PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — Cuivre River Electric Cooperative is proud to offer financial support to graduating high school seniors and current college students.

New this year, applications are being accepted through an online format to help streamline the process. No paper applications will be accepted as the entire application is now available online.

The deadline to apply is April 14, 2023. The online application can be found at cuivre.com/scholarships.

The criteria for applicants remains the same as previous years. Students are eligible to be considered if they permanently reside in the Cuivre River Electric service area and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 while attending undergraduate courses at an accredited college, university or technical school. Applicants are required to upload a transcript and two letters of recommendation, a complete copy of their Student Aid Report (SAR), write a narrative to highlight their academic achievements and community service, state their career goals and demonstrate a financial need.

The scholarship may also be used for adult continuing education courses in an applicant’s career field.

Scholarships will be awarded in an amount not to exceed $1,000 per academic year. The scholarships are not renewable and applicants who choose to reapply must submit a new completed application each year.

Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Scholarships will be awarded in June. Checks will be made payable to the educational institution and mailed to the students. Funds should be used for on-campus expenses only, such as tuition, books and campus housing.

In 2022, a total of $85,500 was awarded, with 86 students receiving a scholarship. The Cuivre River Electric Community Trust Board has awarded 2,479 scholarships totaling $1.5 million since 1997.

Scholarship funds are donated by Cuivre River Electric members who participate in Operation Round Up by rounding up their electric bill payments each month to the next highest dollar. The funds, administered by a seven-member volunteer board, are available to help individuals, families and organizations.

For more information contact Tim Schmidt, Operation Round Up coordinator, at tschmidt@cuivre.com or 636-695-4837.

Cuivre River Electric Cooperative is the largest member-owned electric distribution cooperative in Missouri. It provides service to more than 70,000 residential, business, commercial, industrial and agricultural members in Lincoln, Pike, St. Charles, Warren and Montgomery counties.