Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) program has awarded $668,150 in grants to 80 ag literacy coalitions across 89 counties for the 2025-2026 school year.

These funds will support classroom materials, teacher training, and hands-on agricultural education activities.

Last year, IAITC reached nearly 644,000 students and over 36,000 teachers through more than 31,000 educational programs statewide.

The initiative is powered by the IAA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Illinois Farm Bureau, with support from numerous agricultural organizations and individual donors.

IAITC continues to foster early connections to agriculture, helping students understand its role in daily life and future careers.

Here’s a list of Central Illinois counties that were awarded ag literacy grants through IAITC:

Cass and Morgan Counties
Champaign County
Christian County
Clark County
DeWitt and Piatt Counties
Douglas County
Edgar County
Effingham County
Ford and Iroquois Counties
Fulton County
Logan County
Macon County
Macoupin County
Mason County
McLean County
Menard County
Montgomery County
Moultrie County
Sangamon County
Shelby County
Vermilion County
Woodford County