NDTA Foundation
Since its founding, one of the missions of NDTA has been “to support, conduct and assist programs of transportation education, science, research, and development, among private, industrial, educational and governmental agencies…” These programs required funding and, in 1961, the Association established the NDTA Foundation as a separate financial entity operating under NDTA to raise and provide the funds needed to accomplish this mission. A volunteer Board of Trustees supervises the Foundation’s activities.
The Foundation is funded by voluntary donations, which are tax-deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Funds held by the Foundation cannot be used to meet operating expenses unrelated to the Foundation.
As the cost of attending college has risen astronomically in the past 10-15 years, so has the amount of debt students have had to take on to earn a degree. Student-loan debt has surpassed $1.7 trillion and is now greater than credit card and auto loan debt in the US.1 The Class of 2021 graduated with an average debt of $36,900 – which has been increasing at an annual rate of 7.8%. Student loan debt at graduation has grown 76% since the Class of 2000, a rate of increase that outpaces the rate of inflation by 41%.2 Furthermore, a 2020 survey by the educational company OneClass of 10,839 college students attending 255 schools across the US, found that a staggering 56% of the students are no longer able to afford tuition.3 This is an unsustainable trend. Easing the burden of a college education for the future leaders of our profession is now a major priority for the Foundation.
1 Student Loan Debt Statistics in 2021: A Record $1.7 Trillion by Zack Friedman. Forbes.com. 20 February 2021.
2 Average Student Loan Debt by Year by Melanie Hanson. educationdata.org. Updated 21 July 2021.
3 How Has the Pandemic Affected Your Ability to Afford School? OneClass Blog. OneClass.com. 1 Jun 2020.
As the Foundation is funded by voluntary donations, with your support, the Foundation will be empowered to help students for decades to come. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to help our future professionals have a future.
Industry Connect Program
The Industry Connect Program (ICP) offers NDTA Foundation scholarship winners the opportunity to connect with industry mentors to learn more about their field of interest, and provides a bridge from college to potential careers in logistics, transportation, supply chain, distribution, and passenger travel services. Learn more.
Scholarship Program
The Foundation annually awards scholarship money to high school or college students pursuing an education in logistics, transportation, or passenger travel. Three scholarship programs are available to NDTA members and their financial dependents pursuing the study of logistics, transportation, supply chain, physical distribution, or passenger travel services:
- Academic Scholarship Program A is for currently enrolled college students
- Academic Scholarship Program B is for soon-to-be high school graduates, accepted at an accredited institution
- Academic Scholarship Program C is for currently enrolled, distance learning college students
- Academic Scholarship Program D, “The Denny Edwards Graduate Scholarship” for Graduate Degree Students
Applications are due by April 15th each year via e-mail, NDTAHQ@ndtahq.com
Vice Adm. Andy Brown (ret.), NDTA’s President and CEO, receives a $10K donation to the NDTA Foundation from FedEx Government Services and FedEx CEO Fred Smith. (Photo by Katherine Bish)
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