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Tobacco Leaders Program
Deadline to apply: February 3, 2025 3:00 pm CT

Altria Client Services LLC has established a scholarship program to assist dependent children of TLP tobacco growers who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs.

This program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Applicants to the Tobacco Leaders Program must be:

  • Dependent* child of a TLP tobacco grower who currently has an agreement or will have an agreement with Phillip Morris USA (PM USA) or U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (USSTC), signed by March 31, 2025.
    *Dependent is defined as one of the following: a child of a PM USA or USSTC TLP tobacco grower who is claimed as a dependent on the grower’s federal income tax return, is supported by the tobacco grower, or is claimed by the grower for medical insurance and other benefits.
  • High school seniors or graduates, or current postsecondary undergraduate or graduate-level students, who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate or graduate-level study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in the United States or Puerto Rico for the entire upcoming academic year in the field of agriculture, business or a related area of study that has a direct correlation to agriculture or business.

Award Amounts

If selected as a recipient, the student will receive an award ranging from $2,000 to $4,000. Recipients enrolling in a four-year bachelor’s or graduate degree program will receive an award of $4,000, and recipients enrolling in a two-year vocational-technical or associate degree program will receive an award of $2,000.

Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a degree is earned, whichever occurs first. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance in a full-time course of study for the entire academic year in the field of agriculture or business. Additionally, the related TLP agreement must be valid for that growing year and all required renewal materials must be completed and returned.

Awards are for undergraduate or graduate study; however, unused renewals cannot be transferred from undergraduate study to graduate study. A student who has been a recipient during undergraduate study must reapply in order to be considered for a graduate study scholarship.

Deferrals will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A deferral must be requested in writing and may be approved by the program sponsor.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Work experience
  • A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
  • Unusual personal or family circumstances.

Financial need is not considered.

Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of Altria Client Services LLC play a part in the selection. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.

Notification

Applicants will be notified in April. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. Students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of Altria Client Services LLC. Payments are made in one installment in August.

As part of your application, you must upload the following:

  • A current, complete transcript of grades. A current, complete transcript of grades. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. Transcripts must display:
  • Student name
  • School name
  • Grades
  • Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.

NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload an official copy of those test scores separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.

Altria Client Services LLC has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.