The USPOULTRY Foundation has awarded $399,803 in student recruiting grants to 21 colleges and universities nationwide, including six universities with Poultry Science departments and 15 additional institutions offering poultry industry-related programs. Awarded annually, these grants support recruitment and retention efforts aimed at attracting students to poultry-related academic programs, increasing awareness of career opportunities and strengthening the industry's future workforce. Funding is made possible in part through generous contributions from companies, individuals and families supporting the USPOULTRY Foundation, as well as funds generated over the years from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo.

The six poultry science departments receiving the grants are:

The 15 other institutions with industry-related programs receiving recruiting and retention grants under the Foundation’s Industry Education Recruitment Funding Program are:

“Investing in the next generation of industry professionals is essential to the continued success and advancement of the poultry and egg industry. Through the USPOULTRY Foundation’s recruiting grants, we are helping colleges and universities introduce students to the diverse and rewarding career opportunities our industry offers,” said Jonathan Cade, Hy-Line International and USPOULTRY Foundation chair.

USPOULTRY established the USPOULTRY Foundation in 1994 to provide student recruiting funds to universities with Poultry Science departments. In 2004, the Industry Education Recruitment Funding Program was added to the Foundation’s umbrella so other colleges and universities that offer industry-related studies are eligible to apply for recruiting grants. Since the inception of the program, the USPOULTRY Foundation has reinvested more than $8 million in industry recruitment efforts.