Legacy Scholarship

Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industries need skilled workers – in the field, in the lab, in the factory, and in the boardroom. A career in agriculture can be a career in science, technology, finance, communication, law, public policy – it is a wide-open field with endless potential.

Grain Farmers of Ontario has a mission to build, defend and promote an inclusive, innovative, and sustainable business environment that enables grain farmer-members the opportunity to prosper. As part of our Core Values, we have a commitment to Our Community.

The Grain Farmers of Ontario Legacy Scholarship encourages the pursuit of higher education in any area of study that will benefit the Ontario grain sector or agri-food industry and supports the development of future leaders in these areas.

The Legacy Scholarship is open to students accepted or enrolled in any accredited post- secondary College or University program. Up to 10 scholarships of $5,000 per recipient will be awarded towards the individual’s studies and cost of school. Up to five of those scholarships may be awarded to students pursuing non-agriculture specific studies.

Scholarship Eligibility Terms

1. Applicants must be a permanent Ontario resident,
2. Applicants must be entering or currently pursuing full-time post-secondary education,
3. Applicants must be attending an accredited College or University,
4. Applicants are eligible during any point of their studies,
5. Applicants must be enrolled as a full-time student for the Fall semester (September 2024 – December 2024)
6. Employees of Grain Farmers of Ontario and their children are not eligible to receive a scholarship, and
7. Recipients are only eligible for one Scholarship award in their lifetime

How to Apply for a Scholarship

1. Complete the application form located at https://gfo.ca/legacyscholarship/
2. Submit the following required documents with the application form (the “Application Package”):
   • Resume – including a list of community involvement and personal accomplishments
   • Letter of Reference – One (1) Letter of Reference will be accepted from a non-family member, preferably within the Ontario agriculture or agri-food industry, with significant knowledge of the Applicant’s experience and involvement in their community
   • Proof of enrollment in a course of study (Note: Offer letters will not be accepted as proof of enrolment)
     • If entering a College or University program, copy of acceptance letter
     • If already enrolled in a College or University, a copy of the most recent course enrollment
   • Essay – Using 500 to a maximum of 1,000 in your own words, address the following points:
     • How did you become interested in your area of study and what is your career plan?
     • How will your area of study and career goals benefit the future of the Ontario grain sector or agri-food industry?
     • Why should Grain Farmers of Ontario be a partner in your academic journey?
3. The applicant must ensure that the Application Package is complete and includes all required documents
4. The applicant must certify that an AI (artificial intelligence) tool has not been used to generate their essay. 
5. The applicant must acknowledge they have reviewed this Terms and Conditions
6. The applicant must submit the Application Package electronically in one document (Word or PDF) to scholarship@gfo.ca  

Selection of Scholarship Recipients

1. The Legacy Fund Committee will be comprised of five (5) members of the Board of Directors.
2. All applications received up to 11:59 pm July 21, 2024 will be reviewed by a representative of Grain Farmers of Ontario for completeness and verify the applications meet the eligibility requirements.
3. All applications that pass the pre-screening process will be forwarded to the Legacy Fund Committee who will judge the screened applications based on anonymity (personal information is removed and a unique id applied), the quality of their answers to the essay points, a review of their resume and letter of reference.
4. Applicants are encouraged to submit their own work in their essays, reflecting their unique experiences and perspectives.  As part of our commitment to maintaining academic integrity, we may employ AI detection tools to verify the authenticity of essays submitted by applicants.
5. Selection of up to ten (10) Scholarship recipients will be at the sole discretion of the Legacy Fund Committee based on the information provided in the Application Package

Awarding of Scholarship

1. Prior to receiving a Scholarship award, if awarded, any selected applicant must:
   • Be notified by email by December 1, 2024
   • Provide proof of enrollment as of December 1, 2024 (i.e. copy of a current course schedule)
   • Provide their social insurance number (SIN) and date of birth for the purpose of paying the scholarship and generating a T4A slip
   • Provide banking information for E-transfer of the Scholarship award
   • A selected applicant that cannot be contacted or who does not comply with these Terms and Conditions for awarding the Scholarship, will not be entitled to receive the Scholarship. An alternate eligible applicant may or may not be chosen by the Committee to receive a Scholarship.
2. The applicant consents to having their name and area of study published when the announcement of winners is made. A request may be made at the time of notification to provide a photo.
   

General Conditions

1. Verification
   All applications submitted are subject to verification for eligibility and completeness. Any application submitted which is incomplete, illegible, fraudulent, submitted late, has an invalid email address or phone number, was written using an AI (artificial intelligence) tool, or otherwise noncompliant shall be refused and the applicant will not be eligible to receive a Scholarship.
2. Website
   Grain Farmers of Ontario does not warrant that access to or use of the Grain Farmers of Ontario website will be uninterrupted during the Scholarship submissions or be error-free.
3. Limited Liability, use of Scholarship
   By applying for the Scholarship, any applicant selected for a Scholarship award release and holds harmless the Grain Farmers of Ontario, employees, Legacy Fund Committee, directors, officers, (the “Released Parties”) from and against any damage or liabilities of whatever kind and nature resulting from the acceptance or use of the Scholarship.
4. Limited Liability, Conduct of the Scholarship
   The Released Parties disclaim all liability for any of the following that may limit or prevent any Applicant from submitting an application to receive a Scholarship: malfunction of any computer component, software, or communications line, loss or lack of a communications network, or any transmission that is faulty, incomplete, incomprehensible or erased by any computer or network. The Released Parties also disclaim all liability for any damages or loss that may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the downloading of any web page or software or by the transmission of any information related to submitting an application to receive a Scholarship.
5. Scholarship Limit
   In no event shall the Legacy Fund Committee be required to award more Scholarships than indicated in these Terms and Conditions.
6. Property
   Application forms and required documents (the Application Package) are the property of Grain Farmers of Ontario and will not be returned to the applicants.
7. Use of Personal Information
   By completing the Scholarship application form, the applicant consents to the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information for the purpose of
   administering this Scholarship and as permitted by this Scholarship Terms and Conditions.
8. Scholarship Organizer’s Decision
   Any decision made by the representatives of Grain Farmers of Ontario in the pre-screening process or selection by the Legacy Fund Committee is final and binding and not subject to appeal.