As part of our community involvement and outreach efforts, REC is pleased to offer different scholarships for higher education programs to students throughout our service area and an all inclusive paid trip to Washington D.C.. This includes home-schooled students and those open-enrolled in school districts outside our service territory.
To be eligible for scholarship funds, the student's parent or guardian must be a member of Redwood Electric Cooperative.
Incomplete applications will not be considered for review.
Operation RoundUp® is a volunteer community support program that Redwood Electric Cooperative offers. It is designed to provide financial assistance to worthwhile projects and charities in our service area and local communities. In essence, its people helping people. Redwood Electric feels it should do more than just sell electricity. Our goal is to enhance the equality of life for our members. In one sense, Operation RoundUp® is an extension of that goal. The “neighbor helping neighbor” concept that built our cooperative over 70 years ago is why we offer this program.
Each month, Redwood Electric will “round up” the electric bills of participating members to the next dollar. For example, if your bill is $74.65, we would round it up to $75.00. The additional 35 cents would go to the Operation RoundUp® fund. Our members who participate in the program spend on average $6.00 per year.
In addition to providing financial assistance to non profit organizations and charitable programs, Operation RoundUp® also provides educational scholarships to students graduating from high schools that are located in our service area. Scholarships are awarded each spring and applications for non profit or charitable grants are considered every year in the fall.
Your contribution is tax deductible and the funds are administered by the Trust Board, which is made up of volunteers from throughout the area that Redwood Electric Cooperative serves.
Examples of projects Operation RoundUp® has given money to include: firefighting equipment for volunteer fire departments; lifesaving equipment for ambulance or rescue squads; hospice programs; education scholarships; youth programs; Toys for Tots and similar programs; community recycling programs; environmental research programs; food shelves; crisis centers; clothing, shelter and medical services following accidents or natural disasters.
All Redwood Electric Cooperative members are automatically enrolled to participate in Operation RoundUp®, however, the program is voluntary. If you DO NOT wish to participate, you must contact our office or Opt Out through SmartHub.
We are NOW accepting Operation Round-up STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP applications. All applications must be in our office or postmarked by 3:30pm on March 17th. Please contact our office with any questions, thank you! Please click on the link below for an application.
Student Scholarship Application
Non-Profit Grant Application Currently Not Available
Redwood Electric is honored to partner with Basin Electric to award a $1000 scholarship to a dependent of a Redwood Electric Cooperative member. This scholarship is available to high school seniors and college students enrolled full-time in an accredited two or four-year college, university or vocational/technical school working on an undergraduate or master degree. The Deadline to submit applications is February 3rd, 2023 and must be in our office by 3:30 pm or postmarked by the deadline.
Each year, rural electric cooperatives across the nation sponsor roughly 1,900 students on the Rural Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. The Youth Tour program continues to foster the grassroots spirit of the rural electric cooperatives by demonstrating to high school juniors and seniors how our government works and what the electric cooperative business model is all about. In a time when energy is at the forefront of our nation’s issues, this is a great opportunity to have a hand in the creation of electric cooperative advocates!
Spend six days in our nation's capital visiting famous museums and historical sites and chatting with politicians. The best part? Redwood Electric cooperative will pay all of the expenses! Every year, 40 bright, enthusiastic and passionate high school juniors and seniors are chosen to represent Minnesota on the Rural Electric Youth Tour. But we're not the only ones there. Youth Tour is a national sensation! Over 1,900 student delegates from all over the country rock D.C. on this tour! They visit with their congressional representatives, tour some of the most famous museums in the world and make memories and friends that will last a lifetime. Make 2023 the year you experience the monuments that are dedicates to our country's leaders. Let your voice be heard and get your questions answered.
1st Place-All expense paid trip to Washington D.C. June 13-18, 2023 (no substitute if unable to make trip)
2nd Place-$200.00 (will serve as first alternate)
3rd Place-$100.00 (will serve at second alternate)
2023 Youth Tour Scholarship Application