Scholarships

Program update for 2021

The Grand River Conservation Foundation Board of Directors has paused the scholarship program for 2021.

• In 2022, we hope to offer the SC Johnson Environmental Scholarship, pending approval for funding.
• The Allan Holmes Scholarship and McEwen Clean Water Prize are anticipated to resume in 2024 and 2025 respectively, and will then be offered in alternating years.
• Please subscribe to this page for updates, or check back at a later date.

SC Johnson Environmental Scholarship 

This scholarship will support a full-time student who has completed their third year or sixth semester of an honours program at a university or college in the Grand River watershed (Waterloo, Guelph, Wilfrid Laurier) or second year of engineering at Conestoga College. The scholarship is funded by SC Johnson & Son Limited of Brantford, a longtime GRCF supporter. 

The 2020 winner of the SC Johnson Environmental Scholarship is Hannah Anderson, a Biology student at the University of Waterloo.

McEwen Clean Water Prize

The McEwen Clean Water Prize was created in 2010 with the support of Murray McEwen, a former GRCF Board member and philanthropist with a longtime interest in young people and environmental preservation, and additional donors. Applicants must be enrolled (full-time or part-time) in the second, third or fourth year of an undergraduate program, or in any year of a graduate program, at a university or college within the Grand River watershed.

Applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in the protection, development and restoration of clean water resources and be enrolled in a program focused on long-term improvement of our environment. Programs could include environmental science, engineering, emerging technologies, First Nations water issues, governance and/or education. Preference is given to full time students who have attended programs at a GRCA Nature Centre. 

The 2020 winner of the McEwen Clean Water Prize is Nathanael Harper, a Biology student at the University of Waterloo.

Allan Holmes Scholarship

The Foundation also offers this scholarship periodically. Created in 2012, this scholarship supports a graduate-level student focused on applied research in the field of resource management. The scholarship was developed in honour and memory of Allan Holmes, who served as CAO of the Grand River Conservation Authority from 1991 to 2000. 

Applicants must be registered at a university within the Grand River watershed. Eligible fields of study could include environmental science, engineering, emerging technologies, governance and/or education.  Preference will be given to students involved with a project or program that addresses the goal of a healthy and sustainable natural environment in the Grand River watershed. As part of their submission candidates must submit a narrative on the nature of their research and its applicability to the Grand River watershed. 

The 2020 winner of the Allan Holmes Scholarship is Cal Jefferies, a Civil Engineering Student at the University of Waterloo.