Graduate Scholarship Sources
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Note: The scholarships listed here are not exhaustive, but rather are a list of the most common sources of funding to which students in our program could apply.
Students are encouraged to use other resources (internet and/or print) to search for possible public and private funding sources. For example, I found the following websites by doing a Google search with the words: "graduate funding for Canadian students."
http://www.aucc.ca/index_e.html
http://www.grad.uwaterloo.ca/scholarships/index.asp (this has an interesting search engine)
The FSGN department also strongly encourages you to work closely with your advisor and/or other faculty members in putting together an application, as they will be able to provide you with guidance and tips about how to make your application a strong one. The following document, written by an FSGN Master’s student who has been successful in receiving funding for her research, is full of very helpful information as well.
http://www.msvu.ca/Family&Gerontology/PDFs/GrantApplications.pdf
Writing good reference letters for students takes time and requires information. When you ask someone to write you a reference letter, please ask them at least two weeks in advance of when the letter is required, and provide them with enough information at that time (i.e., at least two weeks ahead of the deadline), so that they can write knowledgeably about you- this would include things such as current transcripts and an up-to-date resume/CV. As well, the person writing you a reference letter needs to be familiar not only with your background but ALSO with what you intend to do in your master’s degree- talk to them about your intended research and provide them with a copy of your program of study and/or draft of your application form. In some cases, a reference letter may require a person to indicate whether or not they are familiar with your proposed research topic- a reference letter probably will be taken more seriously if the person is familiar with your research plan.
DISCLAIMER!!
On
this page I have included what I feel are the most important details of each
scholarship,
but there may be information that I have missed or information
(i.e., deadlines)
may change before I am able to change it here. Ultimately,
students are responsible for
going to each agency’s web page and accessing the
relevant information about scholarships there.
If you do see any web page-based
information that is different from what I have
here, please let me know.
And
good luck!!!
AGENCY: Canadian Federation of University Women
(CFUW)
website:
http://www.cfuw.org/ and then click on the link for "fellowships"
name of awards:
Canadian Home Economics Fellowship or Ruth Binnie Fellowship (Historically, both degrees were awarded from the Canadian Home Economics Association (CHEA). They are now awarded through CFUW because of CHEA’s disbandment.)
there are other awards (e.g., $10, 000) for which (female) students may be eligible on this site, (for example, there is one fellowship that gives preference to students who have a previous degree from Acadia University), so please look around this site (e.g., the Dr. Alice E Wilson awards, 5 of them at $6000 each, are for graduate students returning to school after at least 3 years)
amount of award:
each is $6000 for one year
students may reapply each year, even if they have been awarded a fellowship the previous year
competition opens up on:
applications are available online as of September 2008
special considerations:
because this award is now adjudicated through CFUW, eligibility is restricted to female students
there is a filing fee of $55
check the web page for any additional eligibility requirements
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
October 1st, 2008
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
October 15th, 2008
final due date:
November 1st, 2008 (postmarked by this date), confirmation of receipt of application available upon request after February 1st
AGENCY: Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council of Canada (SSHRC)
website:
name of award:
Canada Graduate Scholarships Program: Master’s Scholarship
amount of award:
$17, 500 for one year
competition opens up on:
specific date is unknown at which applications are made available- in the Fall some time
special considerations:
an information session about how to apply is often held at MSVU in the fall term- keep an eye out for this announcement
there are several tiers to this competition- department, university, and agency level, and each competition level has a deadline. If you are currently registered at a Canadian university, you need to apply through the university and meet your specific department’s deadline. If you are NOT currently enrolled in a Canadian university program, you need to apply directly to SSHRC, and the process/deadline is different.
all applications are completed on-line, you will need to create your own username and password in order to do this. Please look at the on-line application process early on so that you can become familiar with the technology and make sure there are no glitches you’re your username and password. Applications are not submitted electronically, however.
you must be applying for support for your first graduate degree
you must apply for this scholarship before or within the first year of your degree, because at the time you take up the award, you can not have completed more than 12 months of full-time study at the graduate level.
Please note: if you are applying for a SSHRC master's scholarship, you can not apply for a CIHR one, and visa versa.
check the web page for any additional eligibility requirements
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
October 30th, 2008
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
November 15th, 2008
final due date:
for those currently enrolled in the FSGN undergraduate/graduate program: Monday, December 8th, 2008 (deadline for getting your application to the FSGN Department Chair)
for those currently enrolled in any other MSVU program, consult the specific department
for those currently enrolled in other Canadian universities, consult the specific department
for those not registered at a university or not enrolled at a
Canadian university, apply directly to SSHRC, deadline is November 27th, 2008
NOTE: Those who are currently enrolled at MSVU and are interested in
doing a PhD may be interested in applying for a SSHRC doctoral fellowship.
The same process is followed for doctoral fellowships, except the time line
is different. Applications should be submitted to the Dean of Professional
Studies. If you are not enrolled at
MSVU or another university, you must apply directly to SSHRC.
AGENCY: Canadian Institute for Health Research
(CIHR)
website:
name of award:
Canada Graduate Scholarships: Masters
Award
amount of award:
$17, 500 for one year, non-renewable
competition opens up on:
unknown
special considerations:
an information session about how to apply is often held at MSVU in the fall term- keep an eye out for this announcement
you can apply as an undergraduate (in your final year of study) or as a graduate student, however graduate students must be NO FURTHER than 10 months into their graduate program
you must be applying for support for your first graduate degree
the process of competition is similar to SSHRC. If you are currently enrolled at a Canadian university, you need to meet that university’s internal deadlines. If you are not enrolled in a Canadian university (either you aren’t enrolled in a university, or you are enrolled in an international university), you must apply directly to CIHR and follow their deadline.
similar to SSHRC’s process, applications are completed on-line where you will need a password and username. However, the applications are not submitted electronically.
Please note: if you are applying for a CIHR master's scholarship, you can not apply for a SSHRC one, and visa versa.
check the web page for any additional eligibility requirements
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
November 30th, 2008
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
December 15th, 2008
final due date:
for those currently enrolled in the FSGN undergraduate/graduate program: Monday, January 7th, 2009 (deadline for getting your application to the FSGN Department Chair)
for those currently enrolled in any other MSVU program, consult the specific department
for those currently enrolled in other Canadian universities, consult the specific department
for those not registered at a university or not registered at a Canadian university, apply directly to CIHR, deadline is February 1st, 2009
AGENCY: Soroptimist Foundation of Canada
website:
name of award:
Canadian Soroptimist Grant for
Women
amount of award:
$7500 for one year (can apply each year, but can’t hold more than two consecutive years)
competition opens up on:
September 2008
special considerations:
for female students only
work must be focused on improving the quality of women’s lives
financial need
must be contributing to one's community through volunteer service
check the web page for any additional eligibility requirements
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
January 1st, 2009
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
January 15th, 2009
final due date:
January 31st, 2009
AGENCY: Alzheimer Society of
Nova Scotia
website:
http://www.alzheimer.ns.ca
Contact Menna MacIsaac (Executive Director) at 422-7961 for more information
name of award:
Phyllis
Horton Research Bursary
amount of award:
maximum of $3000 for one year (might be shared by two people though, if there are many applications)
competition opens up on:
not announced as of October 1st, 2008
special considerations:
must be doing research in Alzheimer Disease or related dementias
available for undergraduate and graduate students in Nova Scotia
a proposal must be submitted, outlining (a) purpose (maximum 4 pages), (b) method, (c) analysis of data, (d) implications of the study, and (e) ethical issues (including ethics approval from the university)
two letters of support must be included- one from the university's ethics committee and one from the faculty advisor
a current CV must be included, as well as unofficial transcripts from the two previous years
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
unknown (because a proper proposal is required, you will need longer to work on this application)
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
unknown
final due date:
unknown as of October 1st, 2008
AGENCY: Canadian Association
on Gerontology
website:
http://www.cagacg.ca/awards/712_e.php (Menzies)
http://www.cagacg.ca/awards/700_e.php (check the general site for other awards)
name of award:
CAG
Donald Menzies Bursary
CAG
Mar
amount of award:
Menzies- $1500 for one year
Boyce- $500 for one year
competition opens up on:
unknown
special considerations:
Menzies
study must be focused on gerontology
based on academic merit and financial need
must be a CAG member
check the web page for any additional eligibility requirements
Boyce
most be involved with volunteer activities with seniors
must be a CAG member
preference is given to students returning to school
check the web page for any additional eligibility requirements
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
April 15th, 2009
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
May 1st, 2009 (giving two weeks for them to get it done, aiming to have the reference letter one week before the deadline because you will have to send this application in by regular mail)
final due date:
nomination by May 21, 2009
AGENCY: Soroptimist International of Toronto
website:
contact soroptimisttoronto@yahoo.ca or (416) 423-5796
name of award:
Naomi Grigg Fellowship for
Post-Graduate Studies in Gerontology
amount of award:
$7500 for one year
competition opens up on:
November
special considerations:
must be a resident of Ontario
students must be enrolled in a gerontology-related graduate program
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
March 1st, 2009
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
March 15th, 2009
final due date:
March 31st, 2009
AGENCY: Feminism and Family Studies section of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
website:
contact Joyce Chang for more information (she coordinates this award for the 2008-2009 year)
name of award:
Jessie Bernard Outstanding Research Proposal from a Feminist Perspective Award
amount of award:
$750 (US dollars) budget for the research
$350 (US dollars) toward travel costs to attend and present at the annual conference
automatic acceptance of paper into the 2010 conference
competition opens up on:
December 2008 or January 2009 (approx)
special considerations:
a 5-page proposal (12-size font, double-spaced)
use of feminist framework and methods must be evident
a budget must be included as well
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
variable- you should have a clear idea of what your research topic. Ideally, you would develop this application from a clearly developed/completed thesis proposal.
an electronic copy of your proposal should be sent to Joyce Chang by the due date. If you do not receive a confirmation email from her within 7 days of submitting your proposal, please contact her by email again or call her at 816-347-1585.
final due date:
April
AGENCY: Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation
(NSHRF)
website:
name of award:
Student Research Award
Capacity Building Student Award
amount of award:
Student Research Award: $17, 824/yr, for one or two years
Capacity Building Student Award: $500
competition opens up on:
Student Research Award: October, 2008 (approximate time when the applications are made available on-line)
special considerations:
Student
Research Award
an information session about how to apply is often held at MSVU in the winter term- keep an eye out for this announcement
NOTE: successful applicants for this award will have previous research experience (e.g., as an undergraduate or graduate assistant on a research project- doing data analysis, assisting with papers or conference presentations, and so on) so if you are interested in applying for this award, you are strongly advised to get as much research experience as possible in advance of applying
all applicants must be preregistered - the preregistration date is Dec 1st, 2008, 4 p.m.
applications are available on-line- you download them onto your computer and complete there
check the web page for any additional eligibility requirements
Capacity Building Student Award
open to both full-time and part-time students in a graduate research program, but not to recipients of NSHRF Student Research Awards
goal is to encourage and support research-related activities
given on a first-come first-serve
basis- so can apply at any time during the year
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
Student Research Award: Oct 15th, 2008 (because the preregistration date is Dec 1st, 2008)
request reference letters from
faculty, etc., at the LATEST, by this date:
Student Research Award: Dec 10th, 2008
final due date:
Student Research Award:
January 15th, 2009
Capacity Building Award: applied for at any time
AGENCY: Canadian Home Economics
Association Foundation
website:
can also contact the foundation or consult with dept faculty
name of awards:
Elizabeth Feniak Award for Excellence in Technical Writing- graduate students (note: there is also an Elizabeth Feniak writing award for undergraduate students).
Canadian Home Economics Association Foundation Grant
Margaret Speechly Stansfield Consumer Studies and Family Resource Management Project
Dr. Edith Rowles Simpson Family Finance Award
amount of award:
Elizabeth Feniak award: $250
Foundation grant: variable- depends on the budget (but tend to be small as far as grants go)
Margaret Speechly Stansfield grant: up to $2000
Edith Rowles Simpson grant: up to $1000
competition opens up on:
not posted as of October 1st, 2008
special considerations:
Elizabeth Feniak award: the paper must be in an area of Home Economics (Family Studies and Gerontology)
Canadian Home Economics Association Foundation Grant: must be related to three general areas related to the mission of Home Economics- to improve the quality of life for individuals and families
Margaret Speechly Stansfield grant: the project must be related to consumer studies and family resource management
Edith Rowles Simpson grant: the project must be in the area of family finance
check with the foundation for any additional eligibility requirements
START working on application by
this date, at the LATEST:
variable- I would suggest at least one month ahead of time
final due date:
Elizabeth Feniak award: unknown as of Oct 1st, 2008
Edith Rowles Simpson grant: unknown as of Oct 1st, 2008
Margaret Speechly Stansfield grant: unknown as of October 1st, 2008
Foundation grants: any time