In 1990, MEA’s Board of Directors created the Scholarship Foundation. The annual earnings from this fund provide scholarships to MEA members and their dependents, graduating high school students and college students. A scholarship committee made up of MEA members from various professions and communities review and select scholarship recipients based on their applications. Scholarship applicants are asked to complete a financial plan and a short essay regarding the importance of member-owned cooperatives to both the student and the community.