Every Woman Can: The Maria Eriksen Memorial Bursary

As an outspoken voice for the advancement and equality of women, Dr. Maria Eriksen was a social advocate involved with various initiatives since the women’s movement began in the 1970s. Her most recent project was tackling a huge issue facing Alberta’s immigrants—obtaining the Canadian accreditation or training they require in order to become fully employed in their field. Dr. Eriksen was the founding chair of the Immigrant Access Fund Society of Alberta (now Windmill Microlending), a nonprofit organization that offers micro loans to internationally trained and educated immigrants to help overcome the financial barriers they face in becoming able to work in their field in Alberta. The Maria Eriksen Memorial Bursary supports professional development or technical training at an accredited institution to assist an individual’s successful transition to life in Canada.

Value: 

• Five bursaries at $2,000 each, applied directly to tuition.

Eligibility: 

Applicants must:

• Be an immigrant woman (Canadian citizen or permanent resident) residing in Alberta,
• Be attending school in order to return to her pre-immigration field of work,
• Demonstrate financial need, and
• Be enrolled in an accredited educational institution for the upcoming Fall semester. 

Please note: only applicants who worked in their home country pre-immigration and are returning to this field of work are eligible to apply for this bursary. Applicants must have been employed in a specific field of work (beyond a high school diploma or equivalency).

For more information and application instructions, please visit the Calgary Foundation website.