Grant and Funding Programs Offered by YUFA Foundation (YUFA)

The YUFA Foundation is a registered charity incorporated under Ontario law in 1980 and closely linked to the York University Faculty Association (YUFA). Its purpose is to receive, manage, and apply donated and endowed funds to advance learning, disseminate knowledge, and foster the intellectual, social, cultural, and physical development of the York University community and broader society. It operates alongside the YUFA Trust Fund, which channels Employment Insurance rebate revenues and other contributions into endowments that the Foundation helps deploy.

A central part of the Foundation’s work is the provision of scholarships and bursaries to York University students. Scholarships are awarded to top students in each undergraduate faculty, while bursaries and emergency funds assist students facing financial hardship across the university. Over the years, contributions from the YUFA Trust Fund, the Foundation, matching donors, and the Ontario government have built substantial endowments, which generate ongoing financial aid for students.

Beyond direct student awards, the YUFA Foundation supports initiatives that improve access to post-secondary education and strengthen ties between York University and its surrounding communities. It has funded or co-funded programs such as Readers to Leaders, the Transition Year Program (TYP), and especially the Advanced Credit Experience (ACE) Program. ACE, developed in partnership with the Toronto District School Board, the York Catholic school board and York University’s Faculty of Education, allows selected Grade 12 students with leadership potential to take a university course for credit while completing high school co-op placements on the York Keele campus.

The Foundation also collaborates with and supports Success Beyond Limits (SBL), an organization serving youth in the Jane–Finch community. Through financial contributions, the use of its charitable structure to distribute and monitor funds from other donors, and occasional bridge financing when external grants are delayed, the YUFA Foundation helps sustain intensive academic and mentorship programming, including a six-week summer program for Grade 8 students on campus.

The YUFA Foundation is governed by a board of directors whose roles and responsibilities are set out in its letters patent and by-laws. These governance documents, along with annual reports and audited financial statements, are made publicly available through the YUFA Trust & Foundation website. The annual reports summarize activities, funding decisions, and impacts for each fiscal year, while the financial statements provide detailed information on assets, investment income, and disbursements for scholarships, bursaries, and community programs.

Through this combination of endowed student awards, targeted community partnerships, and transparent reporting, the YUFA Foundation functions as a focused grantmaking body within the York University ecosystem, dedicated to expanding educational opportunity and supporting the York community and its neighbouring schools.