The Canadian Printing Industries Scholarship Trust Fund was initiated by the Canadian Printing Industries Association in 1971, through the efforts of a group of visionary printing industry executives. Since then, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been donated, as a result of the generosity of firms and individuals associated with the printing industries in Canada.

While the President of the Canadian Printing Industries Association serves as the Administrator of the Trust Fund, it exists exclusively for the benefit of the printing industries in Canada. The investment of capital and the disbursement of scholarship monies is solely at the discretion of the Board of Trustees of the Fund. The Trustees are made up of a dedicated group of recognized leaders of the printing industries in Canada. Their names and company affiliations appear below.

The primary objective of the Fund is to attract the most talented young people available to the printing industry by providing financial assistance to them while they are enrolled in a graphic arts management or technical program. It is these same young people upon whom we must rely to ensure the future growth and prosperity of the printing industry in Canada.

Including the current school year, the Fund has provided scholarships to literally hundreds of students who met the necessary qualifications. A great many of these students have ended up being employed by either the industry executive who interviewed them, as part of the qualification process, or by one of the firms that made a donation to the Fund and hold senior management and operating positions in today's industry. Many of these students also secured summer employment and gained practical experience under the same circumstances.

Scholarship eligibility

Monies from the Fund are granted to students who meet all of the following criteria:

• must be enrolled in or plan to be enrolled in the first year of an approved program;
• must be enrolled for a minimum of two years , on a full-time basis, in a printing management or technical program (not art or design) in a post-secondary Canadian school ;
• must have a high school average of at least 75% if applying for a community college program, or at least 80% if applying for a university program or a university or college GPA of 3.0 or better if applying for either a college program or a university program; and
• must have a commitment to pursue a career in the printing industry (this could include management, estimating, pre-press, press, sales, etc.)

To ensure the validity of the fourth point, students must consent to, and participate in, an interview with an industry executive. Based upon the student's responses and level of enthusiasm, a final decision on scholarship qualification will be made by the Board of Trustees of the Fund. The requirement for an interview is part of the screening process for all new applicants only.

Students must be enrolled in an approved course of study which will provide him or her with sound basic skills in preparation for a printing industry career. Any college or university offering such a full-time two, three or four-year certification program would be acceptable as an approved school. The eligibility of any particular course or institution is at the discretion of the Board of Trustees, whose decision is final. Part-time students or those enrolled in design or art courses are not eligible for scholarships from the Fund.

Approved schools

British Columbia

• British Columbia Institute of Technology (Graphic Communications Technology - 2 year Program)

Alberta and Saskatchewan

• NorQuest College (Digital Graphics Communications Program)
• Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Arts & Technology
• Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

Quebec and Maritimes

• Ahuntsic College
• Cégep Beauce-Appalaches
• Nova Scotia Community College

Ontario

• Algonquin College of Applied Arts & Technology
• Ryerson University

Application deadline: June 30th of each year

Click on the link below to download the CPISTF Scholarship Application (.pdf)

Disbursement of scholarships

Scholarship funds are provided to the Registrar of the appropriate school to be applied to the cost of tuition on behalf of new applicants who have successfully completed the screening process, or students already in the scholarship program who have maintained the required academic standard. Half of the scholarship amount is provided, in this manner, at the beginning of each semester of the school year. Under no circumstances are these moneys made available directly to qualifying students.

Funding of scholarship awards

Each year, the Board of Trustees approves scholarships for as many students as the Fund's budget will allow. This number is made up of both successful new applicants and continuing students whose academic standing qualify them to continue receiving scholarship funding.

The value of each annual scholarship is $1,250.

The funding of scholarships comes entirely from donations and to provide scholarships strictly from the interest earned on invested capital has always been a primary objective of the Fund. Given the decline in interest rates, this objective has become increasingly difficult to achieve. Rather than reduce the number of scholarships awarded or the value of them, the Trustees of the Fund recently embarked upon an ambitious fund raising campaign in an effort to offset lower interest rates by increasing the amount of working capital available.

This generous support will contribute to the ability of the Fund to provide financial assistance to students in their course of study in the graphic arts. No doubt these young people, armed with the managerial and technical skills from their course of study, will be a key element in helping the industry adapt to the rapidly evolving world of print communications. As the Board of Trustees has stated in its written communications, " We are committed to the premise that it makes good business sense to help the brightest and best students achieve their scholastic goals."

Beyond the Millennium Campaign

Since the establishment of the Fund, more than $1 million in industry donations has been raised.  Despite the aforementioned 500 scholarships that have been disbursed, the endowment of CPISTF currently sits in excess of $700,000.

$1,000,000 Goal

CPISTF’s Beyond The Millennium campaign has set an endowment goal of $1,000,000.  We are more than half way there and need your help to reach our objective!

Whether creating a perpetual scholarship, adopting a student in a three year commitment or pledging what you can, your contribution today is an investment in the future of our industry.

There is no question that we require a workforce with the academic, managerial and technical skills which will ensure prosperity in the next century.  It only makes business sense to help the brightest and best students achieve their scholastic goals for the betterment of our industry.

The Board of Trustees of the Canadian Printing Industries Scholarship Trust Fund earnestly requests that you give serious consideration to making a donation not only to the Fund, but also to the future of the Canadian printing industry. The Trustees sincerely thank the supporters for their past contributions and request their continued generosity. All donations are acknowledged in writing and a charitable donation receipt is provided for income tax purposes.

For a current list of Donors to the Scholarship Trust Fund, Click here

All contributions should be directed to:

Administrator

Bob Elliott

Canadian Printing Industries Scholarship Trust Fund

151 Rue Slater Street, Suite 1110

Ottawa, ON K1P 5H3

Tel: (613) 236-7208 Fax: (613) 232-1334

E-mail: belliott@cpia-aci.ca

CPISTF Trustees

Click on the link below to download the

cpistf board of trustees