Driving Agriculture Forward Scholarship

The IAA Foundation is pleased to support the charitable wishes of our generous donors and the future of agriculture by offering the Driving Agriculture Forward Scholarship. 

Truck drivers are critical for transporting farm commodities, inputs, and food throughout Illinois and the nation. This scholarships helps offset the cost of needed commercial truck driver training and ensures more well-trained, safe drivers are available to drive agriculture forward.   

Annually, the Driving Agriculture Forward Scholarship Program provides up to twenty, $1,000 scholarships to assist those interested in driving a commercial truck with needed driver training. Five scholarships will be awarded every three months.

Awards are made based on the Illinois Farm Bureau region where the applicant resides. Quarterly, one scholarship is awarded to each region and one at-large scholarship is awarded based on a lottery selection from those applicants who did not receive the scholarship for their region.

Applicants may only receive one truck driving scholarship. Applicants not receiving funding are eligible to re-apply in future windows. 

 

Enrollment Windows and Application Deadlines

2025 Cycle one: For applicants enrolling in driver training April 1 through June 30. Deadline for consideration is March 31.

2025 Cycle two: For applicants enrolling in driver training July 1 through September 30. Deadline for consideration is June 30. 

2025 Cycle three: For applicants enrolling in driver training October 1 through December 31. Deadline for consideration is September 30.

2025 Cycle four: For applicants enrolling in driver training January 1 to March 31, 2026. Deadline for consideration is December 31, 2025.

 

General Eligibility

1. Applicant must be an Illinois resident.
2. Applicant must be enrolled or planning to enroll in a commericial driver training program at an Illinois Community College during the three-month award window.
3. An endorsement signed by a farmer, County Farm Bureau leader, agribusiness or food processing business is required. 
4. Illinois Agricultural Association Directors and employees of Illinois Farm Bureau, or their immediate family members, are not eligble to apply. 

 

Terms
Applicants receiving the scholarship must provide proof of enrollment in a driver training program. If an applicant does not provide proof of enrollment, they will forfeit the scholarship. Payments will be made directly to the Illinois Community College where the applicant is enrolled to assist with the cost of the driver training program. Recipients are not restricted from pursuing and accepting other forms of financial aid and/or assistantship.

Questions can be directed to Jennifer Smith, 309.557.2232 or jsmith@ilfb.org

 

Each applicant is required to obtain an endorsement from a farmer, County Farm Bureau leader, agribusiness or food processing business. The endorser should include their name, title, the applicant's name and a brief statement of their endorsement of the applicant as a recipient of scholarship funding.

By inputing your endorser's email into the field below, they will automatically receive an email to complete their endorsement, however, applicants are encouraged to give notice and follow up to ensure completion.  

For good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, I, the undersigned, for myself, my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns do hereby consent to the use of:

1. My name
2. The attached testimonial or statement in whole or part;
3. Photographs, motion pictures, sketches, drawings, likenesses or other reproduction of myself and of my real and personal property and personal effects, in whole or in part, either alone or in conjunction with items (1) and (2) above;

Exclusively by Illinois Farm Bureau or its agent, acting solely in behalf of Illinois Farm Bureau, or successors or assigns of Illinois Farm Bureau for any purpose whatever, including (without limiting the generality of the foregoing), any advertising, trade, commercial or art purpose and use in any publication or other advertising media without limitation or reservation. Consent has no influence on scholarship award decision.