The Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation’s Scholarship Fund was started in 2016 with the intention of annually awarding scholarships to young people who wanted to pursue careers in public safety fields (law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services). This fund was formed to help address the declining numbers of applicants pursuing careers in these critical positions within our community. In addition, the scholarship program is an effort to assist our local jurisdiction in recruiting a talented workforces that represent the diversity and makeup of our three-county community.

The Scholarship Fund consists of both Annual Scholarships and an Endowment Component. The long-term goal is to build an endowment large enough to fund ongoing scholarships into perpetuity. The Scholarship Funds are maintained at the Central Minnesota Community Foundation.

In 2019, the Nicole Van Heel Memorial Scholarship was established as part of this initiative and was set aside specifically for individuals interested in emergency medical services and who planned to attend the St. Cloud Technical and Community College. Nicole had been a member of the Gold Cross Ambulance service.

Applications are accepted from graduating seniors within the three counties the GSCPSF serves and past grant recipients in the spring of each year with a final selection made in mid to late April.