Lorne Fraser Scholarship - Mental Health Promotion

What you will need

• ✓ Electronic submission only (submissions by mail or fax are disqualified)
• ✓ One application per year across all CMHA British Columbia awards (only your first application is evaluated)

About this award

You can receive a scholarship worth $1,000 or $2,000. As a scholarship, this money is yours to keep — there is nothing to repay. This is for you if you live with mental illness or addiction and have education and career goals related to mental health promotion. Applications for the 2026 CMHA British Columbia (the Canadian Mental Health Association of British Columbia) scholarship and bursary awards have closed. The awards are offered each year, so check CMHA British Columbia's page for when the next round opens. Only electronic submissions are accepted. When you apply, ask how and when you'll hear back — email, portal, or phone. Selection criteria aren't published — ask CMHA British Columbia how winners are chosen and roughly how many applicants they typically receive so you can judge your odds. There are two awards available to students. Ask CMHA British Columbia during your application how the money will reach you — some awards pay students directly, others apply funds to tuition. Confirm this so you can plan your cash flow. Renewal conditions aren't listed — if you're counting on this for multiple years, confirm with CMHA British Columbia whether it's one-time or renewable. Note that if you have already won this award, you must wait two years before reapplying, which makes you eligible again in the third year after winning.

Who qualifies

You must be a post-secondary student in British Columbia who lives with mental illness or addiction. You must be entering the second, third, or fourth year of an undergraduate program, or any stage of a graduate program. Your education and career goals must be related to mental health promotion.

This is what the award's official page said when we last checked. Rules change, so confirm on the award's official page before you apply.

• ✓ Open to undergraduate or graduate students
• ✓ Resident of British Columbia
• ✓ Studying mental health promotion

How to apply

1. 1

   Read the award's official page

   Check you meet every requirement, and note each document they ask for.

2. 2

   Check this year's deadline

   We don't have a confirmed date for this round. The award's official page will have it.

Tips for applying

• Mental Health PromotionAvoid writing a generic statement about why you like psychology. Instead, connect your personal lived experience with mental illness or addiction to your specific career goal of promoting mental health. Describe one specific way your future work will help others.
• SupportAvoid providing references who only know you socially. Instead, use a professor or a healthcare professional who can speak to your academic persistence while managing your health. Ask them to highlight your resilience.
• StrategyAvoid applying for multiple awards from the same organization in one year. Instead, pick the one that best matches your current program stage. CMHA British Columbia will only evaluate the first application they receive if you submit more than one.
• RealismAvoid counting on this every year. Instead, remember that you cannot apply every year if you win. Plan your budget knowing that you must wait two years after receiving an award before you can apply again.

Questions students ask

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