Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada is seeking Board Members

Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada is actively seeking new volunteer board members to help lead the organization into its next chapter.

This is an opportunity to build upon 40 years of volunteerism and community building by contributing your time, expertise, and experience—and implementing our 2025 to 2030 strategic plan.

Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada partners with Canadian post-secondary institutions, high schools, and other eligible agencies to provide scholarships, bursaries, and financial awards to qualifying 2SLGBTQIA+ and QTBIPOC students. These awards aim to reduce financial barriers and increase access to education for marginalized communities.

Established in 1985, Lambda emerged during a time of struggle, resistance, and hope.

Our first endowment, the Lambda Foundation for Excellence Scholarship in Gay and Lesbian Studies, was launched at the University of Ottawa in 1995, with the first scholarship awarded in 1996. Since then, Lambda has grown into a national network of equity-focused educational opportunities. Today, we support 12 endowments and scholarships across Canada and have distributed over $237,000 to 170 recipients. Our mission is to Empower 2SLGBTQIA+ and QTBIPOC Individuals Through Education and Research.

Our work is grounded in lived experience, community connection, and a profound understanding of the systemic barriers that queer and trans youth, especially those who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, and newcomers, encounter when pursuing post-secondary education. Our Board, alumni, and volunteers include individuals from these communities whose perspectives help guide our governance and strategic development. This network of supporters has consistently shown a willingness to leverage their personal and professional connections to amplify Lambda’s work and impact.

Our vision includes ensuring organizational sustainability and fostering the growth of Lambda Awards nationwide.

Our current priorities include:

• Creating new scholarship opportunities
• Increasing the size of existing endowments will enable higher annual award amounts.
• Developing a donor-advised Lambda Fund

Historically volunteer-run, the Foundation hired a Development Manager in March 2024 thanks to capacity funding from WAGE (Women and Gender Equality Canada) to develop Lambda’s first strategic plan for 2025 to 2030. (His renewed contract extends until March 2026.) The Development Manager is focused on creating new awards and scholarships, securing long-term financial stability through fundraising and grant writing, and developing the Youth Scholarship Application Mentorship Service to address systemic and financial barriers to post-secondary education by providing free, personalized, one-on-one online mentorship to 2SLGBTQIA+ and QTBIPOC youth.

Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada acknowledges and is committed to addressing historical inequities in society. We are an equity-serving organization and invite applications from diverse and marginalized communities. We strongly encourage representation from those who identify as Indigenous, women, trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, Black, people of colour, and persons with disabilities.

Our current board of eight includes members from Montreal (3), Ottawa (2), Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. If possible, we would like to recruit members from provinces and territories where we do not have representation. Fluency in both English and French (oral and written) is an asset but not a requirement.

We are accepting applications for four new board members to help ensure the successful growth of this volunteer-led organization. Members will be invited to develop, participate in, and, when possible, lead committee work.

We are particularly seeking board members with experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Scholarship Disbursements, Development, and Administration
• Legal Expertise / Lawyer / Legal Sector
• Finance, Banking, or Investment Management
• Corporate or Private Business
• Marketing, Communications, or Social Media Leadership
• Fundraising, Major Gifts, Peer-to-Peer Fundraising, and Donor Stewardship

Board members are required to attend a monthly board meeting (currently the third Sunday of the month) and participate in a bimonthly committee meeting, with a commitment to work on their focus areas outside of meetings. We estimate board member obligations to be about 5 to 8 hours per month. Board members are generally appointed and voted in at our annual AGM in September. However, the board can appoint members before the AGM to fill current openings.

To Apply

Please send a single PDF document no later than September 14 that includes:

1. A cover letter (or similar) describing your interests and experience, with specific reference to Lambda’s mission, vision, and the leadership areas listed above
2. Your C.V. or resume

Please direct all questions and email your application to:

development@lambdafoundation.org
Attention: Cameron Aitken, President

We look forward to learning more about you and your commitment to supporting Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada and the 2SLGBTQIA+ and QTBIPOC communities we serve.

Website: https://lambdafoundation.org/