Education

The Coady International Institute offers a range of full and partial scholarships. Special efforts are made to enable women and aboriginal peoples to attend. Candidates are fully responsible for covering travel costs.

Thanks to the generous financial support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), as well as a number of individual and institutional donors, the Coady International Institute is able to offer partial scholarships to most candidates accepted into the Institute's training programs. Specific scholarships are available through The MasterCard Foundation's Scholar's Program for certificates in the Coady Institute's Community-Based Microfinance and Livelihoods and Markets.

As well, specific scholarships are available for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and for Canadian First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

The Institute is rarely able to provide 100% scholarship nor can it cover international travel costs, personal allowances, or family living expenses. When a candidate applies for acceptance to the Coady program, s/he is asked to identify prospective sources of funds to cover all program-related costs. Once a candidate is accepted into a Coady program, s/he will be informed of the  level of scholarship support offered as well as the balance of costs for which the candidate is responsible.

Coady scholarships are awarded primarily on the basis of the candidate's organization. Organizations that have partnership agreements with the Institute receive first priority. Larger scholarship awards are made to enable women and applicants from disadvantaged groups, particularly aboriginal and disabled peoples, to attend.

Diploma applicants applying for scholarship should complete Part 5 of the application:  Organizational Support and Financial Assistance.  Each of the two required references should complete Part 2 of the reference form:   Information on the Candidate's Development Organization.

Certificate applicants applying for scholarship are required to fill out an additional section within the certificate application form.  A reference letter is also required.  The reference letter should be completed by the director of your organization or a recent employer who is familiar with your work and qualifications for this program. The letter must include the following information: name of applicant, name of reference, their relationship to the applicant.  In addition, the letter must answer these two questions:

• What are the current strengths of the application with respect to their work?
• What do you see as the future role of this applicant and how will it benefit your organization?

Obtaining financial aid to study abroad can be quite difficult; to supplement your Coady scholarship, we suggest the following steps:

Step 1: Secure your employer's support
At a minimum, most organizations provide salary continuance for employees while attending a program, as well as a major contribution to program fees and travel.

Step 2: Access external funding
The candidate's organization can also contribute indirectly by soliciting funds on the candidate's behalf from other funding agencies, foundations and international organizations within its own country. External funding might be obtained from:

• Donors who already fund the organization's projects and programs
  In the solicitation letter, explain that the Coady training will enhance your ability to manage the project more effectively.
• International associations, foundations or networks with which the organization already has links
  For example, if your organization has links to an international association, you might contact the Canadian or American affiliate and solicit funding support from them. Such agencies often invite Coady students to meet with their local branches during their stay in Canada, in order to strengthen their international linkages and promote cross-cultural understanding.
• Private foundations or organizations in the candidate's region that provide educational grants and scholarships for study abroad
  Lists of foundations and funders may also be found in donor directories or on the Internet. Although the Government of Canada mission offices overseas (i.e. embassies, consulates and cooperation offices) are generally supportive of Coady programs and helpful to Coady candidates, they rarely have funds that can be applied to attending Coady programs. Most Mission Administered Development Funds must be spent on in-country activities and projects. Mission offices, however, may have more information about awards available to candidates in your region.
• International organizations or associations with local or regional offices, working in the same sector as the candidate's organization
  In some cases, these organizations may also be sources of training support. For example, if your project or program has a focus on reproductive health, you might contact the local office of the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA).

Over the years, candidates have found that church-based agencies are the most supportive of and knowledgeable about the Coady program.

Step 3: Identify sources of personal funding
More and more candidates are making their own contributions to the costs of their training at Coady. Candidates are sometimes obliged to take out personal loans for their education. In other cases, extended families are the source of funds.

• Letters of solicitation that come from the director of your organization carry much more weight with prospective donors than personal letters from individuals.
• In a request-for-funding letter, emphasize that most of the required funds (i.e. 75%) are already secured and you are simply looking for the balance (i.e. 25%, or $3,750).
• If you are soliciting funds from current project or program donors, explain how the Coady training will help you to manage the project more effectively.