Weston Family Awards in Northern Research 2024 Competition Now Open!

Program Overview

Since 2007, the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research have provided unparalleled support to early career scientists in Canada pursuing research in Canada’s North. These annual awards are some of the most prestigious in the country for students pursuing a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or postdoctoral fellowship. Over 350 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have been selected to receive an award since the program’s inception, forming a community of Weston Family Northern Scientists who are at the forefront of northern scholarship and who are helping shape a better future for Canada and the world.

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research winners undertake projects across a broad spectrum of fields and disciplines in the natural sciences, including studies of northern ecosystems, biodiversity, flora and fauna, meteorology, oceanography, glaciology, geography and environmental studies.

In the 2024 program year, the Weston Family Foundation will aim to support the following awards:

  • Up to 15 awards for master’s level students. Each award is valued at $20,000 over one year.
  • Up to 10 awards for doctoral students. Each award is valued at $40,000 each year for three years.
  • Up to 5 awards for postdoctoral fellows. Each award is valued at $55,000 each year for two years plus up to $10,000 per year for travel and conference expenses.

Important Dates

  • October 26th – 2024 contest opens
  • November 22nd – informational webinar (register here!)
  • January 16th, 2024 – contest closes
  • May, 2024 – Awardees will be contacted
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Northern Science and Research

What We Do

Northern Canada is a vast, unique, and sensitive land and seascape – and is facing unprecedented challenges. Climate change is causing severe impacts to northern ecosystems as well as communities, and is occurring at a rate two to four times faster in the North than the rest of the country. Changes in northern Canada due to climate change include loss of species and shifts in ecosystem and species distribution, increased extreme weather events and changing disturbance regimes, and changing snow and ice conditions.

The aim of the Weston Family Foundation’s Northern Science and Research funding is, ultimately, to protect and restore biodiversity through increasing ecological stewardship and sustainability and increasing knowledge and awareness of northern ecosystems.

Since 2007, our Foundation has committed nearly $40 million to northern natural science research through scientists, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to support a better understanding of northern Canada and foster more informed decision-making. Through the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research, more than 350 early career northern researchers have been supported as graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, forming a community of Weston Family Northern Scholars at the forefront of research in northern Canada.

What We Fund

Although our work is continuously evolving, we have the following priorities for our funding:

  1. Land Use Planning & Management – through funding applied conservation and stewardship programs, the Foundation supports the ongoing protection and management of northern habitat and ecosystems.
  2. Research & Training – support for investigative science, through university- and Indigenous-led research projects, increases understanding of ecosystems and natural processes and provides evidence on which Indigenous and governmental decision-makers can make informed natural resource management decisions.
  3. Infrastructure & Technology – research and conservation in northern Canada is challenging due to the vastness of the landscape and challenging weather conditions. Funding infrastructure and technology development helps to alleviate some of these barriers to research and conservation.

We do not accept unsolicited requests for funding. For future grant opportunities, please check our Grant Calls page or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIN.

Featured Projects and Research

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research and Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships

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Wildlife Conservation Society Canada

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Earth Rangers

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Weston Family Awards in Northern Research and Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research

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  • These annual awards are some of the most prestigious in the country for students pursuing a master’s degree, a doctoral degree or postdoctoral fellowship.
    • Up to 15 awards for master’s students valued at $20,000 over one year
    • Up to 10 awards for doctoral students valued at $120,000 over three years
    • Up to 5 awards for postdoctoral fellows valued at $110,000 over two years, with up to $10,000 per year for travel and conference expenses

Since 2007, the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research have provided unparalleled support to early career scientists in Canada pursuing research in Canada’s North. Over 350 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have been selected to receive an award since the program’s inception, forming a community of Weston Family Northern Scientists who are at the forefront of northern scholarship and who are helping shape a better future for Canada and the world.

Weston Family Awards in Northern Research winners undertake projects across a broad spectrum of fields and disciplines in the natural sciences, including studies of northern ecosystems, biodiversity, flora and fauna, meteorology, oceanography, glaciology, geography and environmental studies.

Intrigued and want to know more about the awards? We’re hosting a webinar on Wednesday, November 22nd, 1pm ET.

Sign Up For Our Webinar!

Help us spread the word about the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research through this toolkit including postcard flyers and a sample social media post and image.

Download The Toolkit!

Learn more about Northern Scholar Aidan Sheppard (PhD 2023) and his research project!

List of Winners

Download the list of all current and past award recipients.

2023 Northern Scholars Profiles
2022 Northern Scholars Profiles
2021 Northern Scholars Profiles

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Extended Stay Program

The Extended Stay Program is an important piece of the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research. Each year, the Foundation supports students with projects that take them into local and Indigenous communities to engage and share the results and impact of their research. We encourage all applicants to apply for an Extended Stay Program grant.*

* The Extended Stay Program does not currently support travel or related expenses occurred prior to the award being granted. However, the Foundation is working on increasing the impact of the research it funds and encourages students to engage with northern communities before designing their research questions and methodology.

Listen to Northern Scholar Aidan Sheppard (PhD 2023) speak about the importance of engaging northern communities:

Partners

ArcticNet

The Weston Family Foundation is proud to be a supporter of ArcticNet’s Annual Scientific Meeting. These meetings often include events or learning opportunities for the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research Scholars, Reviewers, and other partners. To learn more about ArcticNet, visit their website 

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Earth Rangers

Earth Rangers supports the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research Scholars through their Northern Wildlife Adoption Program. Each year, iconic northern wildlife species are available in plushie form for symbolic adoption by kids and families that are keen to support northern conservation. The proceeds of these adoptions flows directly to select Northern Scholars’ research efforts. These Scholars are also invited to engage children and youth on their research through Earth Rangers’ science communications efforts. It is a great opportunity to learn about science communications and engaging non-scientific audiences!

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WCS Canada Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships

Since 2009 the Foundation has supported the Weston Family Boreal Research Fellowships offered by Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCS Canada). These fellowships support field-based research that contributes to WCS Canada’s conservation objectives or priority research projects in the Ontario Northern Boreal and the Northern Boreal Mountains of British Columbia and the Yukon. Successful applicants receive financial support for their projects along with mentorship from WCS Canada’s scientists and an opportunity to network with other Fellows and Fellowship alumni.

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Weston Family Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Northern Research

This prestigious $100,000 Weston Family Prize recognized significant contributions that have helped to shape our thinking and understanding of the North. Prize winners Dr. Wayne Pollard (2019), Dr. Derek Muir (2018), Dr. Michel Allard (2017), Dr. John England (2016), Dr. Ian Stirling (2015), Dr. Charles Krebs (2014), Dr. John Smol (2013), Dr. Louis Fortier (2012), and Dr. Serge Payette (2011) have all made lasting contributions while cultivating the next generation of northern scientists. This annual award culminated in 2019.

Congratulations to the 2023 Winners of the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research

The Weston Family Awards in Northern Research were launched in 2007 to support early career researchers focusing on science in Canada’s North. Since that time, over 300 scientists have been funded at the Master’s, PhD, and Postdoctoral level. Through a competitive process, awards are presented to outstanding students and scientists in northern research from universities across Canada.  

This year, 26 researchers were chosen for a variety of research projects focusing on northern natural sciences. These projects include studies on: 

  • The impacts of climate change and industrial activity on wildlife species important for northern communities, such as wolves, caribou, bowhead whales, and Arctic plants; 
  • Understanding population dynamics and critical habitat for iconic northern wildlife species such as caribou, Arctic char, and Arctic seabirds; 
  • Improving knowledge about species that impact the North such as killer whales, beavers, non-native earthworms, and parasites; 
  • The impacts of climate change on boreal forest, permafrost, peatland, lakes, and the Arctic Ocean; and 
  • Understanding how aspects of ecology, oceanography, limnology, toxicology, glaciology, hydrology, hydrogeology, and atmospheric dynamics impact northern communities. 

The Weston Family Foundation hopes that this research contributes to protecting and restoring biodiversity in Canada’s North. Many of this year’s Northern Scholars are working directly with northern and Indigenous communities on their research projects and incorporating Indigenous Knowledge with the ultimate aim of helping communities make informed conservation management decisions.  

Many of the Northern Scholars also undertake projects through the Foundation’s Extended Stay Program. The Extended Stay Program provides funds to students wishing to spend time in the northern community in which their research takes place to co-develop their research or share the results of their research with the community. Examples of Extended Stay Program projects include community workshops, feasts, or provision of supportive infrastructure to a community related to a research project. 

To learn more about the 2023 Northern Scholars’ projects, click here.

Sylvia Jorge

Sylvia Jorge joined the Weston Family Foundation in February 2023. As a Grants Coordinator, she is a member of the Operations team and primarily supports the Foundation’s Conservation Committee.

Sylvia previously worked as an Urban Forest Stewardship Lead with the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association and as an Urban Forest Support & Researcher with Nature Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto.

The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative awards $10 million in funding to support the adoption of soil health improving practices on Canada’s farmlands

Toronto, February 13, 2023 – Although soils host a quarter of all global biodiversity, management intensification and habitat loss are generating a loss of biodiversity on agricultural lands at an alarming rate. However, there is good news and it’s right under our feet. Research shows that improving soil health on agricultural lands offers one of the largest and most immediate opportunities to improve biodiversity and mitigate climate change in Canada. Today, to support this effort, the Weston Family Foundation, through the Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, is announcing $10 million in funding to help promote more adaptive and resilient agricultural lands.

Launched in the spring of 2022, The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, seeks to expand the adoption of ecologically based beneficial management practices (BMPs) including cover cropping, nutrient management (4R principles) and crop diversification/rotation that increase soil organic matter to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada. Healthy soil organic matter helps to improve water retention, supports carbon sequestration, and makes agro-ecosystems more resilient and better able to recover and adapt to environmental stresses such as drought and floods.

“It is clear, through the high-quality applications we received, that soil health is of growing importance in the agriculture sector and that there are scientifically proven yet underutilized approaches to increasing soil organic matter on Canada’s farmlands,” says Emma Adamo, Chair, Weston Family Foundation. “Our Foundation is committed to supporting landscape-level efforts to find solutions to our environmental challenges and, ultimately, improve the well-being of Canadians.”

The $10 million in funding over five years has been awarded to eight agricultural and conservation organizations working to promote soil health BMPs through incentivizing stewardship, supporting outreach and education, and supporting market-based approaches towards adoption. Awarded projects include an innovative reverse auction model for BMP adoption, field-tested hubs to evaluate cover crop management strategies, and a first-of-its-kind network of First Nations soil health Learning Circles that will co-develop land-based training workshops with First Nations land managers and the farmers that farm their land on BMPs that can improve soil health, including crop diversification, reduced inputs and landscape diversification. Details on the funded projects can be found at https://westonfoundation.ca/project/weston-family-soil-health-initiative/

Improving agricultural management practices, particularly those that are nature-based, are now globally recognized as one of the most effective solutions to improve resiliency and to reduce biodiversity loss. “Agricultural lands represent 154 million acres of the Canadian landscape and Canadians should be increasingly concerned by the rate at which our agricultural soils are deteriorating,” says Michael Bradstreet, Chair of the Weston Family Soil Health Initiative external advisory panel and former Senior Vice-president, Conservation at Nature Conservancy of Canada. “We have an opportunity to address the gap in Canada by helping to mobilize the sector to increase the adoption of soil health improving practices.”

ABOUT THE WESTON FAMILY SOIL HEALTH INITIATIVE:

The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative is a five-year, $10 million funding opportunity that aims to expand the adoption of ecologically based beneficial management practices (BMPs) that increase soil organic matter to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada.

For more information about the Weston Family Soil Health Initiative, please visit https://westonfoundation.ca/project/weston-family-soil-health-initiative/ and follow us on Twitter @westonfamilyfdn.

ABOUT THE WESTON FAMILY FOUNDATION:

At the Weston Family Foundation (formerly The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), more than 60 years of philanthropy has taught us that there’s a relationship between healthy landscapes and healthy people. That’s why we champion world-class health research and innovation with the same passion that we support initiatives to protect and restore biodiversity on our unique landscapes. We take a collaborative approach to philanthropy, working alongside forward-thinking partners to advance Canada and create lasting impacts. We aspire to do more than provide funding; we want to enable others to find transformational ways to improve the well-being of Canadians.

Media contact:
Laura Arlabosse-Stewart
Weston Family Foundation
laura.arlabossestewart@westonfoundation.ca
(647) 265-1960

Weston Family Soil Health Initiative

The Weston Family Soil Health Initiative is a five-year, $10 million funding opportunity that aims to expand the adoption of ecologically based beneficial management practices (BMPs) that increase soil organic matter to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada.

Grants have been awarded to eight agricultural and conservation organizations working to promote soil health BMPs through incentivizing stewardship, supporting outreach and education, and developing market-based approaches towards adoption:

For more information, please refer to the links below:

Media Release
Project summaries

Alison Ronson

Alison joined the Weston Family Foundation in 2022 and oversees all programming related to Northern Science and Knowledge. Prior to joining the Foundation, Alison worked as the National Director of Operations and Legal Counsel with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), where she was responsible for instituting operational systems and processes in the CPAWS national office. Alison has an extensive work history in large landscape-scale science and conservation, fundraising, financial planning, and reporting within charitable/non-profit organizations.  

Alison has a degree of Barrister-at-Law, Law Society of Ontario, a Masters in International Affairs from Carleton University, where she focused on the impact of climate change on Arctic environmental institutions, and a Bachelor of Science with Honours from Queens University (Faculty of Biology and Faculty of Environmental Sciences), where she studied the impact of climate change on Arctic soil microbial processes.

Sarah Cook

Sarah Cook joined the Weston Family Foundation in January 2022 as a Grants Coordinator. She is responsible for supporting the operational needs of programs related to the Weston Family Microbiome Initiative and Northern Science and Knowledge.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Sarah worked on the Operations and Finance teams for a number of Canadian and international non-profit organizations including the Stephen Lewis Foundation and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Development Studies and a Postgraduate Certificate in International Development Management.

Weston Family Soil Health Initiative

Program Overview

Loss of biodiversity on agricultural lands is occurring at an unprecedented rate due to agricultural intensification and habitat loss. Research shows that Canada’s agricultural lands offer an immediate and large-scale opportunity to mitigate further biodiversity losses, and by promoting and increasing soil organic matter, we can help support more adaptive and resilient agricultural lands.

Goal: The initiative seeks to expand the adoption of ecologically-based beneficial management practices (BMPs) that increase soil organic matter in order to improve biodiversity and resiliency on agricultural lands across Canada. The LOIs will allow the Foundation to understand the opportunities and comprehensive project ideas that currently exist, in order to build an informed framework for the proposal phase.

The initiative’s goal will be supported by the Foundation’s longer-term strategy which is comprised of catalyzing and shepherding ‘winning approaches’, to ultimately scaling projects with the greatest opportunities for impact. Successful applicants who meet the defined selection criteria within the LOI will be invited to submit full proposals.

Strategy: The initiative aims to increase the number of agricultural producers using BMPs that are scientifically proven to help increase soil organic matter on farmland. Through multi-year investments, the initiative aims to promote a behavioural shift towards the wider acceptance and adoption of the following BMPs:

  • Cover Cropping;
  • Nutrient Management (4R Principles); and
  • Crop Diversification/ Rotation.

Project Eligibility: Our strategy is designed to test which of the following approaches maximize the adoption rate of the desired BMPs in an efficient and scalable manner. Eligible approaches include:

  1. Incentivizing Stewardship: Projects which incentivize producers to adopt one or more of the identified BMPs (e.g. reverse auctions, community-based models).
  2. Outreach/Education and Training: Projects which increase access to, share technical knowledge of, and train producers on the identified BMPs.
  3. Sustainability Certification/Standard: A project which aims to establish a sustainable farmland management certification/standard at scale.

Funding: The timeframe for this ‘spark phase’ will run 3-5 years in length with a total funding envelope of $10M.