Saint-Esprit offers 2 types of educational grants: Scholarship grants, and retraining grants. To streamline the application process, you can use the same application to apply for either of them. Please make sure you read the rules and regulations before applying.

The 2024 application period will open on September 1st 2024.

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Scholarship grants:

Our historical tradition as a sanctuary for immigrants and a place of learning for the deserving is fundamental to our mission. In addition to offering free French Classes on Sunday mornings (see the section under Church Life), we offer our members who are students grants in multiples of $1,000 to assist with their educational expenses. Grants are available on a competitive basis to those students that meet certain criteria and have their applications approved by the church committee.

Retraining grants:

In addition to the scholarship grants, we also offer a number of project-related financial grants not exceeding $750 per applicant every year from our funds to help a member of the church for any retraining or improvement course.

Rules and regulations

Objective: 

      1. For ‘scholarship’, to offer a number of grants of multiples of $1000 every year from our funds to help a member of the church for any accredited course, OR
      2. For ‘retraining grant’, to offer a number of project-related financial grants not exceeding $750 per applicant every year from our funds to help a member of the church or any refugee in accordance with Saint-Esprit’s mission, for any retraining or improvement course. The applicants should demonstrate that their project will upgrade their marketability in the ever-changing job market.
      3. (The amount and number of grants will be determined by the committee by the second Sunday in October, within the limits determined by the Annual Budget approved by the Vestry at the start of the annual cycle.)
      4. To promote the values and mission of our church without proselytization, AND, to be in the forefront of the needs of a changing (increasingly media-savvy) work environment.

Definitions:

        1. A member of the church can be any congregation member of any age who has attended at least one of the church activities over the past three months.
        2. Members can be of any age, applications from minors would have to be managed by a guardian or parent.
        3. For ‘scholarships’, an accredited course can be from any learning institution, school, college or university that leads to a certificate of completion but does not include continuing learning programs. Saint-Esprit offers a different type of grants for these programs (see ‘retraining grant’)
        4. For ‘retraining grants’, an application should be accompanied by specific explanations on how this will yield a career improvement.

Set out the requirements for the selection procedure:

      1. Screening by a multiple choice test to eliminate the “web drifters”.  (Ten questions of the type we have used in registration: “When someone is described as bilingual does it mean he/she has two arms?  T/F”, “Huguenot immigrants left their homeland on account of their religious persecution? T/F”.  “Elon Musk (the founder of Tesla is a first generation immigrant?  T/F.)
      2. For ‘scholarship’, request 200 - 300 word essay in French or English on (1) either an immigrant (from any country to another and regardless of time in history) who has advanced the field in Science, Humanities or Arts and how this person has inspired you or (2) a topic related to the French Church of St Esprit.
      3. For ‘scholarship’, request 200 – 300 word essays in French or English on what you plan to do with the grant should you be awarded the prize.
      4. For ‘retraining grants’, request 200 – 300 word essays in French or English on what the applicant plans to do with the grant should he/she be awarded the prize. The deserving projects should indicate a sound return on investment.
      5. The most original and well researched essays (as determined by the selection panel) will be awarded the grants.
      6. Previous grant recipients may apply for a new grant using the application form titled “For Repeat Applications,” in which the applicant will be asked to share his/her experiences during the previous grant year.
      7. The committee might require the award winners to provide at least 70% proof of attendance.

Management of the program:

      1. A committee will determine the number and amount of the grants depending on monies available, preferably by mid August.
      2. The committee makes the final decision on the X winners of the ‘scholarship’ or ‘retraining grant’, X being the number of grants finally determined to be available. The grant will be in the amount of Y, where Y is either $1000 for ‘scholarship’ or a multiple thereof, and $750 maximum total for ‘retraining grant’.
      3. The members of committee cannot be related to any of the applicants and would have to recuse themselves from the decision in the event of possible nepotism.
      4. Previous ‘scholarship’ recipients may apply for another ‘scholarship’ beyond the first year until they finish their program, provided they take a reasonable number of units and complete them.
      5. There is no obligation by the committee to allocate all the grants available.
      6. The Committee may request the assistance of other members of the Vestry to read submissions and determine the winners.
      7. The funds would be from a dedicated rolling fund in the annual budget.

Timing:

      1. Suggested roll out in September (note: the first year was 2017).
      2. Marketing year-round but with a concerted push August to September, to coincide with the French Class applications.  Announcements to be made on the website, the bulletins and possibly on an email blast.
      3. Receive applications until the end of September.
      4. ‘Scholarship’ and ‘retraining grant’ are granted and announced on the second Sunday in October in a ceremony at the church which the winner would be expected to attend and accept to be part of the ongoing marketing campaign.

Administration of funds:

      1. Committee meets before late August to determine the number of and size of grants. Applications will be received until the end of September.
      2. The committee reviews submissions and makes a final decision by the second Sunday in October.
      3. For ‘scholarship’, the funds will be sent to the Bursar of the school at which the recipient of the grant is registered for the sole use of the winner of the grant. If, after all due diligence is performed, an issue with providing the payment this way arises, the committee may discuss alternative ways of distributing the grant.
      4. For ‘retraining grant’, because there are so many possible applications and therefore many institutions and providers of courses with different registration processes, reimbursement of the grantee by check with an original receipt from the institution is preferred. However, if this is an issue, Saint-Esprit may make a payment directly to the institution provided the grantee takes responsibility for providing all the information required for registration to the course and arranging a convenient way to contact the institution or provider and make a payment by check to the name of the institution or provider.

Once you've read through the guidelines above, proceed to the relevant application below:

Link will be activated on September 1st

Scholarship and Retraining Grant Application

Previous Scholarship Recipient Application (only for previous recipient of a "scholarship" grant, new applicants and previous "Retraining Grant" recipients must apply using the first link))