The Gary Robinson Memorial Fund was established in 2005 to support search and rescue/recovery, emergency response activities and outdoor skills and/or survival training in the Yellowknife area. Gary was a young man, born in Yellowknife, who loved the outdoors for both recreation and work and took pride in his self-sufficiency andpreparedness with both skills and equipment for any situation either might present. Gary was always happy to assist others in need yet made little of the deed. Through this fund it is hoped that Gary will continue to protect and help others in the place he loved.
The George Cleary Memorial Scholarship Fund was created by the Cleary family. The scholarship is intended to encourage Indigenous residents and Sahtu beneficiaries of the Northwest Territories to pursue a post-secondary or trades educations, giving them the opportunity to help their communities grow and prosper.
Established in 2024.
Established in 2014, the Haylee Carlson Memorial Legislative Assembly Fund (formerly known as the Legislative Assembly of the NWT Fund)’s purpose is to support residents of the Northwest Territories who are pursuing post-secondary education in political science or a related field. The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly and the Yellowknife Community Foundation announced a name change to the Fund on October 3rd, 2023 to memorialize Haylee Carlson, who was integral in establishing the Fund in 2014. Haylee believed that education was life long and was on her own education journey before she passed away from breast cancer in 2020 at the young age of 37. Haylee was a compassionate, courageous, selfless warrior who always thought of other before herself even at the last stages of her life.
John H. Parker O.C., P.Eng, was Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 1979 to 1989. He also served as Mayor of Yellowknife from 1963 to 1967, and NWT Deputy Commissioner from 1968 to 1979. Mr. Parker was instrumental in the establishment of responsible government in the NWT. During their time in the north, Helen and John Parker were well known for their community work and for the development projects they undertook to help the Territory grow and prosper.John, a geological engineer, arrived in Yellowknife in 1954 to work for N. W. Byrne, a consulting engineer, whose practice he bought in 1963. He was elected to Yellowknife Town Council in 1958. Helen Parker arrived in 1955, having just received her MSW from McGill University. She was immediately recruited as a volunteer worker with the Yellowknife Children’s Aid Society, which was the only welfare agency in the NWT caring for children in need of protection. It operated until the establishment of federal government welfare services in the early 1960’s. Her love of music and the arts drove Helen to help in the creation of the Overture Concert Society, a group that brought classical music to Yellowknife. An original trailblazer, Helen was one of the first women invited to join the Board of Directors of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Helen was the ultimate communicator, connector and networker. Together, the Parkers were active community volunteers including the building of the United Church and numerous other boards and committees.In March of 2020, John passed away and Helen decided to work with the Yellowknife Community Foundation to establish a new fund in the family’s name. Helen and John understood the importance of strong communities. They worked together to strengthen communities, and in doing so learned that developing a community of friends was one of life’s best assets. The fund will hopefully help others learn that lesson, while filling the need for community development. Helen passed away in March of 2023 and it was her hope that the goals of the fund would resonate with other community supporters and donors. She looked forward to seeing the fund grow so that it can provide the most community support possible.
Established by the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT with help from BHP and other generous donors, The Helping Children Soar Scholarship assists residents of the Northwest Territories (NWT) who have grown up in foster care to further their education.
You can only apply through our online application portal. In 2026, the application portal opens on April 2nd.
Access it here: https://www.grantinterface.ca/Home/Logon?urlkey=yellowknifescholarship
Mailed and emailed applications will not be accepted barring extreme circumstances. Please reach out to information@ykcf.ca if you need accommodations.
In order to apply for a scholarship, you must be pursuing studies in that field – that is, accepted or enrolled in a program.You must provide either a proof of acceptance or proof of enrolment as part of your application.You cannot apply if you are merely interested in the field of study. You also cannot apply if the field is outside of your primary program of study (eg. If you are a Biology major taking a Music class as an elective, you cannot apply for the Alice and Randy Daniels Music Fund).
Every year, our application period happens between April and May. All of our scholarships, except for:
We consider you to be a 'resident' As per our policy, of the Northwest Territories, Yukon, or Nunavut if you meet one of the following criteria:
Yes! We encourage you to complete the eligibility quiz to see which funds you are eligible to apply. Remember that not every fund is available for residents outside of Yellowknife, but most are available to people who reside in one of the Northern Territories.
Each residency declaration is a one-click question embedded within the application process.You just need to provide the email address of your residency witness, and they will be emailed directly.
Once you create a profile on our application portal, it will ask you to complete an eligibility quiz to determine which Student Award funds you are eligible to apply to. Once complete, you can start applying to the funds that apply to your studies! Once you have completed the eligibility quiz and you think there should be a Student Award that isn't listed, please contact our office to inquire!
Tel: 867 446 4527
Email: information@ykcf.ca
All of our funding amounts vary from scholarship to scholarship, year by year. However, each scholarship is worth at least $1,000. Clicking on each award will show you how much each scholarship is worth this year.
Each application is reviewed by our Student Award Review Committee. Student awards that we administer for another organization are reviewed by Committee members from that organization. Assessment criteria can also be seen here.
As much as you can! You will get into the flow of the process the more you write and apply. The key is to give each question your all.
Yes, you can re-use answers. Although, be sure to read and re-read the application instructions to confirm your writing is applicable to the question. If there are common questions among different student awards, you will see that they will already be filled out if you already answered that question for another scholarship application.
You no longer have to upload a reference letter for most of our awards. Simply provide the email address of your reference, and we will send them a recommendation form to fill out.
We have different types of reference requests: academic reference, character reference, sports involvement reference, and arts-involvement reference. We suggest you ask someone you know well and for an extended period of time. Some great examples are employers, teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, mentors, or instructors.
For some of our Funds, you will have to submit a statement of financial need. This can look very different for everyone - that is why your statement is in the form of a written essay. We want to learn more about your unique circumstances, as long as you are comfortable sharing.
Exp: "I grew up with a single father and he always made sure we were taken care of, but it was a struggle. We never left the territory for vacation. When some of my friends would have nice clothes and good snacks for lunch, I always had old clothes and a peanut butter sandwich, every day. Life was good but we didn't have luxuries. I could not go to college without financial support and student loans."
It is a good idea to start the process of applying early, to ensure you have all of the needed documents (eg. letter of admission, reference letters received) completed and submitted by the deadline.
All of our scholarships are due on the same day every year. If you are ready to submit your application, feel free to do so before the deadline. However, all applications will be reviewed only after the deadline. Applying for a scholarship earlier than the deadline will not give you an advantage.
You may only submit one application per scholarship. Keep in mind that each scholarship has specific criteria. Please complete the eligibility quiz to see which Student Award Funds you are eligible to apply to.
31 May at 11.59pm MST: All applications due via scholarship portal found on the Yellowknife Community Foundation website.
June & July: Yellowknife Community Foundation staff and Student Awards Review Committee members conduct due diligence checks on all applications and undertake a review process. As a normal part of our review process, you may hear from us with questions about your application. We appreciate your time in providing clarity.
Mid to Late July: Applicants are notified. Every applicant will receive notification regardless of funding decision.
If you have any questions, please contact the Yellowknife Community Foundation at information@ykcf.ca
If you have any questions, please contact the Yellowknife Community Foundation at information@ykcf.ca, or call us at (867) 446-4527, our business hours are:
