Matteson Scholarship Guidelines

Mission

The  Keokuk Area Community Foundation and the North Lee Community Foundation established the Matteson Scholarship. This scholarship will be ONLY be awarded to high school seniors, as well as, continuing education students pursuing studies in agriculture, health/medical sciences, nursing, engineering, information technology or trades. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible for the Matteson Scholarship, students and working adults must live (or have a permanent address) in the Iowa Counties of Lee, Des Moines or Henry. The Matteson Scholarship also accepts scholarship applications from graduates of Wapello Senior High in Louisa County. Preview the application here.

Award Amounts / Renewal Scholarship
The Matteson Scholarship is a renewable scholarship for 4 years. Each Matteson Scholarship is up to $2,000.00 a year for the first two years and then up to $4,000.00 for years three and four. In order to receive a renewal, the student must maintain adequate progress towards completion of a degree and submit a Renewal Matteson Scholarship Application every year. 

The deadline to apply for a Matteson Scholarship Renewal is March 2, 2026. 

Scholarship Criteria 

Applicants must have at least a 2.0 GPA but not more than a 3.5 GPA.  A GPA of 3.5 and higher will be considered. Selection criteria will include financial need, personal character, and career goals. Preference will be given to students seeking a two-year degree or completion of a certificate program.

Deadlines/Notification 
The Matteson Scholarship opens every year on January 2nd.  Deadline to complete the online application will be April 15, 2026.  If you are a high school student and are selected for a Matteson Scholarship, you will be notified at your high school’s award ceremony, typically in May. For all other applicants, if you were selected for a scholarship, you will be notified via email in early June. Every applicant will know the results of their application-successful or otherwise-by email in mid-June.

Accepting a Matteson Scholarship
Each student who is awarded a scholarship will receive a phone call from a staff member from the Keokuk Area Community Foundation. Additionally, the recipient will be sent an be sent an email with instructions on how to accept the award. This email will contain a link for the Matteson Scholarship Agreement.  For the Scholarship Agreement, you must submit the following:  proof of enrollment and a thank you letter to the Matteson Family. You have the option of submitting a photo that can be used when the community foundations announce the scholarship recipients. 

As a scholarship recipient, you will not be receiving a check. The scholarship award check will be issued to your college/university with a cover letter from the Keokuk Area Community Foundation. If you’ve submitted your scholarship acceptance materials on time and correctly,  your check will be issued in July/August and sent directly to the college/university.