The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation Scholarship Council (FSC) has named its scholarship recipients for 2021. With nearly 1,000 applications, the committee chose 16 Minnesota credit union members to receive one $1,000 scholarship for the 2020-2021 school year, for a total of $16,000.

The FSC considered each applicant’s essay answering the question, “Knowing that we have the power today to change the story of tomorrow, how will you prepare for future financial obstacles?” The FSC committee then read each submitted essay. Of the applicant pool, eight  traditional applicants and eight non-traditional applicants were chosen as a part of the rigorous scholarship application selection process.

Credit unions with selected recipients have been notified and will receive further instruction on member announcements by Monday, March 8. Selected applicants will be notified by their credit union.

Congratulations to the following winners:
 
Traditional Applicants - current high school or PSEO students graduating in 2021
Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union               Cayden Anderson                                                                                          
City & County Credit Union                           Abigail Berg
Ideal Credit Union                                           Megan Drayna                                                                                                  
Mayo Employees Federal Credit Union      Alyssa Launsbach
TruStone Financial Credit Union                  Karley Knudson
Wings Financial Credit Union                       Rachel McBride
Wings Financial Credit Union                       Colin Roberts
Wings Financial Credit Union                       Abigail Kahn
                                                                                 
Non-Traditional Applicants - post high school student, current college student or those returning to post-secondary.
Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union               Elizabeth McElyea                                                                                           
First Community Credit Union                     Alexis Cigelske
Hiway Credit Union                                        Whitney Bellant
Hiway Credit Union                                        Magia Sedesky
Ideal Credit Union                                           Sophia Ariola
Mayo Employees Federal Credit Union       Kari Ellingsberg                                                                                               
SPIRE Credit Union                                         Aftyn Lehman
TopLine Federal Credit Union                      Jason Bemus
 
Information about the 2022 scholarship program will be available by September 2021.

The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation is pleased to announce Zinta Pone, Operations Manager at Latvian Credit Union, is a recipient of the 2020 Financial & Audit Professionals Grant.

Funding from the Financial & Audit Professionals Grant program is intended to cover or defray the costs for credit union professionals and/or volunteers to attend timely and accurate educational events, conferences and seminars on financial and audit-related topics. Pone will use the grant for four training webinars through MnCUN’s Webinar Network.

The Financial & Audit Professionals Grant Fund was established in 2014 through a generous contribution from Rich Gabrielson, a CPA who worked with Minnesota credit union supervisory committees, boards of directors and management throughout his 36-year career. Gabrielson retired from CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP at the end of 2013. The grant is available annually, with applications open in November of each year.
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For more information on professional development grant opportunities, visit www.mncufoundation.org.

Created in 2008, the Credit Union Builder Award honors an individual’s dedication to the success, growth, and vitality of the not-for-profit financial movement in Minnesota. Dedications are typically made at a time of significance to acknowledge an individual’s contributions to credit unions.

In total, 76 individuals have been designated as Credit Union Builders over the past nine years. The names of the recipients and the contributing credit unions are permanently displayed in the Minnesota Credit Union Network’s lobby as a tribute to those who have dedicated time and energy to building the credit union movement.
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Contact Andrea Molnau, Executive Director of the MnCUF with questions.

Scholarships to cover registration fees for CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Conference are still available from the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation.

​The GAC scholarship was created to provide financial assistance to credit union staff and/or volunteers who are members of the Minnesota Credit Union Network (MnCUN) and wish to participate in the premier event for political impact in the credit union industry. The event will be an interactive virtual format taking place March 2-4, 2021. More information about the conference line up is available at https://www.cuna.org/gac/. Young professionals and CREW members have additional opportunities to participate in the CRASH the GAC programing.
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Scholarship preference will be given to applicants who have not previously attended GAC and have shown engagement with MnCUN and credit union advocacy. Apply today.

This coming spring, the National Credit Union Foundation will host two DE Training classes in a virtual learning environment. Over 4 weeks, participants will engage in a mix of on-demand and live learning sessions. Live learning sessions will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays between the hours of 10 AM – 4 PM CT for the duration of training.
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March 15 – April 9, 2021 – Register Now! 
April 26 – May 21, 2021 – Register Now!

The National Credit Union Foundation’s Exploring Why™ Workshop is an experiential training that empowers employees of all levels to understand and leverage the Credit Union Difference to drive greater value for your members and organization. The interactive, virtual workshop incorporates lessons from the Foundation’s signature Development Education (DE) Program.

The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation is pleased to bring this programing to Minnesota Credit Unions, and will be offering the workshop at no charge for MnCUN member credit union employees January 20 and 21st from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Attendees will leave with a better understanding of:

• The structural and philosophical differences between credit unions and other financial institutions, and how it impacts business operations and decision-making.
• How to communicate your organization’s “why”, their personal “why”, and tell the story of how you drive value for your members.
• Opportunities to take ownership in finding new and better ways to meet the needs of your members and organization

For engagement and participation, there is a maximum of 60 participants. Registration will be taken on a first come, first serve basis; and limited to 5 attendees from the same credit union. The deadline to register is Friday, January 8, 2021.

For more information and to register visit the event page on our website. ​

With questions, please contact the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation’s Executive Director Andrea Molnau.

Funding from the Financial & Audit Professionals Grant program is intended to cover or defray the costs for credit union professionals and/or volunteers to attend timely and accurate educational events, conferences and seminars on financial and audit-related topics. Applications will be accepted until Dec. 31, 2020 for use in 2021.  

Reputable course providers include, but are not limited to, the following:

• the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Credit Union Conference
• the Association of Credit Union Internal Auditors (ACUIA)
• National Association of Credit Union Supervisory & Audit Committees (NACUSAC)
• Credit Union National Association
• the Minnesota Credit Union Network (MnCUN)
• the Credit Union Executive Society (CUES)

 
The Financial & Audit Professionals Grant Fund was established in 2014 through a generous contribution from Rich Gabrielson, a CPA who worked with Minnesota credit union supervisory committees, boards of directors and management throughout his 36-year career. Gabrielson retired from CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP at the end of 2013.
 
With questions, please contact the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation’s Executive Director Andrea Molnau. 

The DE Program helps established and emerging leaders within the credit union movement understand and leverage credit unions’ unique business model to serve members and communities in new and better ways. Upon completion of the DE Program, individuals earn their CUDE designation and join over 2,000 credit union advocates from around the world.

This coming spring, the National Credit Union Foundation will host two DE Training classes in a virtual learning environment. Over 4 weeks, participants will engage in a mix of on-demand and live learning sessions. Live learning sessions will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays between the hours of 10 AM – 4 PM CT for the duration of training.
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March 15 – April 9, 2021
April 26 – May 21, 2021

Registration will begin for our March and April DE Training Programs on January 12, 2021, at 10 AM CT.

Please note, that with all the uncertainty around COVID-19, the National Credit Union Foundation will be running two registration cycles in 2021. We are hopeful that we will be able to resume in-person training in 2021 however, the health and safety of future DE participants is most important in determining how we will offer DE Training next year. Programming details, registration information, and scholarship applications for Fall 2021 DE Training will be shared in early June. 

Who Should Attend DE?
DE Training is intended for emerging or established leaders from credit unions, system partners and organizations that support credit unions*. Employees from all organizational levels are eligible to attend - from c-suite, to MSRs, accounting or IT folks, marketers and board directors... all are encouraged to attend! 

Spring 2021 DE Training Scholarships
The National Credit Union Foundation is proud to support DE scholarships - provided by the DE Scholarship Fund – which offer registration for individuals to attend one of the U.S. DE Programs in 2021. These scholarships are intended to support individuals who may have difficulty finding the necessary funding to attend DE Training. Each scholarship will cover the full cost of attending DE Training in a virtual learning environment. The application for a scholarship to attend either the March or April DE Training session is now available. Applications will be accepted through EOD January 11, 2021. To apply: www.surveymonkey.com/r/MYBMTQV

For more information on requirements and scholarships visit: https://www.ncuf.coop/development-education/program/

Watch for more information about Minnesota Credit Union Foundation CUDE Scholarships coming soon. With questions, contact Andrea Molnau.

The Minnesota Credit Unions for Kids Committee invites all credit unions to participate in the 2021 Chain of Hearts fundraiser to benefit Minnesota and western Wisconsin’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.

​Jan. 4 to Feb. 28, 2021 are the campaign dates but credit unions may participate during any time frame that best fits their calendar. This campaign can also be postponed into the spring or summer if you prefer to hold it when your lobbies are open. Future supply orders can be made at any time by emailing Becky Holst at bholst@gillettechildrens.com. Allow 2 weeks for your supplies to be shipped and delivered.

The MnCU Foundation has several current Grant opportunities available for credit unions:

• Financial & Audit Professionals Grant applications are now open. Funding from the Financial & Audit Professionals Grant program is intended to cover or defray the costs for credit union professionals and/or volunteers to attend timely and accurate educational events, conferences and seminars on financial and audit-related topics. Applications will be accepted until Dec. 31, 2020 for use in 2021.  
  
• Funds are still available in the $65,000 Grant Pool available for Pandemic Relief. MnCUN affiliate members under $100M in assets are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 in funding to address a past, current or future expense - expenses that have been incurred after March 15th, 2020 will be considered. If your credit union previously applied for a grant lower than $2,500, you may submit another application for the balance if needed. A portion of the available funds were provided by a generous donation from Alloya Corporate Credit Union. Applications will remain open until the fund has been exhausted.
  
• ​The GAC Scholarship was created to provide financial assistance to credit union staff and/or volunteers who are members of the Minnesota Credit Union Network (MnCUN) and wish to participate in CUNA’s Governmental Affairs Conference. The Foundation has a $8,000 scholarship pool, and funds allocated to applicants may be used for the cost of the conference registration. The premier event for political impact in the credit union industry, will be an interactive virtual format for 2021. The GAC Grant application deadline has been extended to January 28, 2021.

​To apply for any of the grants noted above, visit mncun.org/apply-for-a-grant. With questions, please contact the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation’s Executive Director Andrea Molnau.