Spearheaded and led through the generous support of MPNL graduate Muthoni Kariuki and members of the Black Canadian Fundraisers’ Collective, this award has been established to support Black students enrolled in Carleton’s Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership program. As the first award of its kind for the MPNL program–we are asking our community to join the Black Canadian Fundraisers’ Collective in supporting the voices of emerging Black professionals as they pursue a career in fundraising.

The Black Canadian Fundraisers’ Collective is a group of Black sisters and brothers dedicated to the advancement of Black emerging professionals. They inspire and elevate the fundraising sector as the leading advocate and thought collective for Black Canadian philanthropy. The emergence of this award will have a direct impact on supporting equity, diversity and inclusion in our community.

Carleton is home to Canada’s only Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Program (MPNL), which is an intensive professional undertaking for individuals wishing to work in civil society to make a positive difference. Our entire society–locally and globally–is made stronger, more creative and resilient when education is accessible to all.

Canada’s more than 170,000 charities and nonprofits, as well as the donors and volunteers who support them, provide health care and housing, advocate for social change, enrich our lives through arts and sports, and protect our environment, all while serving some of our most vulnerable populations. Diversity of lived experiences contributes to not only providing diverse perspectives within the nonprofit sector, but also contributes to the common good of our society.

Each year this bursary will ease the path for a Black student or students entering or continuing in the MPNL program who wish to pursue a career as a professional fundraiser in the nonprofit sector. This will help to make graduate education possible for those whom would otherwise not have the opportunity, and would contribute to a more equitable, diverse and inclusive world.