Scholarships

Whether you are applying for our Educational Scholarship or our Jon Steinhaus Lineworker Scholarship, there is one application to be filled out, and a check box at the top of the application for the applicant to choose which scholarship they are applying for. Applicants may only be awarded one scholarship.

Both scholarships will be open for the same time frame, with slightly different eligibility requirements. Be sure to review the scholarship details and eligibility requirements prior to applying. It is the student’s responsibility to have all of the required information and documents when submitting a scholarship application. If the application is incomplete, we will not accept or review the application.

Scholarships Available:

Educational Scholarship
Since 1987, Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative (ACEC) has been awarding educational scholarships. Through the years hundreds of students from cooperative member families have been honored with scholarships. These scholarships have traditionally been awarded in amounts of $250 to $1000 each. This program adds no cost to the members’ electric bill. It is funded entirely from unclaimed patronage capital checks that are issued by the cooperative.

Eligibility
Scholarships are awarded in all fields of post-secondary education from vocational to graduate studies. They are available to adults and dependent children of all Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative member families currently receiving electric service from Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of need and excellence in academics, social and community service activities. Applicants from previous years, especially those who were not selected, should consider reapplying.

Jon Steinhaus Lineworker Scholarship
In 1956, Jon Steinhaus began his career with the former Adams-Marquette Electric Cooperative as an apprentice lineman. He progressed through the ranks and was named General Manager in 1976. Mr. Steinhaus retired in 1996 after 40 years of dedicated cooperative service. The purpose of the Jon Steinhaus Line worker Scholarship Program is to encourage men and women to pursue an electric line worker career.

Eligibility
Scholarship eligibility includes anyone who is a high school senior (or older). Successful applicants must be enrolled in an Electrical Power Distribution (EPD) program at a certified EPD school in the United States. Although not a requirement, preference is given to members of Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative.

Timeline:

The program is available January 1 – Friday, February 28, 2025. All application documents and reference forms must be submitted by February 28, 2025. There will be no exceptions to any material received after this date. 

If awarded a scholarship, funds will be release for the 2025-2026 school year.

How to apply:

1. 1. 1. Review our scholarship details and eligibility.
      2. Print out reference forms and send them to two people who you’d like to give you a reference. Have them return the reference forms to you. Be sure to have them return forms back to you in a timely manner so you can include them with your application by the application deadline.Reference Form
      3. Have a copy of your most current transcript (unofficial is acceptable) and a photo of yourself to include with your application.
      4. Complete our Scholarship Application with the required documents and information by Friday, February 28, 2025.
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The total file size we can accept for all attachments in an application is 6MB. If you have issues with submitting your application due to the attachment sizes, contact Stacey at smcmanus@acecwi.com.