Children's Aid Foundation of Canada Scholarships

$5,000 for each academic year until your program is finished, for young people who have been in the care of a child protection authority anywhere in Canada.

Until now this site carried exactly one award for youth in or from government care, and it was Alberta-only. This is the national one, and it is the largest of its kind in the country. Eligibility covers anyone who was in temporary or permanent care of the ministry or department responsible for child protection up to their age of majority, OR in permanent care for at least 12 months. You must be under 30, or over 30 with no prior Foundation support. Two things the Foundation says plainly in its own FAQ and that are worth repeating. First, APPLY EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT SURE: you do not need to have applied to schools yet, you fill in the form as best you can and they follow up in the spring. Second, apply even if your marks are not strong, because the decision weighs financial need, persistence and your written answers alongside academic achievement. You reapply every year rather than the award renewing itself. You may need a confirmation of care letter from your child welfare office, though not if you have had Foundation support before. Note that the Foundation is a separate organization from your local Children's Aid Society. The 2026-27 round has closed; the Foundation's page says the 2027-28 application reopens in December 2026. Verified against cafdn.org and the Foundation's scholarship FAQ on 2026-09-08.