Wright County Program Funding & Scholarships

4-H Membership Dues

Wright County 4-H charges an annual membership fee also known as “dues” for all youth who participate in the program on an ongoing basis, whether as part of a club or as an independent member.  County membership dues are collected from each member at the rate of $10.00 per member, or for participants in the horse program, the cost is $20.00. 

Each club may also determine if they will charge their members “club dues” and may set the amount per member. This amount varies across clubs depending on factors such as club fundraisers, yearly activity costs, etc.

What is this money used for?

Primarily, membership dues are deposited into the general 4-H Federation account to be used to reduce programming costs throughout the year, but there are a couple required expenditures that dues are used for as well:

• .50 is paid to the state 4-H Youth Development Program to help administer and update state-level events, activities, and competitions for 4-H youth.

• $1 per youth member and screened leader or $2 per horse project participant is paid to cover special group accident insurance to cover members at all reported 4-H events. 

• A $5.00 horse participation fee was instituted in 2008 as part of the horse membership dues to take the place of doing a county horse project fundraiser. This amount covers costs of equipment/software for county fair, summer educational opportunities, clinician fees, etc. for the horse project.     

There are a few annual county-wide fundraisers held each year to help keep 4-H affordable for everyone.  Fundraisers supplement the cost of our 4-H program, activities, events, awards, scholarships and various other needs. At the present time, the following fundraisers take place:

• County Fair Foodstand - Wright County 4-H operates the 4-H Foodstand at the County Fair in late July.  Members and adult take orders, prepare/serve food, and assist with clean-up.  Each club is assigned a shift to work in the Foodstand sometime during the Fair. 

• Wright-Hennepin Dinner - A fundraising opportunity held in March/April. 4‐H families and clubs assist in serving dinner to around 2000 Wright Hennepin customers at the company’s annual meeting.

• Blue Ribbon Auction - 25% of the proceeds of the Blue Ribbon Auction at the County Fair goes back to the 4-H program for use in livestock related programs. 

A large number of 4-H county programming is able to be offered free or at a greatly reduced price due to efforts from 4-H fundraisers, donations, and membership dues.

• Members – The 4‐H Federation provides scholarships to 4‐H members who participate in county, regional, state, or national events. The scholarship amount depends on the event.  Many events have the scholarships built in to the upfront cost that a 4-H’er pays, for others, members receive a reimbursement after they attend and give a report about their experience at a Federation meeting - see full policy below. 

• Financial Assistance – Full or partial need-based scholarships are available for almost all 4‐H programs. Contact the Extension Office for more information or to make a request or use the Financial Assistance Request Form. These scholarships are completely confidential.    

• Adult – 4-H Scholarships cover chaperone fees for many events.  Registration scholarships are also available for various 4‐H trainings or workshops. Scholarship amounts depend on the event - see full policy below. 

Scholarship Policy

Members of Wright County 4-H are eligible to receive scholarships for 4-H events to activities if they are enrolled members in Wright County 4-H.  

 They also must:

• Work one food stand shift per year.

• Work one Wright Hennepin Dinner shift every other year.

• Report to the 4-H Federation to request funds, prior to the event.

• Report to the 4-H Federation within two federation meetings following the event.

Scholarship Amounts:

• Leadership Trainings (BLU, YELLO, others as approved by 4-H Educators) - 1/2 of registration cost

• Regional or Statewide Project Trainings (livestock camp, horse camp, others as approved by 4-H Educators) - 1/2 of registration cost

• Regional and State Project Bowl - Team registration fee

• Regional and State Judging and Hippology - Team registration fee

• State Arts-In Program - 1/2 registration fee

• National Project Bowl, Judging, and Hippology - $300/per youth plus $300 per chaperone (up to two chaperones/trip)                                                                        

• National 4-H Congress and Ignite - 1/2 of registration fee, up to $1500 per youth and not to exceed $3000 total for these programs per year.    

• Citizenship Washington Focus - 1/2 of registration fee, not to exceed $1500 per youth and $3000 total for this program per year.   

• Volunteer Trainings to support Wright County 4-H (Such as Shooting Sports and Wildlife coach training) - Full registration cost

• State Showcase Opportunities (State Fair, State Horse, State Dog, State Shoot, State Engineering Design) - All of the program fee

Donations are always a greatly appreciated way we are able to upgrade and improve our offerings for members.   Donations can be made to the general 4-H Federation or to sponsor a specific program or supply purchase and are tax deductible.  Several times a year, Wright County 4-H seeks support from local organizations and individuals for program donation needs such as supplies for programs, equipment, facility repairs, award sponsorships, etc.   Give to 4-H

Our Wright County 4-H Foodstand Story

The Wright County 4-H Foodstand is the cornerstone fundraiser for a thriving program that empowers over 700 youth with the support of 200 volunteers. Beyond raising funds, it’s where young people learn teamwork, leadership, time management, and work ethic—skills that shape their future success. Every dollar donated goes directly to this effort, multiplying into lasting opportunities for positive youth development and leadership growth in our community. Your tax-deductible gift doesn’t just support a food stand—it fuels the growth of tomorrow’s leaders in Wright County.  

Visit our New 4-H Foodstand Project page to learn more. 

Donate to the project on our donation page today!