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Benefaction Foundation Renews Funding for MPNL Students

A woman (Karlee) with curly black hair and a blazer smiles at the camera.
Born and raised in Montreal, Karlee Thomas (she/her) graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies and is now the Coordinator of Stewardship and Donor Relations at the Jewish General Hospital Foundation. She received a Benefaction award.

The MPNL program is happy to announce that the Benefaction Foundation will provide another $20,000 grant to its “Benefaction Foundation Travel Fund for the Summer Institute” for 2027.

“Their generous creation of the Fund in 2023 has increased access to the Summer Institute and made access for students more equitable,” said Dr. Anil Varughese, Graduate Supervisor of the MPNL program.

The Travel Fund assists full-time and part-time students accepted into the DPNL and MPNL programs, helping them with travel costs related to the program’s Summer Institute, a two-week, in-person series of courses and events at Carleton University. Keith Sjögren, Chair of the MPNL program’s Advisory Council, worked closely with the Foundation to increase support for the program’s students. This past summer, 27 students from across Canada, including those in financial need, received support.

A woman (Olayinka) with a red jacket and hoop earrings looks at the camera.
Born in Ikeja (Nigeria), Olayinka Ademuyiwa has a degree in Cell Biology and Genetics and has worked internationally and in three levels of the Canadian government. She’s as a Case Manager for the City of Ottawa and is the Founding Director of BSL, a nonprofit providing settlement services to Ontario’s Afro-Caribbean immigrant community. She received a Benefaction award.

“For many of our students, the combined costs of travel, accommodation and time away from paid employment present a significant financial challenge,” Dr. Varughese added. “The Fund helped ease that burden, allowing recipients to participate more fully in the Summer Institute without the added stress of significant expenses. Last year, students’ financial pressures included job loss, reduced employment income and caregiving for children and elderly family members.”

The Benefaction Foundation is a registered charity that helps Canadians and their advisors harness the advantages of strategic giving. It provides support for its Travel Fund, as well as for the “Benefaction Award for Philanthropic Leadership” ($5,000), which is awarded annually to an outstanding, full-time graduate student who’s entering the MPNL program, with preference given to racialized students. This year, both Yinka Ademuyiwa and Karlee Thomas received Leadership awards.

“We’re deeply grateful for the additional support of the Benefaction Foundation,” Dr. Varughese said. “It’s having a meaningful impact on students and the Summer Institute.”

Each year, the MPNL program and Carleton University offer graduate students a number of awards and scholarships.

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