Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS) is proud to announce the Don McBain Memorial Award in honour of the late founder and Executive Director of OAHS. This award is comprised of three (3) $5,000 rewards that will be distributed annually to three (3) Indigenous students from Ontario pursuing their first year of post-secondary studies.
Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services’s mission and vision is to provide safe, sustainable, and affordable housing to urban and rural Indigenous people across the province of Ontario. In addition to providing housing services, OAHS supports the communities and people we serve in a variety of other honourable and charitable ways.
How to Apply
- Eligibility
- Application
- Judging
- Terms
You are eligible for the award if you meet all the following criteria:
- You self-identify as an Indigenous student (no status required).
- You are enrolled in a program at a college, university, Indigenous post-secondary institution, or private trade school recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. To see if your school is recognized, visit the Province’s website.
- You have a full-time course load for the 2023–2024 school year.
- You meet the financial need requirements.
Apply online or by mail. Applicants must submit:
- Proof of education: Submit a copy of your letter of registration for the previous school year from your college, university, or private trade school. You must request this from your school’s registrar’s office. You may also submit a copy of your letter of acceptance to your chosen post-secondary institution.
- Signed release of information form: Print and sign this form and submit it along with your supporting documents.
- Proof of financial need: Print and sign this form and submit it along with your supporting documents.
- Answer the essay question provided on the scholarship website.
- Two letters of recommendation.
For those who are applying online, please submit a PDF file of the letter, and for those submitting through mail, please provide the letters in envelopes signed by their respective writers.
Your application will be reviewed by a committee that includes representatives of Indigenous non-profit housing providers in Ontario and members of the McBain family. When they review your application, they will score you based on:
- Demonstrated financial need
- Effort put into answering the application essay
- Two letters of recommendation
The amount of $5,000 will be awarded to three Indigenous students exclusively for their first year of post-secondary studies. This award will not be renewed the following year for those recipients. New students will receive the award each year.
Eligible uses for the award funds include:
- Tuition
- Books
- Technology
- Housing
- Transportation, and living expenses during the first year of post-secondary education.