Scholarships

MCFF Scholarships

MCFF distributes two scholarships each spring with a deadline of March 31, 5 p.m.
The Bernard and Nelda Haag Scholarship has a focus on ag-based or rural living, while the Barbara Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship are for those entering the medical field.

Bernard and Nelda Haag Scholarship Guidelines

A $1,000 scholarship is available annually to either graduating seniors or students currently enrolled in college who are from Red Willow, Furnas, Frontier, Hayes and Hitchcock counties. Each applicant must be entering or currently attending an accredited school of higher education.

The focus for selecting the recipient will be based upon leadership and self-motivation through involvement in extracurricular activities in high school; a dedication to agriculture or rural living; a desire to return to a rural area or Southwest Nebraska; lifelong learning; the personal essay; and financial need. A recipient may reapply in subsequent years as long as he or she continues to meet the parameters of the scholarship.

The McCook Community Foundation Fund Scholarship Selection Committee will select the recipient. The application deadline is March 31st.

Barbara Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship

The applicant must be a graduating senior of an area high school, a graduate of an area high school currently pursuing study in the medical field, or be a resident of southwest Nebraska for four years and have graduated with a high school degree.

The applicant must attend an accredited college, community college, or vocational school.

The applicant shall prepare an essay which describes briefly their proposed or current field of study within the medical field, their reason for selecting this major, and their plans for using their education to return to southwest Nebraska and practice medicine.

The MCFF Selection Committee reserves the right to interview eligible applicants. The McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Scholarship Selection Committee will select the recipient. The application deadline is March 31st.

Application Forms

Application forms are available from area high school guidance counselor’s offices, McCook Community College Financial Aid Office, by email from MCFF Coordinator Ronda Graff at mcffund@gmail.com. 
Applications are available below, either on-line fillable forms or print to scan or mail. 

2023 MCFF Scholarships Awarded

McCook Community Foundation Fund awarded five scholarships this spring for the 2023-2r academic year, including the Bernard and Nelda Haag Scholarship and the Barbara Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship.

The Haag Scholarship, worth $1,000, was given to Keegan Shuler of Culbertson, who will graduate from Hitchcock County in May 2023 and plans to attend Doane University this fall. Keegan plans to major in agribusiness to focus on production of food and management natural resources. 

The Haag Scholarship selection is based upon leadership and self-motivation through involvement in extracurricular activities in high school; a dedication to agriculture or rural living; and a desire to return to a rural area or Southwest Nebraska. 

The Barbara Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship provided four scholarships for a total of $5,000. The scholarship may be awarded to recent high school graduates as well as those currently practicing medical professionals who have resided in the area for at least four years.

One scholarship worth $2,000 each was awarded to Sara Peterson, a 2023 McCook High School graduate. Sara plans to attend Mid-Plains Community College as she works to become a nurse.

Four additional $1,000 scholarships were awarded to Natalie Roberts, a 2023 MHS graduate, who plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Justin Barenberg, a MHS graduate, who currently attends Creighton University; and Holli Thomas, a MHS graduate attending the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The Haag Scholarship has been given since 2006, while the Hassler-Neumann Scholarship is now in its eighth year. Both scholarships are distributed through the McCook Community Foundation Fund, an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation.


All applications are due by March 31st.

Email or mail your completed application to:
mcffund@gmail.com or
McCook Community Foundation Fund
PO Box 525
McCook, NE 69001

Scholarship Recipients

Listed below are some of Scholarship recipients in the last few years. You can view a complete listing of Scholarships from 2003 until present by clicking below.

Download 2006-Present Scholarships
2023
Recipient
Keegan Shuler, Culbertson
Sara Peterson, McCook
Natalie Roberts, McCook
Justin Barenberg, McCook
Holly Thomas, McCook
Scholarship
Haag Scholarship Recipient
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Amount
$1,000
$2,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
2022
Recipient
Naomi Farnsworth
Tucker Gillespie
Katherine Kjendal
Shelby Skolout
Haiden Loop
Holli Thomas
Scholarship
Haag Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Amount
$1,000
$2,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
2021
Recipient
Naomi Farnsworth
Allison Rippe
Justin Barenberg
Jaycee Widener
Payton Yearous
Scholarship
Haag Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship
Amount
$1,000
$2,000
$2,000
$1,000
$1,000
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