Indigenous Mental Health Fine Arts Bursary (FAB) Award

The Indigenous Mental Health Fine Arts Bursary (FAB) Award is open to Indigenous students in British Columbia in a Fine Arts program and living with mental illness or addiction. 

Amount: $1000

Number available: 1

Deadline: new extension is August 8th, 2022

Since 1982, CMHA BC has been helping people with mental illness further their pursuit of post-secondary education through their scholarship and bursary programs. They are committed to lowering access barriers and would like to ensure that these scholarships and bursaries are available to anyone in British Columbia with lived experience who is pursuing higher education.

Education in the fine arts is important to overall well-being, especially for those with a special talent for fine arts. The Indigenous Mental Health Fine Arts Bursary (FAB) Award provides support for an individual who may not be able to obtain the funds needed to support their studies because of challenges related to mental illness. The Indigenous FAB Award also recognizes the efforts of an Indigenous individual who can use their skills in the fine arts to support those experiencing mental illness.

Criteria

  • Indigenous student with experience of mental health issue and/or significant substance use challenge
  • At least 18-years-old (or will be turning 18 in the upcoming semester)
  • Demonstrated need for financial assistance. Preference will be given to students facing financial hardships, especially due to COVID-19 and those who may not be eligible for other funding
  • Lives in BC or intends to live in BC for the duration of the school year
  • Full-time or part-time (including distance education) is eligible
  • Field of study must be in the Fine Arts (e.g., drama, music, art, creative writing)
  • By December 1, the applicant will be accepted to, or enrolled in an undergraduate fine arts program in their first, second or third year of study
  • Attending a recognized post-secondary institute located within BC
  • Educational and vocational goals related to development of their own skills in the field of fine arts or the fine art skills of others experiencing mental illness
  • You can view even more specific eligibility criteria in the Indigenous FAB Evaluation Criteria document

How to Apply

Several awards are available through the CMHA BC Scholarship Program each year to BC post-secondary students who live with mental illness or addiction. Applicants may only apply for one of the awards in a given year. Please look through each of the scholarships to decide which one to apply for:

Submitting the application:

  • Use the Indigenous Mental Health Fine Arts Bursary (FAB) Award online application
  • You can view the Indigenous FAB Evaluation Criteria document
  • You must answer all questions
  • Include a Letter of Intent (500 words maximum)
  • Include two references (contact information only) and financial information
  • No more than two (2) additional pages of supporting documents (i.e., one page front-and-back or two pages single-sided)
  • Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Submissions received by mail or fax will be disqualified
  • Individuals who submit more than one application for the same year will be evaluated on the application submitted first only
  • If any of the basic criteria or category-specific mandatory criteria is not met, the applicant is unfortunately ineligible for the award and the application should not be marked
  • An applicant may win a bursary or scholarship more than once but will not be eligible to win an award two years in a row
  • Applicants are NOT eligible if they are currently participating in a government-sponsored job training or receiving major financial support

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please email mahboubeh.asgari@cmha.bc.ca.

See Also

Source: CMHA BC’s Scholarships and Bursaries

See other British Columbia scholarships // See other scholarships for mental health conditions // See scholarships open to all disabilities

Last Updated: 2022/08/01