Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Les Oeuvres des abbés Martel et Marcil

Les Oeuvres des abbés Martel et Marcil is a foundation rooted in the Shawinigan and Mékinac regions of Québec. Initially active in creating and supporting community services to reduce the effects of poverty, the foundation has, since the mid‑1990s, focused its mission on fighting injustice, exclusion and poverty. Since 2012, it has concentrated its resources on school perseverance and success among vulnerable secondary school students, notably at École secondaire des Chutes.

The foundation operates a flagship school perseverance program that combines educational, psychosocial and financial support. It partially frees a teacher from regular duties to follow participating students, offers homework help, mentoring, links with parents and external psychosocial support. Beyond services, the foundation provides urgent or essential financial support when needed and recognizes graduates’ efforts with an individual bursary of $2,500 at the end of their school pathway.

The main beneficiaries are secondary school students identified as being at high risk of dropping out or facing significant socioeconomic barriers. Around a defined cohort of students, the foundation maintains a full‑time dedicated resource, organizes extracurricular and personal development activities (sports, cultural outings, enrichment experiences) and mobilizes alumni and partners for peer support.

This blend of accompaniment and targeted financial aid aims to remove immediate obstacles (e.g. basic needs, school materials, transport) while reinforcing students’ motivation and sense of belonging. The bursaries and funded activities act both as recognition of effort and as concrete incentives to stay in school.

The work of founders Abbés Yves Marcil and André Martel dates back to 1978, when they left the presbytery to work directly with people living in poverty, creating several community organizations in the region. In 1995, faced with growing needs and the desire to ensure the sustainability of these initiatives, they created the foundation that bears their names. Over time, the focus gradually shifted from mitigating the consequences of poverty to addressing one of its roots: school dropout.

Today, Les Oeuvres des abbés Martel et Marcil continues this legacy through its structured program, its bursaries and emergency financial support. The organization is governed by a board of directors and regularly calls on donors and partners to maintain and develop its funding capacity for local youth.

The “À propos”, “Programme” and “Contact” sections present the foundation’s history, its flagship program, its services and its governance (board members and general director), as well as full contact information. While detailed application procedures for the bursaries are not published, the site clearly indicates that the foundation directly finances students through targeted financial support and end‑of‑study bursaries, funded by donations from individuals and partners.