Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Quebec Bar Foundation

The Quebec Bar Foundation (Fondation du Barreau du Québec) is a registered charitable organization established in 1978 by members of the Barreau du Québec. It positions itself at the heart of Quebec’s legal community by financing projects that advance legal knowledge and by supporting a diverse new generation of lawyers and jurists. Since 1982, it has awarded more than $3.9 million in research grants, funded the publication of over 135 books and 150 articles, and distributed numerous prizes and bursaries.

The Foundation’s mission rests on two main pillars: advancing the law and supporting a diverse legal succession. To achieve this, it operates several complementary funding mechanisms: a themed research grant program, an annual legal writing competition with cash prizes, and multiple scholarship schemes targeting students and early-career jurists.

The annual research grants program supports legal research projects carried out in Quebec that lead to substantial publications (articles, monographs, treatises, reference works). Each year, the Foundation defines a specific theme of interest to the Quebec legal community—for example, protecting and strengthening the rule of law—and invites applications from a broad range of eligible applicants: members of the Barreau du Québec or Chambre des notaires, judges, university faculty, law students at all levels, and representatives of organizations. Program rules specify eligibility, exclusions, completion timelines and the required application documents.

The Foundation also runs a longstanding legal competition (Concours juridique), held annually since 1984. It awards significant monetary prizes across several categories such as legal article, monograph, treatise, new author, collective work, and practice manuals. Detailed regulations, online application forms and evaluation modalities are publicly available, and the Foundation regularly showcases laureates and the impact of their work.

On the succession side, the Foundation offers several scholarship and bursary programs under the banner “Bourses pour la relève”. These include Perseverance Bursaries for future members of the Barreau du Québec at the École du Barreau who demonstrate financial need and persistence, as well as dedicated study bursaries for young people from Quebec child protection (DPJ) services pursuing legal studies. The Foundation has also launched targeted bursaries in response to specific challenges, such as COVID-19 financial support for bar students whose internships were canceled or suspended.

The Foundation primarily serves researchers, authors, law students and bar candidates, as well as young people from under‑represented backgrounds. It publishes impact metrics showing thousands of participants in its web conferences, dozens of guides on preparing for court and resolving disputes, and many funded projects addressing emerging or under‑explored legal issues. By combining financial support with recognition, dissemination and training activities, it helps ensure that legal knowledge in Quebec remains dynamic, accessible and responsive to social change.

The Quebec Bar Foundation is governed by a board of directors rooted in the legal community and guided by formal internal regulations, an ethics and deontology code, and donation and reimbursement policies. It publishes detailed annual reports that present its activities, financial statements and lists of funded initiatives. Through this framework, the Foundation demonstrates transparent management of donations and partnerships from institutions, law firms and organizations, while maintaining its mission of promoting a more just and inclusive society through law.