Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative

On this page

• Description
• Value and duration
• Eligibility
• Application process
• Evaluation and merit review
• Regulations, policies and related information
• Contact information

Description

The Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative will provide financial support to meritorious Indigenous students who have applied to the Canada Graduate Scholars—Master’s program (CGS M).

Value and duration

The Indigenous Scholars Award is valued at $17,500 over 12 months.

The Indigenous Scholars Supplement is valued at $5,000 over 12 months.

Eligibility

Applicants must: 

• be eligible to apply to the CGS M program;
• self-identify as Indigenous for the purposes of this initiative;
• provide a one-page (3,000 characters maximum) personal statement; and
• have had their application deemed meritorious in the CGS M review process.

Meritorious applications include all applications that have received the status “Offered” or “Alternate” in the Research Portal (see selection process for the CGS M program for more information):

• Offered: CGS M applicants who are offered and accept a CGS M award and who are eligible for the Indigenous Scholars Award will keep the CGS M award and will be offered the Indigenous Scholars Supplement, to the limit of available funding.
• Alternate: CGS M applicants who are not offered a CGS M award but whose application is deemed meritorious by being deemed an alternate candidate and who are eligible for the Indigenous Scholars Award will be offered, to the limit of available funding, both the Indigenous Scholars Award and the Indigenous Scholars Supplement.

Application process

Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements for this funding stream must apply through the CGS M program.

Applicants select “Indigenous Scholars Award and Supplement Pilot Initiative” in the drop-down menu in the “Supplements/Joint Initiatives” section of the application form, under the “social sciences and/or humanities” or “natural sciences and engineering” field of research.

Applicants must also submit a personal statement. In their personal statement, applicants must describe how their proposed research project, career and/or education goals have been informed by their experience as a First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis person. If appropriate, applicants can discuss their existing connection, or efforts to develop or re-establish a link, with their Indigenous community.

Evaluation and merit review

Applications to the CGS M program are reviewed first by institutional selection committees, as outlined in the selection process for the CGS M program.

SSHRC and NSERC staff will review the self-identification documentation to ensure that applicants have provided the requested information.

While the CGS M merit review process is used to determine funding recipients under the Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative, should there be more applications than funds available, a selection committee will be formed by SSHRC and NSERC to rank the CGS M applications eligible for the award and supplement using the CGS M selection criteria.

Regulations, policies and related information

SSHRC and NSERC reserve the right to determine the eligibility of applications, based on the information included. These agencies also reserve the right to interpret the regulations and policies governing their funding opportunities.

All applicants and award holders must follow the applicable policies, regulations and guidelines, as well as the regulations set out in the Tri-agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide.

Contact information

For further information, contact the appropriate agency:

NSERC
schol@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

SSHRC
fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca

Toll-free: 1-855-275-2861

Date modified:

2022-08-29