Loretta Saunders Community Scholarship Fund

The Loretta Saunders Community Scholarship Fund honors the memory of Loretta Saunders, an Inuk woman who was a criminology student at Saint Mary's University researching missing and murdered Indigenous women when she was murdered in 2014. This scholarship supports Indigenous women from Mi'kma'ki, Nunatsiavut or Atlantic Canada who are attending post-secondary institutions in Canada. The fund recognizes Loretta's passion for justice for Indigenous peoples and her dedication to education, particularly her research into the devastating intergenerational impacts of colonization on Indigenous women and girls. Applicants must have completed the equivalent of one year of post-secondary education in the previous two years. Awards are adjudicated based on scholastic achievement, service to Indigenous communities and volunteer activities, and financial need. The scholarship typically awards at least one recipient annually, though the frequency may vary based on fund income levels.