Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation - Overview

Overview

The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation was created by an Act of Parliament in 1998 by the then Liberal government under Jean Chrétien. Branded as Canada's way to marking the new millennium, the Foundation was endowed with CAD$2.5 billion and was given the mandate to 1) improve access to post-secondary education for all Canadians, especially those facing economic or social barriers, to 2) encourage a high level of student achievement and engagement in Canadian society; and to 3) build a national alliance of organizations and individuals around a shared post-secondary agenda.

Since 2000, the Foundation delivered more than half a million bursaries and scholarships worth more than $1.5 billion to students across Canada. Its two best-known scholarship programs were:

• The Millennium Bursary Program, which targeted students with the greatest financial need.
• The Millennium Excellence Award Program, which provided scholarships based on merit (including leadership, innovation, academic achievement and community service). Separate sets of awards were provided to entrance and in-course post-secondary students.