2025 call for applications is now open!
2025 Applications
THE CHIEF JOE MATHIAS BC ABORIGINAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND IS PLEASED TO
ANNOUNCE TWO NEW SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2025
The Chief Joe Mathias BC Aboriginal Scholarship Fund was established to honour the memory of the late, great, Chief Joe Mathias, a hereditary and elected Chief of the Squamish Nation. He will long be remembered for his vision and tireless leadership for the rights of Indigenous People in BC and across Canada. Central to Chief Joe Mathias’s vision was his passionate belief in and advocacy for higher education for Indigenous People. The Chief Joe Mathias BC Aboriginal Scholarship was created to further this goal.
The Chief Joe Mathias Aboriginal Scholarship is one of the longest running and largest Indigenous scholarships in BC. With the generous support of private donors and the Province of BC, we have provided over 500 scholarships to students from almost every First Nation in BC.
In addition to The (Original) Scholarship, beginning in 2025, the Chief Joe Mathias BC Aboriginal Scholarship Fund is pleased to announce the addition of two new specialty scholarships:
- The BC First Nations Teacher Scholarship, specifically for First Nation students completing a teacher education program at a BC post-secondary institution that leads to a Certificate of Qualification to teach in K-12 schools; and
- The Nursing Scholarship, specifically for First Nation students pursuing a career in nursing.
Full eligibility requirements are provided in the application forms below. If a student does not meet the eligibility requirements for one of the specialty scholarships, we encourage you to apply under the original, non-specialty scholarship application form.
Please note the following application submission deadlines:
- 2025 Nursing Scholarship Application: June 14, 2025 at 11:59PM (Pacific)
- 2025 BC First Nations Teacher Scholarship Application: June 14, 2025 at 11:59PM (Pacific)
- 2025 Original, Non-Specialty Scholarship Application: June 20, 2025 at 11:59PM (Pacific)
2024 Annual report
Welcome
The Chief Joe Mathias BC Aboriginal Scholarship Fund was established to honour the memory of the late Chief Joe Mathias, a hereditary and elected Chief of the Squamish Nation. It is the largest privately run Scholarship Fund in BC and with generous support in the past, we have been able to provide over 500 scholarships to over many students from over 100 First Nations in BC since the inception of the Fund in 2002.
Chief Mathias is remembered for his vision and his leadership for the rights of aboriginal people in British Columbia and across Canada. Central to that vision was his passionate belief in and advocacy for higher education for First Nations people. This Scholarship Fund is dedicated to helping realize Joe’s dream of providing post-secondary opportunities for enthusiastic, dedicated and aspiring British Columbia First Nation students to enable them to realize their dreams of becoming leaders of tomorrow in the career of their choosing. There is no more appropriate tribute to the work of Chief Mathias than to witness the success of the young aboriginal graduates and scholarship recipients the fund has helped since it began in 2002. First Nation doctors, businessmen and women, scientists, social workers, engineers, nurses, computer programmers, lawyers, and teachers…these are our future leaders who will continue his legacy and ensure a bright and prosperous future for First Nations citizens and their communities.