The American Road & Transportation Builders Association-Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) “Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program” provides financial assistance to help the sons, daughters or legally adopted children of highway worker skilled or permanently disabled in the line of duty pursue post-high school education. Scholarships are awarded annually. The scholarship program was launched in October 1999 through a generous gift from the families of past ARTBA chairmen Jack (1991) and Stan (1999) Lanford of Roanoke, Virginia. Today, it is supported by contributions from highway construction industry executives and firms, state transportation groups, and labor organizations.

Eligibility for the scholarship is limited to the sons, daughters or legally adopted children of highway workers who die or have become permanently disabled in roadway work zone accidents. The applicant’s parent must have been employed by a transportation construction firm or a transportation public agency at the time of his or her death or disabling injury. 

• freshman
• sophomore
• junior
• senior

• US Citizen
• Permanent Resident
• International or Other Visa Status
• Undocumented

All applications must be submitted online and include the following information: Applications that do not provide all of the following information will not be considered.

1. A completed and signed online application form.

2. An official copy of the applicant’s transcript and grade report from the school currently attended or most recently attended. A minimum, cumulative academic performance of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale is required for consideration.

3. At least two letters of recommendation from teachers in support of the candidate’s application. Additional letters from a school administrator, counselor, clergy, work or military supervisor, who can address the qualifications and academic aptitude of the applicant, may also be submitted in support of the candidate, although they are not necessary for consideration. Do not send letters of recommendation from immediate family members, close family friends, blood relatives, or relatives by marriage.

4. Proof of parent’s death in line of duty. (This may be a newspaper clipping with a date the article appeared, a letter from the deceased parent’s former employer, etc.)

5. If parent is permanently incapacitated, submit appropriate documentation, including, but not limited to, a physician certification form stating that the injury was directly related to on-duty job-site injury or documentation from the Social Security Administration disability insurance program. It must show that the disability was work-related, along with a statement of injury from the employer.

6. Proof of guardianship if not living with surviving parent.

7. A typewritten statement, no longer than 200 words, prepared by the applicant that explains his/her reasons for wanting to continue his/her education. For previous scholarship recipients, please provide a reflection on how the scholarship has affected you and your family, and your future educational goals. The personal statement must be updated every application year.

8. A recent high resolution photo of the applicant. Electronic photos are preferred. Files must be 300 dpi or higher and in full-color JPEG, TIFF, or PDF format of less than 10MB. Hard copy photographs are also acceptable, but will not be returned.

9. A completed and signed “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” (FAFSA) forms for the current year. The FAFSA can be obtained at school guidance offices or via the Internet at fafsa.ed.gov.

10. Applicant must provide a copy of his/her most current year’s federal tax return and a copy of parent’s most current year federal tax return.

11. A copy of the acceptance letter from the college, university, technical school, etc. where the applicant plans to attend.

12. A statement providing the approximate cost of annual tuition and room and board to attend school where scholarship will be applied.

For addtiional information, Contact ARTBA’s Eileen Houlihan at 202.683.1019 or at ehoulihan@artba.org.

Kashae Williams
Project Manager
ARTBA - TDF
1219 28th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007
Ph: 202.289.4434 ext.109
Fax: 202.289.4435
Email: kwilliams@artba.org