MAKA was started as a small committee that was unofficially named the Korean American Junior Scholarship Selection Committee. It was created to support Korean students and further their education. MAKA invited a violinist (Sarah Kwak) and a pianist (Rita Sloan), to a concert for the fundraising scholarship at Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul on Sunday, January 29th, 1995. It was a great success and approximately, 300 guests attended the concert. Reception and silent auctions were followed right after the concert at the North Oaks Country Club. The event raised $30,926.87.

The Selection Committee advertised the scholarship opportunity through various organizations and sent application packets to high schools in the greater Twin Cities area. As a result, the committee received many excellent applications and awarded $500 to eight students. The award encouraged the recipients to pursue their academic goals. Recipients would be more appealing to colleges because they received their MAKA scholarships.

Since December 1997, the Celebrating Tomorrow Scholarship Award Dinner was held at the Hilton & Tower hotel located in downtown Minneapolis. MAKA always had the annual banquet at the same location until now. Throughout the years, many special performers and mentor speakers were invited. They showcased their outstanding talents and shared their professional experiences to support MAKA some of which who included an award-winning violinist Sarah Chang in 1999 and a Soprano Sumi Jo in 2001.

At the annual business meeting held on September 15th, 2001, MAKA members and the Board of Directors voted to form a partnership with the Minneapolis Foundation. In this partnership, the Minneapolis Foundation will provide MAKA with sound fund management. However, MAKA was still responsible for raising funds and selecting eligible students for the scholarship. MAKA officially renamed themselves the Minnesota Association for Korean Americans at the end of 2006. This was due to the significant service of fathers in the organization. MAKA created an additional $500 award for the top two applicants.

MAKA has been providing 26 years of continuous scholarships. MAKA appreciates the hundreds of sponsors, donors, and supporters of MAKA. With the support of our sponsors, donors, and supporters, we will continue to provide scholarships to young Korean Americans in order to help them take pride in their Korean culture.