Ahlgren/Golden K Scholarships
Madison West Kiwanis awards three scholarships each year, one Ahlgren $2,000 scholarship and two Golden K $1,000 scholarships.
Ahlgren/Golden K Kiwanis Scholarships 2026 Application Deadline - April 1, 2026
THE HENRY AHLGREN HUMANITARIAN SCHOLARSHIP
The Henry Ahlgren Humanitarian Scholarship was established in memory of the founder and first president of the Madison West Kiwanis Club. When asked why busy people in the community should be members of a service club, Ahlgren replied, “It is from programs aimed at helping people that we derive our greatest and most lasting and most rewarding satisfactions. It is from these programs that we re-discover again and again and again that ‘when you give to the world the best you have, then the best will come back to you.’”
Dr. Ahlgren lived a long life of dedicated service to his community. He continued to give his best to the world through Kiwanis projects and activities until he died in 2004 at the age of 94. He regularly attended the weekly meetings of West Kiwanis until shortly before his death.
A $2,000 Henry L. Ahlgren Humanitarian Scholarship will be awarded to the Madison area student who best exemplifies the characteristics described above. The first Ahlgren scholarship was awarded in 2007.
Candidates for the Henry Ahlgren Humanitarian Scholarship should have made significant contributions to their school community as well as to their neighborhood and city communities. They should be good students with strong leadership records. They should have a record of participation in extracurricular activities and be good citizens of their school and their community.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants for the Henry L. Ahlgren Humanitarian Scholarship must be high school seniors currently enrolled at Madison West, Madison East, Madison Memorial, Madison LaFollette, or Edgewood High School who plan to attend a college or university in Wisconsin. There are no requirements regarding course of study. The scholarship check will be transferred in the student’s name from the Madison West Kiwanis Foundation to the bursar of the Wisconsin college or university designated by the student. Candidates must complete the application form and provide at least one (but not more than two) letter of reference from a faculty member who is able to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications. Selection of the award recipient will be based on the following criteria:
Community service (30 points)
Scholarship (15 points)
Extracurricular activities (15 points)
Leadership (10 points)
Communications skills (10 points)
Essay on the importance of community service (20 points)
THE GOLDEN K SCHOLARSHIPS
The Golden K scholarships have the same criteria as the Ahlgren scholarship. These scholarships are supported by funds received from the Madison Golden K Kiwanis Club which closed operation in 2014 and assigned their residual funds to Madison West Kiwanis to administer the scholarships.
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR AHLGREN/GOLDEN K SCHOLARSHIPS
Award applications will be distributed to high school guidance counselors, Key club advisors, and others in order to identify qualified candidates. Ahlgren/Golden K Scholarships were established with funds from Madison West Kiwanis Foundation which administers the scholarships. One $2,000 and two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded annually to three students from Madison High Schools: Madison Memorial, Madison LaFollette, Madison West, Madison East and Madison Edgewood. The scholarships will be awarded annually based on the criteria above. One of the scholarships will be awarded to a student demonstrating a financial need. One scholarship recipient must have 100 hours of community service during their high school career and a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. Another scholarship recipient must meet financial need requirements, 50 hours of community service during their high school career, and 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
Kiwanis Scholarship Instructions Kiwanis Scholarship Application Kiwanis Scholarship Reference