The Marion Dewar Scholarship Fund (MDSF) was established by Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) in 2009, in honour of the late Marion Dewar, former Mayor of Ottawa. The goal of the scholarship fund is to provide financial support to foster academic and leadership excellence in immigrant and refugee youth. The fund supplements the tuition and supplies required for their post-secondary education in the National Capital Region.
Each year, a scholarship of $1,500 each is awarded to three immigrant and refugee youth.
The deadline to submit an application for the MDSF has now closed for 2023. Applications will reopen spring 2024.
Marion Dewar was closely tied to the early years of OCISO. She was instrumental in shaping the City of Ottawa’s immigrant and refugee policy. In 1979, Ms. Dewar led the city in a bold test of collective action with Project 4000, where Ottawa residents joined together to sponsor 4,000 Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian refugees, offering them the opportunity of a new life in the nation’s capital. Project 4000 earned Canada international recognition from the United Nations. These Southeast Asian refugees were among OCISO’s first clients.
