NEADS Financial Assistance Program

Purpose

The NEADS Financial Assistance Program is offered to encourage full access to post-secondary education for persons living with disabilities, who often have higher costs and greater barriers to participation in higher education.

The program will award four scholarships and awards in the Fall 2026 semester, including three partner-funded scholarships and the NEADS-funded Holly Bartlett Memorial Award.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
• Applicants must be living with a permanent disability.
• Applicants must be currently enrolled at a post-secondary institution as a full-time student.
• Applicants must be still enrolled in their studies at the time when the grant/scholarship is awarded.

Notes:

• For the purpose of these grants/scholarships, a permanent disability is a functional limitation which limits an individual’s ability to participate fully in post-secondary education.
• Current high school students must be accepted in order to apply.
• Full-time is defined as 40% of a course-load, as per the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program definition.
• Applicants must be still enrolled in their studies at the time when the grant/scholarship is awarded.

Fall 2026 – Types of available NEADS grants:
Since January 2024, the NEADS Financial Assistance Program has provided $2,000 grants to support students with expenses related to tuition, assistive technology, ergonomic equipment, food security, rent, medical supplies, learning supports, computers and tablets, and mental health and wellness services. These grants were made possible through funding from Employment and Social Development Canada’s Supports for Student Learning Program under NEADS’s Virtual Access For All project.

The following scholarships are the only ones available for Fall 2026:

• Connor Clark & Lunn Financial Group Scholarship – 1 at $5,000.
• Holly Bartlett Memorial Award – 1 at $1,000.
• AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship (2 at $5,000)

Selection Criteria:

The application process will require students to demonstrate:

• The extent of their financial need.
• Strong commitment to academia through study, research, and innovation (Canada Post Scholarship)
• Community involvement (Canada Post scholarship).
• Leadership and advocacy for self and others (Canada Post Scholarship)
• Knowledge about media accessibility (Accessible Media Inc. Scholarship).

Selection Process

Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed for completeness and adherence to the above guidelines. Assuming all guidelines are met, selection committees review applications based on the selection criteria described above.

Due to the volume of applications received, only those selected to receive an award will be contacted.

Deadline to Apply: Friday, October 16, 2026 at 11:59pm, Eastern Time.

Please visit the website for complete details and application.