IGNITE Awards

Winter 2025 Bursary Applications are now closed as funding has been exhausted. Students who applied will be notified of a decision within 10 business days. 

The IGNITE Student Union has designated a portion of its budget to assist students who have a proven financial need. This bursary will assist students who are experiencing hardship due to their financial situation. This bursary is only a supplement and is meant to relieve a student’s immediate and temporary need. Bursaries are awarded on an individual basis upon consideration of expenses, income, family support, part-time employment opportunities, and personal circumstances. 

To qualify, applicants must:

• Be a full-time student and paying full-time fees
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, a protected person or International student
• Have proven financial need* (you may be asked to provide proof of expenses before any decision can be made)
• Have not received a student financial aid bursary this semester
• Have demonstrated a commitment to their program of study

*Please Note: If your submitted financial information shows an unmet need that demonstrates a significant gap in available resources to cover expenses, indicative of an unrealistic budget, or unsound financial planning, your application may be denied.  Demonstrating financial need is not about showing the most need possible, it is about planning financially for post-secondary studies and demonstrating a reasonable gap in available resources to cover educational expenses.

Application Process:

• The IGNITE Bursary Form is available online on the Student Financial Services Forms page.
  • Incomplete applications will be denied bursary support.  These students can reapply, but students should note, resubmissions are considered a new application and will be considered in date order.
• Applications are reviewed in date order received on a weekly basis until funding is exhausted.
• Students will be notified of the decision regarding their IGNITE Bursary application within 10 business days of submission. 

The Humber Polytechnic IGNITE Unpaid WIL Bursary (formerly “GLOW”) awards a $2000 bursary for any full-time student at Humber Polytechnic or the University of Guelph-Humber who is participating in a curricular, unpaid, WIL experience that completed between May 5, 2025 to December 31, 2025 (inclusive).

This bursary is funded by IGNITE and CEWIL Canada, and is a partnership with Humber Polytechnic’s Transition & Academic Support (TAS) Team and IGNITE. This bursary allocates $560,000.00  to alleviate financial burdens for underrepresented students.

This will be awarded on a first come first served basis, provided you meet the eligibility criteria.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Demonstrate considerable financial need, a metric that is evaluated on a variety of self-disclosed questions as part of the application (rent/housing costs, tuition costs, books/supply costs, etc.)
• Be working in an unpaid Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placement occurring between May 5, 2025, and August 17, 2025, inclusive.
• Be in an approved WIL experience, as defined by CEWIL here: CEWIL Canada
• Are legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with the relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.
• Have a WIL employer that is either a Canadian organization, OR, has a Canadian office. Read more about the eligibility requirements for WIL employers here.

Application Process:

• Applications for Summer 2025 are now available.
• Applications for Fall 2025 will be available in September. 

For more information on application requirements and frequently asked questions, please visit the IGNITE page. 

When emergency financial situations arise, the Financial Relief Program provides short-term assistance to full-time students and it’s all confidential.

Examples of emergency situations include, but are not limited to:

• Being kicked out of home/imminent homelessness
• Physical and/or health issues
• Child care issues
• Abuse

* Please note that the Financial Relief Program is not intended to pay for tuition and cannot be given for any OSAP-related issues.

For more information, please visit IGNITE. 

IGNITE partners with Humber Advancement and Alumni and University of Guelph-Humber to provide you with Learning Essentials Support, a financial service designed to help cover the cost of your program’s learning essential items, from $50 up to a maximum of $500 per academic year.

Examples of learning essential items that we support include, but are not limited to:

• Equipment (uniforms, tool kits, cosmetic kits, etc.)
• Training & Professional Memberships (Suicide Prevention Training, Soundscan membership, etc.)
• Experiential (final projects, field trips, etc.)

To apply, you must:

• Be currently enrolled as a full-time student at Humber Polytechnic or the University of Guelph-Humber
• Be registered in a program with learning essential requirements for your current semester
• Fill out a budget calculator and explain your need for funding.

For more information or to apply online, please visit IGNITE. 

The IGNITE Black Excellence Scholarship was created in 2021 to recognize five outstanding students and upcoming leaders within the Black and African community here at Humber Polytechnic and the University of Guelph-Humber. Recipients of the $1,000 scholarship are selected based on their academic standing, their demonstration of leadership and community involvement, as well as their financial need.

To qualify, you must:

• currently be a student (full-time or part-time) enrolled at Humber Polytechnic or the University of Guelph-Humber
• currently be in good academic standing in your program
• identify as Black, African or Caribbean
• have demonstrated leadership experience and/or community involvement

To apply or for more information, please visit the IGNITE page. 

IGNITE recognizes the unique challenges 2SLGBTQ+ members face, including social stigma and higher levels of financial insecurity. Launching on June 2, in honour of Pride Month, is the IGNITE Pride Scholarship. Each summer, this $1,000 scholarship will be granted to a total of five students from Humber Polytechnic and the University of Guelph-Humber’s 2SLGBTQ+ community. With this scholarship, IGNITE hopes to offer better support and alleviate some of the financial hardships disproportionately affecting this community.

To qualify, you must:

• be a student (full-time or part-time) enrolled at Humber Polytechnic or the University of Guelph-Humber in the Summer 2025 and/or Fall 2025 semesters
• currently be in good academic standing in your program
• identify as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ Community
• have demonstrated leadership experience and/or community involvement

Applications for the 2025 Pride Scholarship will open on Monday, June 2nd and will remain open until Wednesday, July 2nd. To apply or for more information, please visit the IGNITE page.