CUPA Scholarship and Awards Programme
The CUPA Scholarships and Awards Programme includes scholarships, bursaries and awards paid out from an endowed fund, which has clear parameters. In addition, CUPA undertakes other funding initiatives, funded by a portion of membership dues and other fund raisers, not related to the endowment fund. CUPA members and other individuals can contribute to both the endowed fund and to other initiatives in a number of ways.
The Concordia University Retired Staff Scholarship Endowment Fund
When established in 2001 the Concordia University Retired Faculty and Staff Scholarships and Awards Endowment Fund was to support graduate and undergraduate students in any Faculty at Concordia University. This continues to be the CUPA Endowment Fund’s mandated aim. The annual payout from the Concordia University Retired Faculty and Staff Scholarships and Awards Endowment is split equally between graduate awards and undergraduate awards; at the undergraduate level, the allocation is equally divided between scholarships and bursaries. Graduate award recipients are selected by the Faculties, based on academic excellence, with the awards being administered by the School of Graduate Studies. Undergraduate awards are administered by the Financial Aid and Awards Office through the Undergraduate Scholarship and Awards Committee. Scholarships are awarded based on academic merit while bursaries are awarded based on financial need and academic standing. It has always been a CUPA goal to ensure that students from all Faculties and Schools benefit from CUPA scholarships and bursaries and that these awards be at the highest possible monetary amount, based on the funds held in the Endowment Fund. Although dependent on the annual payout from the Fund, the objective is to offer four $5,000.00 scholarships to graduate students and eight $2,500.00 awards at the undergraduate level. To do so requires an annual Endowment payout totaling $40,000.00. It is expected that the stipulated minimum award values of $5,000.00 at the graduate level and $2,500.00 at the undergraduate level will be met for the academic year 2026-2027 and beyond. Students who are interested in these awards should contact the Financial Aid and Awards Office for details about the undergraduate opportunities or the School of Graduate Studies Graduate Awards Office for information about the graduate awards.
Other CUPA Funding Initiatives
Five dollars from every CUPA membership fee helps support different pressing student initiatives and/or activities. In 2025, CUPA created the Howard Fink Memorial Award, to be awarded upon admission to an undergraduate student in the Department of English in 2026-2027. The value of the award is $2,500 for a 3-year period, totaling $7,500. Also in 2025, CUPA awarded $4,000 to the Concordia Women’s Stingers Hockey Team as a donation to the Friends of Women’s Hockey Fund.
Ways to Contribute
Individuals, whether currently CUPA members or not, are always welcome and encouraged to contribute to the Endowment at any time, simply by naming the CUPA fund when making any donation to Concordia’s fund-raising campaigns.
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Additionally, individuals can donate to the annual Shuffle Campaign by specifying that their donation is intended for the Pace Makers Team, whose team totals are designated for the Endowment Fund.
The CUPA Association’s yearly initiatives are funded through a portion of each member’s yearly membership fee.