Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Awards
We apologize for the delay. The 2024/25 application will be opened shortly. Please stay tuned for more information, and if you have any immediate questions, please email hbomfscholarships@wpgfdn.org.
The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Fund recognizes Indigenous students who are making a difference in eliminating the barriers of racism, sexism, violence, and indifference in society. The scholarship fund was established to honour her memory and provide financial support to Indigenous students. The fund is one of hundreds of scholarship funds managed by The Winnipeg Foundation.
Originally from Norway House Cree Nation, Helen Betty Osborne had a dream to one day become a teacher.
Helen attended Manitoba Brethren Collegiate Institute and was on the home placement program administered by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. She also spent two years at Guy Hill Residential School (1926-1979) on the shore of Clearwater Lake just outside The Pas, Manitoba.
Helen was 19 years old when she was abducted and brutally murdered in 1971. It took 16 years for anyone to be charged with her murder with only one of four attackers convicted of the crime in 1987.
The purpose of The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Fund is to provide financial assistance to Indigenous persons residing in Manitoba who are enrolled in post-secondary studies in Manitoba.
Awards are granted in the amount of $2,000 each. Application deadline is 4:00PM CDT October 31, 2023.
The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Fund Award acknowledges and celebrates Helen Betty Osborne’s goal of becoming a teacher before her untimely death in 1971. The events that followed highlighted the inequity of the justice system relating to Indigenous people.
The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Fund Awards strives to promote the memory of Helen Betty Osborne while acknowledging Indigenous students who are making a difference in eliminating the barriers of racism, sexism, violence, and indifference in our society.
Applications are reviewed by an independent adjudication panel including representation from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.
We thank all individuals that apply. Only those selected will be contacted by December 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact The Winnipeg Foundation at 204-944-9474 (toll-free 1-877- 974-3631) or hbomfscholarships@wpgfdn.org.
Application
The Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Fund Award Application has closed as of 4:00PM CDT on October 31, 2023.
NCTR’s spirit name – bezhig miigwan, meaning “one feather”.
Bezhig miigwan calls upon us to see each Survivor coming to the NCTR as a single eagle feather and to show those Survivors the same respect and attention an eagle feather deserves. It also teaches we are all in this together — we are all one, connected, and it is vital to work together to achieve reconciliation.