The Pathy Family Foundation and Coady Institute announced that the next Pathy Foundation fellowship will be accessible to students in every university within Canada.

For the first time, U of M students will be eligible for the $50,000 community change fellowship.

The Pathy Foundation fellowship is a twelve-month program that provides students with a fully funded opportunity to support their growth in their desired field.

This program is designed for students to be effective changemakers, develop meaningful connections with a community anywhere in the world and have an innovative idea of how the community should be strengthened. 

It teaches students how to professionally develop a socially innovative project, enhance their capacity as an individual or leader and find solutions that can help the communities they have connections with. 

Michelle LeDonne, the executive director of the Pathy Family Foundation, stated that “the Pathy Foundation fellowship was established as a program for Canadian students to develop as leaders by investing themselves in a community and initiative that they are passionate about.” 

LeDonne continued, “we feel that this program has a lot to offer, and we are proud to extend eligibility to youth across the country so that, true to its values, this program is inclusive and accessible to students who have the curiosity and desire to embark on this journey.”

In the last nine years, the Pathy Foundation fellowship has helped 84 recent graduates from Bishop’s University, Carleton University, McGill University, Queen’s University, St. Francis Xavier University and University of Ottawa achieve a transformative change in the communities they are passionate about.

Julia Weder, a fellowship alumnx from 2019-20, said in her testimonial, “[The Pathy Foundation fellowship] gave me the tools and confidence to build a supportive community where I work, and validated my determination to fight for a more beautiful world. I feel whole-heartedly that I’m in the right place, doing the right thing — that’s an incredible feeling.”

Each year, the program gives up to 12 students extensive support and up to $50,000 in funding to support their start-up and operational costs for ideas that will impact their community. 

Also, the selected students will be participating in different phases that will be completed within 13 months. This includes the foundations for community change, transition phase, community phase and a debriefing phase. 

To be eligible for the Pathy Foundation fellowship, applicants must be a Canadian citizen and permanent resident, below the age of thirty years old and a full-time student in their final year of any program. However, PhD, medical and dental students (past or present) are not eligible to apply.

The application for the Pathy Foundation Fellowship program starts on Sept. 1 and ends on Dec. 15, 2024.

For more information about the Pathy Foundation fellowship and to apply, visit pathyfellowship.com.