Indigenous Women in Leadership · National
The Indigenous Women Leadership Scholarship
About this award
Get $10,000 a year for up to 4 years and a professional mentoring network if you are an Indigenous woman starting post-secondary studies. Apply through Indspire's central Building Brighter Futures program — one application covers all sponsor pools.
You get $10,000 per year for a maximum of four years. This is a scholarship, not a loan, so you do not have to pay it back. This is for you if you are an Indigenous woman who wants both financial support and a professional community to guide you through your education. You have three deadlines to choose from: August 1, November 1, and February 1. No notification timeline is posted publicly — before you start the application, check Indigenous Women in Leadership's program page or call their office to confirm when you will hear back. Selection criteria aren't published — ask Indigenous Women in Leadership how winners are chosen and roughly how many applicants they typically receive so you can judge your odds. Ask Indigenous Women in Leadership 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. To keep this award, you must maintain a full-time course load while enrolled in post-secondary. Confirm with Indigenous Women in Leadership if there are other renewal conditions, such as a minimum GPA, to ensure you keep the funding each year. How to apply: This funding is administered through Indspire's Building Brighter Futures Bursaries & Scholarships program. Students complete one central application that's evaluated against all 360+ of Indspire's funding pools (including this one) — you don't apply to the sponsor directly. The Apply button on this page routes to Indspire's portal automatically. For the full program description, all three application deadlines, and detailed eligibility, see Indspire Building Brighter Futures Bursaries & Scholarships on FundMyCourse.
Can you get it?
- Indigenous — citizenship requirement
- Post Secondary — study level
How to apply
Review eligibility and gather your documents~1 hour
Read the official award page end-to-end. Confirm you meet every requirement before you start.
Submit by No deadline~1 hour
Double-check every field, save a copy, and submit at least 24 hours early.
More details
The biggest mistake is focusing only on your grades.
Winners instead talk about how they will use their education to lead others and how they fit into the vision of reconciliation.
Describe your specific goals for your community.
The biggest mistake is ignoring the mentoring aspect of this award.
Winners instead express a genuine desire to connect with the mentoring network of 100+ supportive professional women.
Explain why having a professional mentor would help you succeed.