TELUS Friendly Future Foundation launches new $50 million TELUS Student Bursary Fund – the largest bursary fund in Canada

Created through a $25 million endowment gift from TELUS plus an additional $25 million in fundraising, the TELUS Student Bursary program will support hundreds of students each year, who are committed to making a difference in their communities, achieve the education they are passionate about realizing

75 per cent of students find it very hard to afford post-secondary education, and nearly 1-in-3 students have considered withdrawing from their studies due to financial difficulty

TORONTO, Oct. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation announced the launch of Canada’s largest bursary fund: the TELUS Student Bursary, supporting students facing financial barriers impacting their ability to enroll or continue their education. Created through a $25 million endowment gift from TELUS, along with an additional $25 million commitment in fundraising from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, TELUS Student Bursaries are awarded annually to youth between the ages of 17 and 29 who are accepted into, or attending, any undergraduate degree or diploma program at any Canadian college, university or polytechnic institute, enabling youth across the country to access higher education.

“Through the TELUS Student Bursary, we are helping to empower and motivate young people to pursue their dreams, realize their full potential and create a better world,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO, TELUS. “Building on the $120 million gift from TELUS to inaugurate the Foundation in 2018, TELUS’ additional endowment to create the largest bursary fund in Canada is a testament to our team’s unwavering commitment to ensuring every young person in Canada is able to realize their dreams of a post-secondary education. Together, with TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, our annual bursary program will enable thousands of youth who might lack the means to attend college, university or a technical vocational school. TELUS is committed to ensuring that our next generation of leaders have access to a brighter, more inclusive future, while they are also making a positive difference in their communities around causes that matter most to them.”

While education opens doors to a brighter future, unfortunately not all youth have the resources needed to attend college or university. Recent reports state that 75 per cent of students find it very hard to afford post-secondary education and nearly 1-in-3 students have considered withdrawing from their studies due to financial difficulty. The TELUS Student Bursary program offers bursaries valued at $5K for university students and $3K for college students, helping break down financial barriers and further empowering youth to thrive and reach their full potential.

“In a world rapidly evolving, we cannot afford to leave any youth behind. The TELUS Student Bursary is not just about funding, but about belief in the boundless potential of our youth and the transformative power they hold,” said Ashif Mawji, chair, Board of Directors, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. “As the main differentiator of the TELUS Student Bursary, students will commit to undertaking a project that will have a positive social, environmental or health impact during their studies, helping ensure that every youth has the opportunity to not only get the education they are passionate about, but to also give back in the form of a social impact that they will champion and be self-accountable for.”

Aligning with the start of the 2023–2024 school year, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation awarded its first round of bursary recipients to more than 400 students across the country. Pulling from their own personal experiences, ranging from immigrating to Canada, to navigating the foster-care system and experiencing social injustice, these are the social impact leaders of tomorrow that will be driving climate action, advancing Reconciliation, advocating for human rights, and uplifting marginalized communities across the country and around the world.

“As someone who grew up in the foster care system, it’s been really hard to pursue my dream of going to university,” says Clementine Jarrett, third-year Carleton University student and 2023 TELUS Student Bursary recipient. “I’ve learned—and seen through my own experience—that only eight out of every 1,000 Canadian kids in foster care will graduate with any kind of post-secondary degree. I truly believe that with the support from TELUS and the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, I will not only have the resources to graduate, but also be able to improve those odds for other kids in the future as I hope to work on redeveloping the child welfare system.”

By the end of 2023, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation will have provided $2 million worth of bursaries to students attending post-secondary institutions across Canada and through select post-secondary partners including University of Victoria, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Humber College, McGill University and Indspire, a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. In addition to financial support for their education, the TELUS Student Bursary seeks to help alleviate some of the additional challenges facing students such as affordability and career opportunities. Bursary recipients have access to free mobility and internet plans through TELUS’ Mobility for Good and Internet for Good programs, as well as mentoring, networking and other career development opportunities throughout their schooling and post-graduation, helping enable their ongoing professional success.

The next student bursary application window will open in spring, 2024. To learn more, visit friendlyfuture.com.

About TELUS Friendly Future Foundation

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that believes all youth, regardless of circumstances, deserve an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. By funding more than 500 charities each year that provide education and health programs, many enabled by technology, along with providing educational bursaries, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is helping more than 2 million youth in communities across Canada build skills, gain confidence and feel a sense of belonging. In 2022 alone, we provided more than $10.6 million in grants to charities across the country.

For more information on TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Saara Rahikka
TELUS Public Relations
saara.rahikka@telus.com