Graduate students are encouraged to apply for Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) awards and Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). Only domestic students (citizens and permanent residents) are eligible for SSHRC awards.

For more information, please contact the TST Graduate Administrator (gcts.office@utoronto.ca). New applicants to TST who are applying to an eligible program for the following Fall are also encouraged to apply for an OGS and/or SSHRC scholarship. Please note that some new applicants who wish to apply for a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship may need apply directly through SSHRC, and not through TST – please see the SSHRC website. Deadlines for direct SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship applications can be later than those shown below.

The School of Graduate Studies' Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC) centre offers courses and workshops each year on writing scholarship proposals.  More information, including registration information (conjoint sutdents only), may be found at the GCAC website.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

SSHRC offers doctoral and master’s fellowships, for which some TST domestic doctoral and master's students are eligible. Visa (international) students are not eligible. See the SSHRC website for more information and additional eligibility criteria. For questions or more information, please contact the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies.

SSHRC application deadlines:

Doctoral Fellowships: online applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (EDT), October 1, 2020.

Master's Awards (CGS-M): online applications must be completed by 8:00 pm (EST), December 1, 2020. Please see https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/awards/canada-graduate-scholarships-cgs-m-program/#section_3 for important information on transcript requirements, as well as COVID-19 provisions.

Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)

Students in the ThM, ThD, conjoint PhD and conjoint MA programs may be eligible for Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS). Students from outside of Canada on a student visa may also be eligible to apply. The OGS application and eligibility information is available each year via the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies (SGS) website.

OGS application deadlines:

Visa (international): online applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (EST), March 1, 2021 (application made online).

Domestic (citizens or permanent residents): online applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (EST), March 1, 2021 (application made online).

TST's Board of Trustees offers the following scholarships, bursaries and awards. The award amounts available each year fluctuate with the performance of the TST endowment.

The Allan L. Beattie Assistantship

The Assistant to the Editors of the Toronto Journal of Theology (TJT) works with the book review editors, General Editor, reviewers, University of Toronto Press, and Toronto School of Theology (TST) staff to administer the book review process and provide general editorial support. TJT publishes two issues a year, each including 15 – 20 book reviews, as well as the occasional special issue (supplement). 

• Eligibility: The assistantship is available to a student registered in a research doctoral program (ThD or PhD) at TST who has completed comprehensive examinations and fulfills OTSS eligibility (is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or Protected Person; is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP; and has demonstrated financial need. 
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the basis of motivation, relevance of qualifications, and applicability of this opportunity to the applicant’s chosen program of study and planned career path.
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

Donald Cameron Memorial Award

This award, to honour the memory of Donald Cameron, who served TST for many years in a number of capacities including Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Development Committee, and with a deep commitment to the wider community, is to recognize excellence in projects planned and completed by students during their basic degree program, engaging them with the wider community beyond the Church.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a currently registered TST student in good standing in the final year of his or her basic degree program; or in the first year of a graduate degree program immediately following a basic degree program.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $3,700 - payable in during the summer 2021
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the impact that a project or activity has had within the wider community beyond the confines of the Church, and on what the student learned from the project or activity that will help his or her further ministry to enhance the relationship between the church and wider society. Examples of what a project might be include: organizing a community group, advocating for a local cause, facilitating an ecumenical or inter-faith group, or publishing a community newsletter. 
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

Gordon M. Farquharson Scholarship

This award, funded by a gift from the Ralph M. Barford Foundation, plus matching funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS), was established by the TST Board of Trustees in 2008 in honour of Gordon Farquharson. Mr. Farquharson has been a friend of TST since its founding. His contributions to TST were many and included providing legal counsel for TST’s incorporation.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a TST student currently registered in a research doctoral program (ThD or PhD) who is a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident or Protected Person, and is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $13,400 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2021 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study, and demonstrated financial need. 
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

Margaret E. Fleck Scholarship

This award, funded by a gift from the Ralph M. Barford Foundation, along with matching funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS) and from the University of Toronto, was established by the TST Board of Trustees in 2006 in honour of the Reverend Margaret Fleck, a divinity graduate of Trinity College and former member of the TST Board of Trustees.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a graduate degree student currently registered at TST who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $15,900 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2021 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study, demonstrated capacity to communicate effectively to the broader community, and demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

C. Douglas Jay Scholarship

This award was established by the Board of Trustees in 1981 in honour of the founding Director of TST, Professor C. Douglas Jay, and is made possible thanks to contributions made by the Douglas and Ruth Jay Family Foundation.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a graduate degree student currently registered at TST, studying in the area of Christian social ethics, philosophical theology, philosophy of religion, or psychology of religion, who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and is a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $22,200 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2021 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study and the quality of the research proposal, and demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

Order of St. Lazarus Bursary

This award was established in 1994 through a gift from the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem. An additional gift generously made by the Order has been supplemented by matching funds from the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS).

• Eligibility: The bursary is available to a currently registered TST graduate degree student working in the area of ecumenism who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $2,100 - payable in September/October upon proof of Fall 2021 registration
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA) in the applicant’s program of study, the significance of the student’s work in ecumenism, and demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

OSOTF Bursary Assistance for PhD, ThD and DMin Students

Bursary money from the portion of the Toronto School of Theology’s endowment fund under the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund (OSOTF) program is available to help currently registered PhD, ThD and DMin students in need of financial assistance. 

• Eligibility: The bursary is available to a student who is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or Protected Person, and a resident of Ontario as defined by OSAP, and has demonstrated financial need.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $4,150 (may divided into multiple bursaries) - payable during the summer 2021
• Selection Criteria: Will be awarded based on demonstrated financial need.
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

Marjorie Watson Powles Award

This award was established by the TST Board in 2002 in honour of Marjorie Watson Powles, and is awarded to a student serving the Church who exemplifies a creative, positive vision for the role of women in the Church and society.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a student currently registered at TST in a basic or graduate degree program.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $2,400 - payable during the summer 2021
• Selection Criteria: Applications will be judged on the applicant’s active engagement in community and congregational life with strong feminist perspective and transformative vision, and demonstrated academic excellence (minimum of 3.7 GPA).
• Application Deadline: The competition is now closed.

Michael Steinhauser Scholarship

Funded by donations from benefactors in recognition of the many years of exemplary service by Prof. Michael Steinhauser as TST's Advanced Degree Director.

• Eligibility: The award is available to a currently registered TST graduate degree student with the highest academic achievement in the first year of studies in his or her graduate degree program. The student must have been enrolled and have completed a minimum of two courses in each of the fall and winter trimesters, and must have achieved the highest cumulative grade-point average of all first year graduate students.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $1,600
• Selection Criteria: The scholarship is formally awarded by the Scholarships Review Committee on the recommendation of the Director of the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies. No application is required.

Doctor of Ministry Bursaries

Two awards are made each year to DMin students thanks to funds established by the Estate of Charles Gundy and the J.T. Weir Memorial Fund.

• 2021 Amounts Available: J.T. Weir Memorial Fund, $2,200; Estate of Charles Gundy Fund, $2,900 - payable in during the summer 2021
• Selection Criteria: Both awards are completely open without restrictions on financial need or place of residence. The J.T. Weir Memorial Fund award will be awarded based on academic excellence and recommended to the Scholarships Review Committee by the DMin Director. The Estate of Charles Gundy Fund award will be awarded for best results in the DMin comprehensive and recommended to the Scholarships Review Committee by the DMin Director. Both awards will be announced when selected and granted.

Bill Lord Bursary in Continuing Education

A few small bursaries are available each year for persons taking continuing education courses at TST or one of its colleges.

• Selection Criteria: Applicants are asked to demonstrate financial need and to indicate the connection between the course for which they are seeking funding and their ministry.
• 2021 Amount to be Awarded: $1,400 (may divided into multiple bursaries) - payable as awarded
• Application Deadline: Please check back for information on the 2021 bursary application deadlines.

GCTS Conference Award

The Graduate Centre for Theological Studies (GCTS) Conference Award is given to a full-time Canadian conjoint degree graduate (advanced degree) student who meets the requirements for OSOTF (Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund) funding; who requires support for scholarly engagement in an academic conference; and, has exhibited excellence in their studies by maintaining first-class standing and satisfactory progress in their program. The award is designated solely to support participation in scholarly conferences (for example, the AAR/SBL or Canadian Congress of the Humanities, among others).

Deadline for applications for Fall 2021 awards: TBA

For eligibility information and application instructions, please see the GCTS Conference Award flyer (available in Fall 2020)

TGSA Conference Award

The Theology Graduate Students' Association (TGSA) Conference Award is awarded to a graduate (advanced degree) student who has not opted-out of the TGSA travel grant awards fee; requires support for scholarly engagement in an academic conference; and, has exhibited excellence in their studies by maintaining first-class standing and satisfactory progress in their program. The awards are designated solely to support participation in scholarly conferences (for example, the AAR/SBL or Canadian Congress of the Humanities, among others).

Deadline for applications for Fall 2021 awards: TBA

For eligibility information and application instructions, please see the TGSA Conference Award flyer (available in Fall 2020)

Eastern Star Training Awards for Religious Leadership (ESTARL)

Since 1952, the Grand Chapter of Ontario-Order of the Eastern Star (OES) has supported a program of financial assistance to qualifying students pursuing a vocation in ministry. The annual awards are based on the funds available each year and the number of qualifying applicants.

• Timing: Applications for awards must be submitted to a local Chapter of the OES for their approval. Interested applicants must communicate with a member of a local Chapter of the OES to ensure their application is received in time to be approved at their May meeting at the latest. Awards are announced at the OES Grand Chapter at the end of August each year.
• Amount:  The annual awards are based on the funds available each year and the number of qualifying applicants. In 2015, 19 awards of $2,000 were given to Ontario students.
• More Information: The background, eligibility criteria and contact information for these awards can be found on the Ontario OES Grand Chapter website.

Ivor Norris Bursary

A bursary sponsored by the Anglican Ordinariate of the Canadian Forces. The bursary is awarded annually to theological students who have, or have had, some connection with the Canadian Forces.

• Eligibility: Awarded to applicants with a personal connection to the Canadian Forces through personal military service (past or present), being married to, or the child of, someone with past or current service. Applicants must be sponsored by a Bishop for ordination within the Anglican Church of Canada and enrolled in full time theological studies. For an application form and more information, please see your college registrar.

Jonathan Daniels Fellowship

Awarded by the Episcopal Divinity School.

• Eligibility: The application is open to students in any American Theological Schools (ATS) accredited school and supports special projects related to social justice work with grants of $5,000.
• To Apply: Visit the Jonathan Daniels Fellowship website.

Martin Moser Society for Theological Studies Bursary Fund

This bursary fund was set up to honour Father Martin Moser, OMI, a Catholic priest, theologian and teacher with a passion for ecumenism and a commitment to the role of the laity in the Church. Father Moser has been a teacher of theology and a pastor in Edmonton and Vancouver for over 30 years. Note: This bursary is not intended for those who are ordained or who are preparing for ordained ministry.

• Eligibility: The applicant must be a lay man or woman who is a member in good standing of any Christian denomination and who is enrolled in a recognized Canadian theological school; accepted in a graduate or undergraduate degree in theology, theological studies, or ministry; a permanent resident of Canada; and planning to exercise his/her future ministry in the Church in a Canadian setting (this would include Canadian military chaplains serving abroad with their unit).
• For More Information: Email martinmoserbursary@gmail.com

OECTA Scholarships and Fellowships

Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) provides some financial asssitance to members pursuing further academic studies. Post-graduate scholarships and religious study fellowships are available annually.

• Selection Criteria: Full-time study, OECTA involvement, benefit to OECTA membership over time.
• Academic Initiatives: Completion of program, length of teaching experience, previous receipts of funds from OECTA.
• Applications: Application forms are available from the Provincial Office and on OECTA's website.

Redemptorist Anniversary Bursary for Lay Theologicans

To mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Redemptorists by St. Alphonsus Liguori, in 1987 the Edmonton-Toronto province of the Redemptorists established a bursary to be awarded to a lay person engaged in doctoral studies or ready to engage in such studies in the field of moral theology. To mark this occasion the Redemptorists of the Canadian English-speaking province established a bursary to be awarded to a lay person engaged, or ready to engage, in doctoral studies in the field of moral theology. The next award is available for the academic year, 2015 - 2016, although the award committee may assign awards for the following year, or two, as well.

• Amount Available:  The bursary's capital fund will provide an annual income of up to a maximum of $20,000 CDN each year for a period of up to three years. Or the $20,000 may be apportioned to several recipients for the award year.
• Requirements: For each year of assistance, the recipient will be required to work two years in Canada in the teaching of theology or in a related field, such as clinical bioethics, up to a maximum of five years. The Redemptorists undertake to assist in providing a stare to such employment.
• Application Deadlone: The final date for receiving applications is May 29, 2015.
• Contact for More Information: The Redemptorist Anniversary Bursary for Lay Theologians, c/o Redemptorist Provincial Offices, 426 St. Germain Avenue, Toronto, ON M5M 1W7, secretary@redemptorists.ca

The Anglican Foundation of Canada: Bursary Assistance for Students Proparing for Ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada

• Contact for More Information: The Anglican Foundation of Canada, 80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2