KPU students now eligible for $50,000 community and social change fellowship

The Pathy Family Foundation, in collaboration with Coady Institute, are expanding their community and social change fellowship to universities across Canada. 

The fellowship offers a 12-month opportunity for up to a dozen fellows to design, plan, and implement community-focused project ideas directed toward accomplishing positive changes to fellows.

Fellows will also receive a funding of up to $50,000 and comprehensive training to promote the development of leadership, communication, and development skills, as well as mentorship from associates. 

“We are looking to connect with people who have the capacity, the desire, the interest to develop as changemakers,” says Courtney Murdoch, impact and engagement officer for the Pathy Foundation Fellowship.

“We’re looking for people who are interested in learning and growing personally and professionally, … [and] have that meaningful connection to a community anywhere in the world.” 

Applications for the 2025-26 program are open until Dec. 15 for full-time students in their final year of studies who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents under the age of 30.

The fellowship will begin in July, and the first four weeks of the program will be spent at the Coady Institute in Nova Scotia. During this period, students will get the opportunity to collaborate with various university facilitators and external partners. 

This will be followed by a transition from theoretical knowledge to practical implementation, starting with designing a plan for the initiative. Over the next 10 months, students will actively engage with the community while receiving support from the Pathy Family Foundation. 

The program finishes with a one-week debrief where students will present their experiences, challenges, progress, and analysis.

Mentors take an “autonomy approach” during training for the self-directed fellowship, Murdoch says, which helps each student take a different path and make decisions on their own, allowing them to collaborate and improve the community. 

The Pathy Family Foundation established the fellowship in 2015 to recognize young leaders and develop their potential across Canada. Today, the program has 84 alumni from universities across Canada. 

“It was really driven by a desire to invest in the future of Canadian youth … [and] create platforms, structures, and supports where youth could bring ideas that they had to improve their communities and strengthen their communities to life,” Murdoch says.

The Pathy Foundation Fellowship was originally available to universities in Canada’s East Coast, but due to its relevance and uniqueness, the fellowship has broadened nationally. 

“We started with original partner universities and we have seen the value that this program can bring to students who are looking to really engage in work that they are passionate [about],” Murdoch says.

Participation in the program helps fellows in their individual and professional development, she adds. 

“A desire to help strengthen the communities that we care about is incredibly important, and we want to connect with anybody who has that desire.”

For more information about the fellowship and application, visit www.pathyfellowship.com.