The Trudeau Scholarship is a federal leadership program.

The following is taken from the Trudeau Scholarship Website:

This three-year leadership program is designed to train outstanding doctoral candidates with the skills to translate their ideas into action, for the betterment of their communities, Canada, and the world. Scholars are selected each year and receive leadership training in the context of Brave Spaces, in addition to generous funding for their studies.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholars receive:

• Membership in a vibrant community of Scholars, Mentors, and Fellows, all of whom are leaders in their respective disciplines and sectors

• Leadership training from our Mentors and Fellows, including unique experiential learning opportunities that enrich and complement their academic experience 

• Opportunities to acquire greater proficiency in Canada’s official languages (French and English) as well as Indigenous languages

• Lifelong membership in the Foundation’s alumni network.

• Up to $40,000 per year for three years to cover tuition and reasonable living expenses to focus on their doctoral studies and the Foundation's leadership program

• Up to $20,000 per year for three years, for the learning of languages (see below), for travel and accommodations for the Foundation's leadership program and for research, networking, and travel related to their doctoral research

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholars must:

• Engage in Foundation in-person and digital events, including custom-designed Institutes of Engaged Leadership and Retreats during the first year of their term. NOTE: Due to the situation stemming from COVID-19, the format of forthcoming events will be adapted in accordance with national and local restrictions. Some small in-person gatherings may take place, if conditions allow. Otherwise, the Foundation will continue to engage its community through digital events.

• Collectively organize a conference event (Impact Conference) during the second year of the leadership program and present this conference during the third year

• Serve their communities as volunteers: Outside Foundation programming, active Scholars are expected to perform 30 hours of volunteer service or community initiatives each year and report on these activities to the Foundation. The Foundation takes a broad interpretation on volunteerism, particularly within the context of COVID-19.

• If they are not fluently bilingual in both of Canada’s Official Languages (French and English), take steps, through formal or informal training, to improve their proficiency in the Official Language with which they are less familiar. Scholars also commit to becoming more familiar with Canada’s Indigenous Languages through the leadership program.

To apply to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholarship, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• You must be already accepted into or in year one or two of a full-time doctoral program, and expected to complete your doctoral studies in 2025 or later.

• Your field of study is broadly related to the humanities or human sciences of direct relevance to the future of Canada; (please refer to the FAQ for more details and read up on past scholarship recipients)

• Your doctoral work must relate to at least one of the Foundation’s Four Themes: Human Rights and Dignity, Responsible Citizenship, Canada and the World, People and their Natural Environment.

• Be a Canadian citizen studying at a Canadian or foreign institution, or a non-Canadian (permanent resident of Canada or foreign national) enrolled in a doctoral program at a Canadian institution.

To learn about how to apply, go to the Trudeau website: https://www.trudeaufoundation.ca/become-scholar