Since its inception in 2014, the Glenn English National Cooperative Leadership Foundation has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to NRECA’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour alumni. The foundation works to encourage educational advancement by awarding higher education scholarships to eligible students.
Are you a Youth Tour alumni interested in applying? The information below provides details and deadlines. If you have questions, you can email Cale McCall, NRECA’s Youth Programs manager, at YouthPrograms@NRECA.coop.
Dates and deadlines
- The 2025 application cycle opens on March 3, 2025, and will close on May 4, 2025 at midnight ET. Winners are selected by our scholarship committee and announced after our summer board meeting in mid-July 2025.
- Awards are distributed in August/September 2025.
Eligibility requirements
To be considered for the Youth Tour Alumni Scholarship, you must meet each of the following requirements:
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Be a former participant in NRECA’s Electric Cooperative Youth Tour program.
- Have received academic credits equal to at least one year of college.
- Have completed at least one semester at an accredited university or college as a full-time student.
- Be enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited university or college by the application deadline.
- Be working on completing your first undergraduate degree.
- Immediate family members of any director, officer or employee of NRECA, RE Advisers Corp., NRECA International or the Foundation shall not be eligible to apply for or receive any scholarship offered by the Foundation. For eligibility purposes, an immediate family member shall be limited to an individual’s spouse, sibling, child, grandchild or greatgrandchild.
Applicants are judged on the following:
- Cumulative GPA
- Internships & work experience
- Civic, volunteer, and political activities
- Leadership roles pursued and/or held
- Involvement in cooperative-based programs and activities
- A three-to-five-minute video, uploaded to youtube.com
Frequently asked questions
Q: I just graduated high school but have already earned enough college credits to be considered a sophomore. Am I eligible to apply?
A: Not quite yet! You must complete at least one semester at an accredited university or college as a full-time student. We have found that there are many scholarship opportunities for graduates immediately after high school, but these opportunities tend to taper off in subsequent years. Our goal is to help alleviate some of the financial burdens incurred after your first year as a student.
Q: How do I know if I’m considered a “full-time” student?
A: Because requirements vary from school to school, our scholarship committee defers to whatever your college or university considers full-time. Please check your policies before applying.
Q: I applied for this scholarship last year. Am I eligible to apply again?
A: Absolutely! As long as you meet our eligibility requirements listed above, you can apply multiple times.
Q: I am already a Youth Tour Alumni Scholarship winner! Am I eligible to apply again?
A: Yes! As long as you meet our eligibility requirements listed above you are welcome to apply, and win, multiple times.
Q: I have an associate’s degree, or a two-year degree from a community, technical or “junior” college and I am now enrolled in a four-year degree program. Am I eligible to receive the Youth Tour Alumni scholarship?
A: Yes. As long as you are not pursuing an additional bachelor’s (or any “four-year”) degree or a graduate degree, you are eligible.
Q: What should my application video be about?
A: Each applicant is required to create and submit a video. Subject matter should contain some, or all, of the following elements:
- How Youth Tour and/or YLC impacted me.
- How I applied lessons I learned through these programs later in life.
- My impression of electric co-ops.
- How I have given back to my local, sponsoring cooperative, statewide electric co-op organization and/or NRECA?
- How does what I’m doing right now, either in college or in my extracurricular activities, tie in with the seven cooperative principles?
For inspiration, check out videos from previous winners:
- Maria Howard: 2023 $10,000 Winner
- Zach Sims: 2022 $10,000 Winner
- William Tuchtenhagen: 2021 $10,000 Winner
- Sophia Marcolla: 2019 $10,000 Winner
- Lexi Jackson: 2018 $10,000 Winner
Q: Who judges the written applications and video submissions?
A: Each year, the Glenn English Scholarship coordinators select a committee of judges composed of employees from distribution co-ops, statewide associations, affiliated consultant groups, and other national, associated co-op branches to judge application submissions. Committee coordinators see to it that those applicants with judges from their home state or co-op are assigned to judges outside their areas to maintain fairness.
Q: Can I start my application now and finish it later?
A: Yes! You will be able to access your application using the email address you provide during the beginning of the application process. Your application will not be considered unless it is submitted. We cannot accept applications after the deadline and we cannot accept applications still in “Draft” mode once the window closes.
About Glenn English
A tireless consumer advocate, Glenn English has spent his career championing the cooperative business model and fighting to improve the quality of life for all Americans.
Mr. English served 10 terms in the U.S. Congress representing Oklahoma’s 6th district from 1975 to 1994. He served on the House Agriculture Committee and as chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, and Rural Development beginning in 1989. As chairman, Mr. English worked directly on legislation affecting rural development programs, including rural electrification and telecommunications, and pursued an aggressive agenda to revitalize the economy of America’s rural communities.
In 1994, Mr. English became the fourth CEO of NRECA. He vigorously defended the nation’s electric cooperatives and promoted the “Cooperative Way” as a solution to many of the nation’s problems. Never forgetting the driving spirit of rural electrification and the power of cooperation, he continually kept lawmakers and regulators focused on “putting consumers first” and keeping electric bills affordable during nearly two decades of congressional debate over energy and environmental policy.
During his tenure at NRECA, Mr. English was a passionate advocate of the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour and Youth Leadership Council programs. He encouraged these young leaders to never lose sight of the seven cooperative principles and focus on their responsibilities as citizens—to be well informed and engaged in the political process.
In May 2010, Mr. English was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Mr. English retired from NRECA in March 2013 after serving as CEO for 19 years.