Toronto

OCAD plans to hand out $40K scholarships to 150 students. Here is how the new program will work

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OCAD University’s Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design at 100 McCaul Street is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public can visit shops and studios and buy art at a student-run marketplace. (Supplied/City of Toronto/Brian Medina)

The Ontario College of Art (OCAD) and design has announced that it will be giving 150 scholarships of up to $40,000 each to students in celebration of the school’s 150th anniversary.

The announcement was made Tuesday. In September 2027 recipients of the 150 “FUTURE” scholarships will each receive $10,000 per year for a total of $40,000 at the end of a four-year term.

“150 FUTURES is an ambitious investment in students and in the future of art, design and culture in Canada,” said OCAD University President and Vice-Chancellor Ana Serrano at a event at the Princess of Wales Theatre.

Ana Serrano Ana Serrano, President of OCAD University announcing the scholarships at an event held at the Princess of Whales Theatre. (OCAD University)

“As we celebrate 150 years of OCAD U, we are looking ahead to the students who will shape what comes next — and making sure more of them have the opportunity to study, create and build their futures here.”

University officials said the scholarships will be paid through donations. They say the program was launched, in part, thanks to “significant philanthropic momentum” after two $1M donations from Nancy McCain and Bill Morneau, and John and Jan MacIntyre, according to a news release.

The program has received a total of $3 million in donations and is halfway to it’s goal of $6 million.

The school was first founded in 1876.

“Canadians deeply value art, design and culture, and support those who create it,” Serrano.

“150 FUTURES is a way to make that belief tangible — by investing in the students who will create the next 150 years.”