Scholarships & Bursaries

THIS SCHOLARSHIP IS NOT AVAILABLE IN 2023

Aileen Lahti passed away in 2008 at the age of 97. She was employed by Prudential Insurance Co. of America until her retirement after 38 years of service. Her sister Gertrude Lahti passed away in 2011 at the age of 97. She worked for 31 years for the Grain Commission. The sisters lived all of their lives in Thunder Bay.

• The Aileen and Gertrude Lahti Family Scholarship are open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.
• Each school is asked to select and nominate the Seven (7) most qualified student for consideration by our Scholarship and Bursary Committee.

Eligibility

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian university, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

The Arthur Widnall Bursary is dedicated to creating opportunities for young people from the Thunder Bay Indigenous Community, who as a result of economic limitations may not otherwise be able to attend College or University. The goal is to help individuals further their educational pursuits and realize their highest potential and aspirations. Another goal of this bursary is to motivate young Indigenous students to inspire leadership by becoming mentors and role models for other youth (not only Indigenous youth) in the community and help create a bright future for the community of Thunder Bay.

• The Arthur Widnall Bursary is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools or students going into an accredited trades program.
• Awards will be presented annually to students from Thunder Bay who have completed Grade 12 and are entering a Post-Secondary Program at Confederation College or Lakehead University.

Eligibility

• The Arthur Widnall Bursary is open to applicants from Ontario Secondary Schools from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay.
• Applicants must be seeking full-time admission to Confederation College or Lakehead University.
• Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Applicants must demonstrate adequate academic performance.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate financial need.
• Applicants must be of Indigenous descent – Status First Nations.

Bonnie Moore and her husband Jay Eingold have been supporters of the Thunder Bay Community Foundation since she joined the Board in 2009. Giving to our community through the Foundation is their joy! They created a Fund to give money now to various charities that support youth and are leaving a Legacy Gift in their Will to ensure their appreciation for the work our great charities do is extended into perpetuity.

Eligibility

• Applicants must have worked for, or have been a participating member of, the Boys & Girls Club of Thunder Bay within the last 2 years.
• Applicants must be seeking full-time admission into a Trades Program.
• Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.

The Cliff Friesen and Susan Jones Friesen are excited to announce the creation of the Friesen Jones Family Bursary. Susan created the Bursary to support individuals under the age of 29 that have been in the care of the Children’s Aid Society of Thunder Bay who have graduated or will be graduating from high school and pursuing post-secondary opportunities. Like the mission of the Children’s Aid Society of Thunder Bay – “to protect and enhance the lives of children through strengthening families in partnership with our community” – the Friesen Jones Family felt a strong desire to continue to protect and enhance the lives of these former children, now young adults, by contributing to their educational success. As a long time educator and advocate for the Children’s Aid Society of Thunder Bay, Susan Jones Friesen has joined with her philanthropist husband Cliff to established this bursary as a partnership with the Thunder Bay Community Foundation.

• The Friesen Jones Family Bursary is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.
• Each school is asked to submit an unlimited number of qualified students for consideration by our Grants & Scholarships Committee.
• Applicants not in high school who meet the criteria may apply directly to the Foundation. Students still in high school may not directly apply to the Foundation.

Eligibility

• Must be a student graduating from high school or a youth (up to the age of 29) that has been in the care of or received services from the Children’s Aid Society of Thunder Bay (this will be direct verified with the Children’s Aid Society of Thunder Bay.
• Applicants must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian university or college, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
• Applicants must demonstrate adequate academic performance.
• Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate financial need.

Jim and Shirley Symington established the Shirley & James Symington Donor Directed Endowed Family Fund Bursary in 2018 with the goal of assisting young people in our community pursue an education with reduced financial burdens. Jim grew up in Hurkett and Port Arthur, Ontario and Shirley grew up in London, Ontario. Both Jim and Shirley pursued a post-secondary education with Jim earning his Bachelor of Commerce and Shirley earning her Bachelor of Nursing – both receiving support in the way of bursaries. In 1976 Shirley and Jim moved to Thunder Bay and have been a integral part of the community ever since. As a result of their own experiences, Jim and Shirley wish to provide support to students who would otherwise have challenges pursuing a post-secondary education.

• The James and Shirley Symington Family Bursary is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.
• 2 awards will be awarded to students in Thunder Bay schools.
• 2 awards will be awarded to students from district rural schools.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Applicants must demonstrate adequate academic performance.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate financial need.
• Subsequent Eligibility: This bursary is available to past recipients going into each subsequent year of their post-secondary program. Recipients are eligible to receive up to 3 more awards in subsequent years (totaling 4 years), provided they are in full time enrollment and maintain a minimum of a C average and continue to show financial need. They must apply for subsequent payments to the Thunder Bay Community Foundation by February 15 and satisfy the other requirements by Sept 30 each year.

Created by Mr. McLean’s wife Jean Elizabeth, this scholarship will be awarded to a High School Student enrolling in their first year of Bachelor Education or Concurrent Education at Lakehead University.

• The John A. McLean Scholarship is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools

Eligibility:

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to first year Bachelor Education or Concurrent Education at Lakehead University.

Justice Lester was very committed to serving his community especially supporting youth organizations. For many years Justice Lester was the President of Harbour Youth Services. After his passing in 2000, the Harbour Youth Services Board renamed their post-secondary bursary after him. In 2005, the Lester family overtook the administration of this bursary and started the Justice Ronald B. Lester Memorial Youth Foundation. This Foundation is dedicated to creating educational opportunities for local graduating high school student who as a result of economic limitations may not otherwise be able to attend college or university. This bursary is awarded to local graduating high school students who have demonstrated financial need and outstanding community service. The Justice Ronald B. Lester Bursary is one of the largest (financially) private family bursaries in the Thunder Bay region to be awarded.

• The Justice Ronald B. Lester Memorial Bursary is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.

Eligibility:

• The Justice Ronald B. Lester Memorial Bursary is open to applicants from Ontario Secondary Schools from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay.
• Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate financial need

Mrs. Edith Dyke was a graduate of Victoria College, University of Toronto and was one of the first women to practice law in the District of Thunder Bay. Her legal practice was eventually purchased by the firm Weiler, Maloney, Nelson. On November 20th, 1980 Mrs. Edith Dyke passed away at the age of 84. Through her estate she established a scholarship in honour of her father, the late Rev. Joshua Dyke. In 1890 Rev. Dyke founded the Wesley Methodist Church (now Wesley United Church), and in 1902 he also served as the Mayor of the City of Fort William.

• The Joshua Dyke Family Scholarship is open to students from South Ward schools and Matawa Education and Care Centre.

Eligibility

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school at St. Patrick High School, Dennis Franklin Cromarty and Westgate CVI.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian university, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

June Morgan MacDonald was born in Fort William in 1926. Before retiring, June was head of the Art Department at Lakeview High School, where she spent much of her life helping generations of students to discover and embrace the arts. She had an irrepressible gift for teaching, and her life was filled with a passion for all the arts: painting sculpture, tapestry, music, ballet, theatre, and literature. June established the bursary to support students who are in financial need pursuing education at the University level in the Arts.

• The June Morgan MacDonald Bursary for the Arts & Design is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian university, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada or trade certification through the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Applicable areas of study include: Design (interior, architectural, stage, clothing, costume, landscape, urban, graphic or industrial; Music (composition or performance of music classified as “fine art music”); Dance (choreography or performance of traditional or contemporary ballet/dance); or Writing (biography, novel, history, poetry, or scripts for theatre, film, television, etc.). This endowment is to assist students studying for a career in APPLIED ARTS not visual arts.
• Applicants must demonstrate adequate academic performance.
• Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate financial need.

Miss Helen Lilodah Dewar was born in Calcutta, India. Her family moved to Canada when she was eight years old and in 1920, the family moved to Fort William. Helen was a music supervisor and teacher with the Port Arthur Public School Board for many years. She died in December 1989 and the Thunder Bay Community Foundation became one of the main beneficiaries of her estate. In recognition of her substantial contributions, the Thunder Bay Community Foundation established the Helen L. Dewar Scholarship in 1991.

• The Helen L. Dewar Scholarship is open to students only from North Ward schools.

Eligibility:

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian university, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

The Thunder Bay Community Foundation is honoured to welcome our newest scholarship award. MNP has created an accounting scholarship in recognition of their partner, colleague, friend, and philanthropist, Paul Fitzpatrick, FCPA, FCA.

MNP is one of the largest full-service chartered accountancy and business advisory firms in Canada. They want to acknowledge a successful career in public accounting that integrates professional success and community support. We feel this is the embodiment of successful leadership which Paul demonstrates on a daily basis in career and personal life. This award will be given to a student going into their 3rd/4th year accounting program at Lakehead University.

Eligibility:

• 3rd or 4th year accounting student at Lakehead University

Requirements:

•  To apply, please download the PDF application: 2022 Paul Fitzpatrick MNP Accounting Scholarship Application.

A former Hammarskjold High School teacher Mr. Wilson has created 2 scholarships for students from Hammarskjold High School who show particular interest in the Sciences and who are proceeding on to a Canadian University.

Eligibility:

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school at Hammarskjöld High School.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to a science program Canadian university, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

In 2006, Mr. Roy S. Rogers established a scholarship fund at the Thunder Bay Community Foundation to honour his late cousin, Ms. Geraldine Ruth Rogers. Geraldine was born and raised in Espanola, Ontario and moved to Fort William in 1951. She attended Toronto Teacher’s College and later received her Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University. She taught at Ogden Street School and Edgewater Park School where she retired in 1989.

• The Roy Seymour Rogers and Geraldine Ruth Rogers Scholarships are open to nominated students from the District of Thunder Bay high schools only (not available to the City of Thunder Bay).

Eligibility:

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian university, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

The Shirley H. & Meredith Nelson Health Care Scholarship is for a student graduating from a secondary school in Northwestern Ontario currently living on a working farm or a student who was raised on a farm and is in a graduate program. Priority will be given to student(s) entering the health care field; Additionally, nursing will be given a priority.

• The Shirley H. & Meredith O. Nelson Scholarship is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.

Eligibility:

• Be a student graduating from high school living on a working farm in Northwestern Ontario or a student who was raised on a farm and is in a graduate program.
• Submit a short essay describing the size of the farm, where its income is derived, the number of animals, main crops and what the applicant did to help on the farm.
• Have an 80% average at the time of submittal of the application.
• Be attending a Canadian university
• First priority will be given to a student(s) who are going into the field of Nursing. If there are two students who apply in one year and meet the above requirements, then potentially more than one award will be given at an amount determined by Meredith Nelson or Deborah Kraft or their designees.
• Priority two – if there are no students going into Nursing then a Scholarship will be given to a  student majoring in other health care either in an undergraduate or graduate program. **Note if the Scholarship recipient is going into a Graduate Program or continuing in a Graduate Program at a Canadian university they will provide marks based on the Graduate Program they have been admitted to or are attending.  80% will not be the baseline.  They will also not be expected to live on a working farm while they are attending University.
• Priority three  – if none of the above requirements are met the Scholarship will be open to any student meeting criteria 1 through 4 and entering into any undergraduate program in a University in Canada.

Leslie Vance worked as a Primary Care Paramedic for Superior North EMS since 1992; she passed away on Sunday, August 1, 2010 at age 38. She was an avid reader, loved to travel, stay active and spend time with family and pets. Leslie had a unique sense of humour and volunteered at the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society.

• The Superior North EMS Leslie Vance Award is open to high school students or adult learners with a high school diploma in Thunder Bay and the District Areas
• A total of two (2) Awards will be presented annually and will be awarded to students who have completed Grade 12 or with a high school diploma and are entering a Post-Secondary Program with a career focus as a Paramedic or other Health Care Provider. Applicants require a minimum grade B average academic ranking, strong oral and written communication skills, demonstrated leadership skills and must be involved in extra-curricular activities and/or community volunteerism.

Eligibility:

• The Superior North EMS Leslie Vance Bursary is open to high school students or adult learners with a high school diploma in Thunder Bay and the District Areas
• Applicants must have a minimum overall grade B average of in all Grade 12 credits.
• Applicants must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian Post-Secondary Program with a career focus as a Paramedic or other Health Care Provide

THIS BURSARY IS NOT AVAILABLE IN 2023

When the Thunder Bay Community Foundation (TBCF) was formed in 1971, Sue Cochran Simonsen became a founding member. Sue was invited to attend the graduation ceremony at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School and gained an insight into the amazing Indigenous culture through the stirring drumming and singing of the ceremony as well as through the pride of the parents and community as they celebrated the achievements of their young graduates. It was then that Sue recognized the gap between the Indigenous and the mainstream Canadian culture and realized for the future of Canadian Society to advance, this separation had to be understood. As a retired educator, Sue had witnessed the many doors that had opened up to young people as they became transformed by education. Sue knew that the misunderstandings between the cultures could only be breached by education on both sides. She was determined to contribute in some way so that young Indigenous graduates would have the same opportunities as their peers. As such, Sue established the Susan Cochran Simonsen Bursary for Indigenous Students.

• The Susan Cochran Simonsen Bursary for Indigenous Students is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.

Eligibility:

• The Susan Cochran Simonsen Bursary for Indigenous Students is open to applicants from Ontario Secondary Schools from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay.
• Applicants must be seeking full-time admission to a Canadian university, accredited by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
• Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Applicants must demonstrate adequate academic performance.
• Applicants must clearly demonstrate financial need.
• Applicants must be of Indigenous ancestry.

Mr. Pritam Lamba created this scholarship in memory of his wife Veena. Veena died on July 1, 1991 at the age of 47. As a rememberance of her love of art, her love of life and her joy in her family, Pritam Lamba has created a scholarship in her memory. In perpetuity Veena’s name and legacy will live on in this scholarship in Thunder Bay. The award will assist a student to find their passion in art as Veena did.

• The Veena Lamba Scholarship for the Arts is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.

Eligibility:

•  Applicants must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to an arts program with a preference for painting at Lakehead University.

Victor Stevenson was born in Ontario, studied engineering in the United States and worked his entire career at Can Car (now Bombardier). This bursary was created in his honour and his love for this community and region. He was very concerned about its economic future and how he could make an impact. He was very impressed by the Thunder Bay Community Foundation and wished that this scholarship be administered by the Foundation.

• The Victor Stevenson Aviation Bursary is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.

Eligibility:

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Nominees must have a minimum overall average of 80% in all Grade 12 credits.
• Nominees must be seeking full-time admission to Confederation College’s Aviation School of Excellence  or Flight Management Program, Aircraft Maintenance or Aeropsace Manufacturing Engineering Technician.

Victor Stevenson was born in Ontario, studied engineering in the United States and worked his entire career at Can Car (now Bombardier). This scholarship was created in his honour and his love for this community and region. He was very concerned about its economic future and how he could make an impact. He was very impressed by the Thunder Bay Community Foundation and wished that this scholarship be administered by the Foundation.

• The Hannah and Victor Stevenson Bursary is open to students from Thunder Bay and the District of Thunder Bay high schools.

Eligibility:

• Nominees must be in their graduating year of secondary school.
• Nominees must be continuing on to post-secondary education.
• Nominees must demonstrate financial year