About Us

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.  With generous support in the past, we have been able to provide 300 scholarships to deserving students from almost 100 First Nations communities across BC since its inception 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.