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The Minnesota Association of Townships is proud to announce its 2025 scholarship program, which will award up to five $2,000 scholarships to high school juniors. The scholarship program is designed to heighten awareness among young people about Minnesota’s grassroots township government.

All students currently enrolled in 11th grade and attending a Minnesota public, private or parochial school, or a home-study program, are eligible to apply for this program. Since its inception in 2001, the MAT Scholarship Program has had over 2,300 submissions and 103 winners.

Applicants should submit a written essay using critical thinking on the topic of promoting awareness of township government by June 1. Winners will be chosen by an independent panel of judges and will be notified in September. They will also be invited to attend MAT’s annual conference in December.

The 2025 essay question on promoting township government is, “Fire protection is an important part of public safety that is provided by all townships all across Minnesota. There are different ways that fire protection can be provided. What are the different ways fire protection is provided by townships? How is the cost of fire protection funded by a township and at what meeting is the extent of the cost approved? What challenges are faced by rural fire departments in providing fire protection?”

For more information and application details, call the MAT offices at 1-800-228-0296 or visit the MN Association of Townships website and its scholarship page.

“The MAT Scholarship Program has made a real difference for our recipients and has also been an opportunity to learn about township government, which embodies the values of ‘grassroots government’ where local citizens directly participate,” said MAT Executive Director Jeff Krueger.

There are approximately 922,013 township residents in 1,776 townships in Minnesota.