Cottingham & Butler Surpasses $1 Million in Scholarships to Students

Commitment to Lifelong Learning

The Cottingham & Butler scholarship award program began in the late ‘90s as a way for the Butler family to support students who wanted to further their education. Our motto at C&B is ‘Better Every Day’, and this scholarship is way to help students take the next step in their journey of lifelong learning. To date, over 360 high school seniors have received this scholarship for their future education and over $1 Million has been given!

C&B Scholarship

This scholarship is open to the children of C&B employees from all offices and home locations. Graduating high school seniors submit their application, along with an essay, to our team. Applications are reviewed by the Butler family, and then the student is awarded a scholarship to their 2- or 4-year educational institute.

2026 Recipients & Event

This year, we had 31 recipients who will be attending 18 different schools this fall. Recipients near Dubuque were invited to join us for a lunch on the Roshek Rooftop to receive their award, hear a few words from Andy Butler, Executive Chair, and hear the story from a past recipient of the scholarship.

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“I'm currently studying nursing at the University of Iowa,” said Anna Roling, 2025 scholarship recipient. “Receiving this scholarship had such a positive impact on my first year of college. Thank you to C&B for continuing to support students like me. Your generosity truly makes a difference and helps students focus on their goals and future opportunities.”

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Impacting Generations

There are many teammates who work here that have received the scholarship, as they have followed in the footsteps of their parents who worked in insurance at Cottingham & Butler. We’ve even began giving to the second generation. At this year’s event, Landon McKay received a scholarship to help in his journey at UW-Platteville, because of his father, Joel, who works in our Transportation department. In 1999, Joel received the C&B scholarship because his father, Dick, worked for us.

“The scholarship program fits the company’s belief in lifelong learning,” said Joel McKay, Vice Presient. “It was very satisfying for me to see my son receiving the scholarship just as it was for my dad over 25 years ago. It is a full-circle moment that our family has been part of Cottingham & Butler long enough to see a second generation receiving the same scholarship that I did back in 1999.”