WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwired - March 10, 2015) - Show us your stuff, Canadian farm kids! The Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for 2015. Sponsored by the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, this program offers graduating grade 12 students from farm families the opportunity to capture one of 65 entrance scholarships valued at $1,500 each to help fund post-secondary studies in agriculture or agriculture-related fields.
Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarships are available to eligible students entering their first year of post-secondary education in agriculture at a recognized Canadian educational institution. Thousands of deserving students have received a total of more than $1.5 million since the program launched using corporate funds in 1991. Transition to the Monsanto Fund in 2012 has enabled more students to win scholarships due to consistent funding for the program.
"The quality of bright young people who have grown up in farm families across Canada is just amazing, and the Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship program allows us to recognize their accomplishments," said Kelly Funke, public affairs manager with Monsanto Canada. "These scholarships help students who have chosen to pursue a career in agriculture start off on the right foot."
Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarships are open to students who:
- Come from a family farm with confirmed plans to enroll in their first year of post-secondary education in agriculture or an agriculture-related program at a Canadian educational institution;
- Have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership capabilities, and a keen interest and involvement in their rural community;
- Submit a completed application form, which includes an essay that outlines what area of agriculture they would like to work in and why. They must also have a farmer provide a reference letter. All applications must be post-marked not later than May 29, 2015.
Scholarship application forms and posters in both French and English are in the process of being distributed to high schools, 4-H clubs, provincial and federal agriculture offices, farm retail outlets and seed companies. Application forms and complete program details are also available from Monsanto's CustomCare® line at 1-800-667-4944 or they can be accessed online at www.monsanto.ca.
All applications will be reviewed by an independent panel of judges and winning entries will be announced in September 2015. The Monsanto Fund Opportunity Scholarship program will provide 65 scholarships to deserving students this year.
As the philanthropic arm of Monsanto, the Monsanto Fund works to improve the lives of people around the world. Its giving is focused on strengthening both farming communities and the communities where Monsanto employees live and work. The Monsanto Fund seeks opportunities to support initiatives in two main areas:
• Providing basic education support designed to improve education in farming communities around the world, including supporting schools, libraries, science centres, farmer training programs and academic programs that enrich or supplement school programs.
• Meeting critical needs in communities by supporting nonprofit organizations that help with things such as food security, sanitation, access to clean water, public safety and various other local needs.
About the Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org
About Monsanto Canada
Headquartered in Winnipeg, MB, Monsanto Canada Inc. is part of the larger global Monsanto Company. Monsanto is an agricultural company committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce a variety of seeds ranging from fruits and vegetables to key crops - such as corn, soybeans, canola and cotton - that help farmers produce abundant and nutritious food. We work to find sustainable agriculture solutions that help farmers conserve natural resources, use data to improve farming practices, use water and other important resources more efficiently, and protect their crops from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, please visit: www.monsanto.ca or follow us on Twitter @MonsantoCda.
Contact Information:
Monsanto Canada
(204) 985-1035