.

Mark your calendars for key program deadlines:

• Applications for both challenges close Nov. 6.
• Volunteer teams will review submissions through November.
• Award decisions will be announced in December.
• Funding checks will reach local clubs in January. 

Encourage your 4-H members to dream big and start drafting their project proposals today! You can access general program information on 4-H scholarships, grants and awards page under the awards section, or go directly to the applications:

• Helping Hands Challenge application
• Food Partner Challenge application

Miriam Huebner
Extension development stewardship coordinator

2026 Andrea Ruesch Scholarship recipients selected

For everyone

We're pleased to announce that the 2026 Andrea Ruesch Scholarship recipients have been selected! The Andrea Ruesch Scholarship (available to 4-H’ers from Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock, and Watonwan Counties) operates on an earlier timeline than all other 4-H scholarships. The remaining scholarship committees will be meeting and announcing recipients throughout April and May. Notification messages are being sent to all Ruesch applicants now (recipients and non-selected youth alike), so they can expect to hear from us very soon.

Congratulations to this year's recipients:

• Liv Vander Kooi, Nobles County 4-H
• Aubree Paplow, Cottonwood County 4-H
• Luella Beckendorf, Watonwan County 4-H
• Matthew Debates, Pipestone County 4-H
• Fiona Robillard, Cottonwood County 4-H
• Alyvia Caskey, Pipestone County 4-H
• Olyvia Weber, Pipestone County 4-H
• Renae Vancura, Jackson County 4-H
• Erica Doeden, Murray County 4-H
• Kaytlin Faber, Martin County 4-H
• McKade Tewes, Jackson County 4-H

Miriam Huebner

Extension development stewardship coordinator

Promote 2026 4-H scholarships: Help seniors secure funding!

For educators, county and regional support staff

Empower your local high school seniors and 4-H alumni by promoting the 2026 Minnesota 4-H scholarship season. These awards recognize years of leadership and "learning by doing" while providing vital financial support for post-secondary education. Direct families to the public 4-H scholarships and grants page for full eligibility details and application links.

Andrea Ruesch Regional Scholarship

If you serve Chippewa, Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock, or Watonwan County, mobilize your high school seniors immediately for the Andrea Ruesch Regional Scholarship. This $1,000 award focuses on hands-on leadership and carries an early March 1 deadline. Remind applicants that they must secure two letters of recommendation from non-family members (excluding Extension staff) and submit their materials via this direct application link.

Facilitate state-level applications

For all other state-level scholarships—including the Kern, Pace, and Schroeder awards—ensure youth submit their materials by the April 1 deadline. Most of these applications require official transcripts and two letters of recommendation. Encourage your youth to identify their references now to avoid the last-minute rush, and remind them that several of these awards are renewable or specific to certain career paths like agriculture or trade schools.

Access staff resources

Find promotional graphics, historical recipient data, and additional development resources on the YD Intranet. If you have specific questions about the application process or endowment details, contact the Extension development team at mnextdev@umn.edu.

Miriam Huebner

Extension development stewardship coordinator

Helping Hands Awards: 2026 pause

For educators

We're pausing the 4-H Helping Hands Award program for spring 2026 to ensure its long-term sustainability and impact. After spending aggressively for several years to invest $75k+ annually in community service and leadership projects for 4-H'ers, we need to take a one-time reset to re-sync when the endowments that fund Helping Hands are ready to spend with when we're sending checks to counties and clubs. As YD educators create program plans for the upcoming year, Helping Hands Awards won't be available this spring—but the program will return in either fall 2026 or spring 2027. This pause does not impact the 4-H Food Partner Challenge program, which is funded differently.

Brad Starbuck

Director of development

Scholarships recognize 28 outstanding 4-H youth and alumni

For everyone

Extension is pleased to announce that 28 outstanding 4-H youth and alumni will receive scholarships this year. These dedicated individuals stood out among 170 applicants through their achievements and commitment to 4-H values. Sincere gratitude goes to the scholarship committee members who carefully evaluated each application. Their dedication and thoughtful consideration were instrumental in identifying this year's exceptional recipients—young leaders who demonstrate remarkable achievement and potential.

Supporting future education

An exciting new scholarship in 2025 is the Michael J. Liepold Scholarship for Extraordinary Leadership. The family of 4-H alumnus Mike Liepold has established an endowment fund, with the inaugural award going to a Steele County 4-H'er this year. Looking ahead, at least one additional new scholarship will be announced for 2026.

Extension continues to expand scholarship opportunities for college-bound 4-H members and alumni. If you know of individuals or businesses interested in supporting a 4-H scholarship, please contact the Extension development office or share suggestions for families and organizations who might consider establishing a new scholarship. Please contact Jane Johnson at (612) 626-3717 or johns350@umn.edu. 

Process change for 2025

Extension scholarship distribution processes were updated this year. Previously, recipients needed to provide unofficial transcripts after their first semester, with checks sent to schools in January. Beginning this year, most scholarship funds will be sent directly to recipients' schools in June/July, ahead of their fall semester. The Kern Scholarship remains an exception, maintaining its GPA requirement and spring semester timeline.

Matthew Keefe
Advancement associate, Extension development

Congratulations to 2025 Helping Hands Award recipients!

For everyone

Extension development and Minnesota 4-H are pleased to announce 2025 Helping Hands award recipients. 48 projects totaling $56,485 were awarded to 4-H clubs/groups in 31 counties across the state. Award amounts ranged from $250 to $2000. 

View the summary of 2025 Helping Hands Award recipients.

Thank you to all of the applicants, and congratulations to this year's recipients!

Matthew Keefe
Advancement associate, Extension development