Funding Opportunities

photo courtesy of sweetmoon photography

 

CONGRESS Funding

Mike DeGagné Fund: Congress support for Indigenous students

Thanks to the generous support of Dr. Mike DeGagné, President & CEO of Indspire and former Federation Board Chair, this fund provides additional support for Indigenous students attending Congress 2025. It celebrates the vital contributions of Indigenous students to academia and community while addressing systemic barriers in academic spaces.

Funding available: 
$750 for up to 40 students (subject to increase at the Federation’s discretion).

Eligibility: 
Applicants must:

  1. Self-identify as Indigenous;

  2. Be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or diploma academic program at a recognized post-secondary institution;

  3. Be a member of a scholarly association holding a conference at Congress 2025;

  4. Attend Congress 2025 in person or virtually;

  5. Submit a personal essay (up to 500 words) about themselves, their community and relationships, and their research.

Apply by June 6, 2025, at 23:59 ET through the application form

Recipients will be selected through a lottery among eligible applicants. Please note that essay content is used to confirm eligibility only.  

Applicants will be notified of results by June 20, 2025. 

Congress Graduate Merit Award

For the years our association gathers at Congress, student presenters are automatically considered by ILSA Council to be nominated for the Congress Graduate Merit Award.

Purpose

By participating in Congress, graduate students can gain valuable experience presenting research to academic audiences while tapping into an unparalleled network of scholars. The Congress Graduate Merit Award (CGMA) consists of a $500 prize amount and has two main objectives:

  • As a merit-based award, it serves to recognize and celebrate the academic excellence of graduate students who present their work at Congress; and

  • The award’s financial value is primarily meant to help offset costs associated with participating in Congress.

Current Award Winners

2025 Gathering at George Brown Campus

ILSA is proud to have had all 6 of our nominees be awarded a Congress Graduate Merit Award! Congratulations to these students!

  1. Bren McKay

  2. Cara Schwartz

  3. Louis-Karl Picard-Sioui

  4. Lois Boody

  5. Maxime Poirier-Lemelin

  6. Rachel Stubbs

For more information on the 2025 award process and eligibility, please see this form.

ILSA Graduate Student Award (see our Awards page for more on this award)