NEADS Holly Bartlett Memorial Award

What you will need

• ✓ Online application through the NEADS Financial Assistance Program (open September 8 to October 16, 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern Time)
• ✓ Financial information entered in the application's financial aid calculator
• ✓ If you are selected: proof of disability (for example a letter from your accessibility services office, medical documentation, or proof of disability-related government student funding), sent within 2 weeks

About this award

One $1,000 Holly Bartlett Memorial Award is given in the Fall 2026 round of the NEADS Financial Assistance Program. It is an award, not a loan, so you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are a full-time post-secondary student living with a permanent, persistent or prolonged disability and you need financial help with your studies. Applications opened September 8, 2026 and close Friday, October 16, 2026 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS — the national organization supporting students with disabilities) contacts only the students selected, by email, in the latter half of the semester. There is no separate question for this award: you are considered automatically from the information in your NEADS application, including the financial need shown through its financial aid calculator. Applications are checked for completeness, then selection committees review them. Ask the National Educational Association of Disabled Students how the money will reach you — the current program page does not say whether it is paid to you or to your school. This is a one-time award: students who have already received a NEADS Financial Assistance Program grant or scholarship cannot apply again.

Who qualifies

You must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. You must be living with a permanent, persistent or prolonged disability — a functional limitation that limits your ability to participate fully in post-secondary education. You must be enrolled full-time at a college, university or CÉGEP (full-time means at least 40% of a course load) and still be enrolled when the award is given; students on leave cannot apply. If you are in high school, you must already be accepted to a post-secondary program. You cannot apply if you have received a NEADS Financial Assistance Program grant or scholarship before.

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.

• ✓ Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• ✓ Open to post-secondary students

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

   Ask for reference letters2 weeks

   Give your referees at least two weeks' notice, and send them your résumé.

3. 3

   Submit your application

   Save a copy, and submit at least a day before the deadline shown above.

Tips for applying

• Financial NeedAvoid rushing the financial aid calculator in the application. Instead, fill it in carefully and completely — this award has no separate written question, and financial need shown there is part of how you are considered.
• DocumentsAvoid scrambling after you are selected. Instead, have proof of disability ready now, such as a letter from your campus accessibility office or your Canada Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities funding summary — winners have 2 weeks to send it.
• StrategyAvoid applying at the last minute. Instead, submit well before 5 p.m. Eastern Time on October 16, 2026, because a submitted application cannot be changed.
• RealismAvoid counting on this award alone. Only one Holly Bartlett Memorial Award is given in Fall 2026, so apply for other disability awards as well.

Questions students ask

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