Supporting education through scholarship programs

June 12, 2026

Post-high school education can be a critical tool for lifetime success, but also an expensive one. Working to meet a wide range of community needs, credit unions are a resource in pursuing education, as detailed by a recent America’s Credit Unions Blog post. 

Credit unions like Desert Financial award scholarships through their foundation ($212,000 to 66 students this year, totaling nearly $2 million awarded since 2017), while many others use scholarship opportunities to build financial literacy, connect with the community, and more. 

Those include:

  • Michigan Schools & Government Credit Union awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships this spring to 65 Michigan residents;
  • Also in Michigan, Gerber Federal Credit Union ran its annual essay scholarship competition on how schools should better prepare students for real-world financial responsibilities, and awarded the winner $2,000.
  • Wisconsin’s UnitedOne Credit Union awarded scholarships for students to study finance with a community focus, nursing, and other community-oriented careers; 
  • Minnesota’s Magnifi Financial, a Minnesota-based credit union, awarded $20,000 to 20 member-students this spring, continuing a 26-year tradition; 
  • Pennsylvania’s Mercer County Community Federal Credit Union marked its 69th annual meeting awarding six high school seniors $1,000 each, with 19 additional students receiving honorable mention awards;
  • Land of Lincoln Credit Union in Illinois built into its own $70,000 2026 scholarship program, which pairs financial aid with required financial literacy education and counseling.
  • In Nevada, Silver State Schools Credit Union and its POP Foundation are supporting 11 seniors with renewable scholarships worth up to $14,000 each over four years;
  • Georgia’s LGE Community Credit Union awarded seven $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors across six counties;
  • In North Dakota, Town & Country Credit Union marked the fifth anniversary of its scholarship program by awarding $10,000 to 10 students.

Check out the blog entry to learn more from leaders at those credit unions, as well as from students they’ve helped. 

Read the blog post