CHF BC
SCHOLARSHIPS
We are proud to support the education dreams and ambitions of our members.
Scholarship Details
Each scholarship is worth up to $5,000 and is awarded in multiple years: $2,000 in the first year of study and then $1,000 a year for up to three more years.
Each year an online fillable application is posted early in the year with a submission deadline in March. The application provides a checklist of documentation you will need to submit with your application. Scholarships are awarded annually in May or June, at our SAGM or at a separate ceremony.
To ensure the integrity of the selection process, we recruit an independent review committee so that the selection of scholarship recipients won’t be made by CHF BC staff or directors.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a CHF BC Scholarship, an applicant must:
- Live in a CHF BC member housing co-op
- Plan to attend, or already attend, a Canadian, publicly-funded, accredited college, university or government-approved apprenticeship program on a full-time basis
- Be making a positive contribution to their school, co-op, or community
- Demonstrate financial need
Scholarships are awarded for undergraduate studies only.
Applying
Applications for the 2023 Scholarships are open until March 31, 2023
Download the 2023 scholarship application HERE. If you have any questions, please contact Jarrett Hagglund at scholarships@chf.bc.ca.
Scholarship History
We remember how excited we were to launch our CHF BC Scholarship Fund in 2012, based on the successful model pioneered by CHF Toronto.
Since then the Fund has supported the educational goals of co-op members, particularly young members who are actively engaged in making a positive contribution to their communities, awarding a total of 24 scholarships. We are proud to invest in our young members (and others who may be returning to school) and supporting the next generation of co-op leaders.
This video features Jazz Groden-Gilchrist, the 2012 Aaron Webster Memorial Scholarship winner describing what receiving the scholarship meant to him and his education goals.
Download a summary of this video [PDF]
Learn more about past scholarship recipients.
Aaron Webster
When we created the CHF BC Scholarship Fund, we decided to name one of the first scholarships after Aaron Webster.
Aaron Webster was the victim of a hate crime. He was killed because he was gay and for no other reason. This tragedy affected many of us deeply, because at the time of his death, Aaron was the president of his housing co-op.
Not long after Aaron’s death, CHF BC established the Aaron Webster Memorial Fund in the hope of using it in some way to celebrate our diversity as a co-op housing movement. This is the seed that grew into our Scholarship Fund, and each year we name one of our scholarships the Aaron Webster Memorial Scholarship to acknowledge those roots.
Past Recipients
Scholarship recipients reflect the diversity of co-op members and represent the best of the co-operative movement: motivated, determined and making a positive contribution to their communities.
You can learn more about past recipients at the link below.
Scholarship Committee
Each year we recruit an independent Scholarship Committee to review applications and select recipients. This ensures that decisions won’t be made by CHF BC staff or directors.
We acknowledge the many hours that the Scholarship Committee members put into the selection of each year’s scholarship recipients. Sitting on the review committee is a significant commitment involving many hours of work. Our committee members take this commitment very seriously.
Thank you to our current committee for your outstanding work:
- Grant Haddock (Haddock & Company),
- Roohafza Zarabi (Vancity) and
- Jazz Groden-Gilchrist (2012 Aaron Wester Scholarship winner).
Scholarship Sponsors
We would like to thank our generous sponsors and donors who contribute to the CHF BC Scholarship Program through the CLT Community Foundation.