Fondation Pierre Elliot Trudeau
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Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation 1980 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 600 Montréal (Québec) Canada H3H 1E8

(514) 938-0001

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Un tuteur qui enseigne un classe pendant que les étudiants écoutent

To learn more about our Scholarships, Fellowship, Mentorship, or Public Interaction Program, simply click on the corresponding button.

General Information

Who can apply for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship?

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation’s Scholarship program is exclusively for students enrolled in a PhD program. The Foundation does not provide funding for undergraduate, master’s, or postdoctoral studies.

What does the scholarship include?
  • An annual stipend of up to $50,000 for three years to cover tuition and living expenses.
  • An annual allowance of up to $20,000 for three years to support research, networking, and travel related to the doctoral project and Foundation programming.
  • Membership in a dynamic community of Scholars, Mentors, and Fellows, all recognized for excellence in their respective fields; and lifelong membership in the Foundation’s alumni network, which includes over 500 individuals.
How long is the scholarship valid?

The Scholarship is a three-year program.

Can Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholars accept other awards?

Yes, but the value of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship is adjusted based on the amount received from other organizations, institutions, or universities. Scholars must declare all additional sources of income each year, including other scholarships.

Regardless of other funding, all Scholars receive the annual $20,000 allowance for research, travel, and networking, and each Scholar receives a minimum of $25,000 from the annual stipend.

Does the Foundation adjust the Scholarship amount for other reasons?

For Scholars studying outside Canada who receive external funding in foreign currency, the Foundation converts that amount into Canadian dollars to determine the value. The location of study does not affect the Scholarship amount.

Is there an age limit to apply?

No.

Are there academic performance requirements?

Applicants must demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and a high level of intellectual ability. These qualities will be assessed across your entire application, including transcripts and letters of recommendation.

Do I need to be fluent in both French and English to receive the scholarship?

No, fluency in both official languages is not required.

Key Dates

What are the key dates for the 2026 Scholarship competition?

The 2026 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship competition begins on September 9, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. ET. Applicants must submit their applications directly through the Foundation’s online portal.

The deadline to apply is November 17, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. ET.

All eligible applications that are complete and submitted before the deadline will be reviewed and evaluated by the Foundation.

Eligibility

When am I eligible to apply for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship?
Schooling

At the time of application, candidates must be:

  • In the first year of a doctoral program, or
  • In the second year of a doctoral program.

Due to the high volume of applications, starting in 2026, the Foundation will only accept applications from students in the first or second year of their PhD program. You are no longer eligible to apply if you are in the final year of your master’s program.

Citizenship

At the time of application, candidates must be:

  • A Canadian student in a Canadian university
  • A Canadian student in a foreign university or
  • An international student studying in a Canadian university.

Students living outside Canada and studying at a foreign university are not eligible.

Four themes

The Foundation recognizes that PhD students often pursue interdisciplinary research projects that fall within the humanities and social sciences, regardless of their department or faculty affiliation. Applications from fields such as engineering, business, health sciences, or the natural and applied sciences are also welcome, provided the research clearly relates to one or more of the Foundation’s four themes.

Candidates’ research must clearly align with one or more of the Foundation’s four core themes:

  • Human Rights and Dignity
  • Responsible Citizenship
  • Canada and the World
  • People and their Natural Environment

Learn more about the four themes

Research versus Professional Doctorate Studies

An eligible doctoral program must be research oriented (PhD, JD, etc.) and must lead to a thesis, dissertation, scholarly publication, etc. Professional doctorates are not eligible. Joint programs with a professional degree (JD/PhD; MBA/PhD, etc.) may be eligible if they have a significant research component.

Application

Can I submit my application directly to the Foundation?

No. Applicants must apply through the Foundation’s official application portal.

Where can I find the application form and how do I apply for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship?

To access the application form, you must create an account on the Foundation’s portal here.

Should you need any assistance, please refer to the how-to guide.

In what language can I fill out the application?

You may fill out the form in either English or French. You can select the language of your application form on the homepage. Please note, the form must be filled out in one language only.

Reference Letters

Referees will be asked to submit a formal letter of recommendation. Details will be shared in the application form.

How many reference letters are required to apply for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship?

Three, your thesis supervisor, another academic referee and a non-academic referee.

What if my thesis supervisor has not yet been chosen or does not know me well?

In that case, you may ask a former supervisor or another professor to act as a referee. Make sure the person you choose can vouch for your academic background. We strongly recommend that you explain this in the “Special Circumstances” section of your application.

What is meant by “another academic referee”?

This can be anyone who can vouch for your academic progress. We are looking for someone who knows you as a student, academic, or researcher.

What is meant by “non-academic referee”?

This can be someone who knows you outside of academia and can speak to your character, commitment or commitment and engagement in non-academic settings.

Can a family member act as a referee?

No.

Do you have any tips for choosing referees?

We encourage applicants to choose referees who can collaborate different aspects of their personality—academic, research, community involvement, and personal qualities. We want to understand who you are as a scholar, research partner, volunteer, and human being.

Does my referee have to respond in the same language as my application?

No. Referees may respond in either French or English, regardless of the language used in your application.

When is the deadline for submitting reference forms?

No later than November 12, 2025.

Note: You cannot submit your application if the references letters are not attached to your file.

Can reference letters be submitted directly to the Foundation?

No, there is a specific way to proceed within the application file. Details are clearly provided in the application form.

Can I have more than three referees?

No. Exactly three referees are required—no more, no less.

Can someone who lives outside Canada be a referee?

Yes. 

Selection Process

Will I be informed about the status of my application?

Once your application has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation email.

After that, only applicants selected as semi-finalists will be informed of their application status. Semi-finalists selected for group interviews will be notified in late January 2026.

What language is used for the interviews?

Group meetings and individual interviews will be conducted in French, English, depending on the applicant’s preference.

What happens to my application after the competition ends?

Once the competition ends, your application form will be removed from the portal.

If you received a confirmation email acknowledging submission, your application has been received.

Should I become a Scholar

Can I work while receiving the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship?

Scholars may work part-time (up to 20 hours per week) while continuing to receive the full benefits of the scholarship. This includes university or campus-based roles such as research assistant, teaching assistant, lecturer, or other part-time academic positions.

If I receive the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship, what is the process for receiving the funds?

Once your application has been approved by the Board of Directors, and once you have signed the funding agreement and submitted the required documentation, you will begin receiving the funds. This includes the Scholarship amount and the annual allowance for travel and language learning.

The annual Scholarship is disbursed in three instalments per year.

What happens if I need to take a leave from my studies (e.g., parental leave, professional leave, etc.)?

Scholars may suspend their Scholarship for up to one year for parental, medical, personal, or professional leave. Please note that Scholars are not employees of the Foundation, and the Foundation does not provide paid parental leave.

If you take a leave from your studies, Scholarship payments will be paused until you re-enrol full-time in your doctoral program. The Foundation reviews such cases individually and may offer various options to help Scholars reintegrate into the program upon their return.

Nomination Process

When does the nomination process begin and end?

The nomination process for the 2026 Fellowship Program begins on September 1, 2025, and ends on November 17, 2025. No nomination will be accepted after November 17, 2025, at noon (ET). Incomplete or partial applications will not be accepted.

How are applications to be submitted?

A complete package must be submitted as one PDF file by the home university to the Foundation by email: nominations@trudeaufoundation.ca

Can I apply myself?

No. Candidates must be nominated by their home university. Direct applications are not accepted.

How many candidates may a university put forward each year?

Canadian universities with one or more doctoral programs in the humanities and social sciences are invited to submit up to three nominations per year; all other Canadian universities may submit one nomination per year.

Can non-Canadian citizens and non-Permanent Residents in Canada be nominated for the Fellowship Program?

Yes, such potential nominees are eligible as long as they are legally permitted to work in Canada at a Canadian university as their primary institution and that they remain affiliated with this institution during the entire term of the Fellowship.

What does the nomination package look like?

A nomination package for the Fellowship must include the following elements:

  • a presentation letter from the candidate, explaining their interest in the Foundation’s Fellowship program;
  • a letter of nomination from the candidate’s home university;
  • a three- to five-page presentation of the proposed Fellowship research project, including links to previous or ongoing research and the expected impact of the Fellowship research funding;
  • the candidate’s academic curriculum vitae (max. 20 pages);
  • three recommendation letters.
Do you have any tips on choosing referees?

We encourage referees be chosen based on their capacity to clearly demonstrate the candidate's academic leadership in their research area, how the candidate is impactful in knowledge creation and dissemination, and how the candidate contributes to the development of graduate students and the community.

Is there a word limit on any of the letters from the candidate, nominator, or referees?

No, there is no word limit but quality trumps quantity. A letter should not be longer than three to four pages.

Due to language differences between English and French, can nomination documents written in French be given a page limit extension?

Yes, when there is a page limit requirement, documents written in French can be 20% longer. For example, if the maximum page limit is five (5) pages for English documents, the maximum limit for French documents is six (6) pages.

Are travel costs to attend the in-person interview in Montréal covered by the Foundation? Are virtual interviews permitted if the candidate is not available to travel?

Travel costs are covered by the Foundation, and in-person interviews are preferred.

Is the membership of the selection committee public (and if not, how is the committee comprised)?

Members of our selection committees are mentioned in our Annual Reports, following the selection processes.

How should the nomination package be submitted?

A single PDF would be appreciated.

Are the four Foundation themes of importance for the application?

Yes, they are. Candidates’ research must be linked to one or several of the four Foundation themes (Human Rights and Dignity; Responsible Citizenship; Canada and the World; People and their Natural Environment) and must be integrated in the general field of humanities and social sciences.

What kind of candidates is the Foundation looking for?

Candidates are senior academics in Canada who are leaders in their field. They are academics holding a full-time tenured appointment in a Canadian university at or near the rank of Full Professor with a national or international reputation.

Candidates tackle important current issues in social sciences and humanities intersecting with one or more of the four themes of the Foundation.

Candidates propose a research project that is innovative and socially significant, pushing research and thinking in new directions.

Candidates have demonstrated a commitment to supporting graduate students.

Candidates have a proven record of academic excellence, as established by their prior success in obtaining research grants.

Candidates are effective communicators willing to engage with a range of actors in society.

Selection and Results

What happens after the submission by the university?

A selection committee will determine a limited number of short-listed candidates who will be invited for an in-person interview in Montréal, QC, held usually in the end of February or in early March. Only candidates invited for an interview will be informed. Following the interview, the selection committee will make a final selection which will be approved by the Board of Directors of the Foundation.

When will the successful candidates be informed?

Successful candidates will usually be informed by the end of April.

Expectations

How many Fellows are chosen per year?

The Foundation nominates up to four (4) Fellows per year, chosen among professors at Canadian universities, for a three (3) year term.

What is the total value of the Fellowship?

The total value of Fellowship is $300,000 per Fellow:

  • $70,000 as prize;
  • $50,000 as research grant;
  • Up to $100,000 as possible additional research grant that the Fellow may request during their first year of Fellowship;
  • Up to one (1) year of teaching buy-out, with $80,000 in compensation paid to the university.
What are the Fellow’s obligations once chosen?

Fellows will join other community members (Scholars, Fellows, and Mentors). Involvement in the Foundation's programming is strongly encouraged. The Foundation requires Fellows to participate in the Foundation's annual summer schools and a second event organized by the Foundation each year; participation in Foundation conferences is encouraged but not mandatory; before the end of their term, all Fellows must give a presentation on their research (P.E. Trudeau Talks). During their term, Fellows will identify themselves as “Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellow”.

Nomination Process

When does the nomination process begin and end?

The nomination process for the 2026 Mentorship Program begins on September 10, 2025, and ends on November 3, 2025. No nomination will be accepted after November 3, 2025, at 5 p.m. (ET). Incomplete or partial applications will not be accepted.

How are applications to be submitted?

A complete nomination must be submitted by the nominator or the candidate themselves to the Foundation using the official nomination form.

Note: It is not necessary to confirm the candidate's availability for the Mentorship program though we do encourage nominators to think about time commitment and probability of availability for the candidates they are nominating. Please also note that academic candidates are not eligible to be nominated as Mentors.

Can I apply myself?

Yes. Since the 2024/2025 selection process, candidates may nominate themselves. Please note that applications from academic candidates are not eligible.

Are the four Foundation themes of importance for the application?

Yes, they are. Candidates’ interests and professional activities should be linked to one or several of the four Foundation themes: Human Rights and Dignity; Responsible Citizenship; Canada and the world; People and their Natural Environment.

What kind of candidates is the Foundation looking for?

The Mentorship program is an essential and original part of the Foundation’s programming where we invite non-academic eminent practitioners to connect Scholars with opportunities and networks outside of Academia.

Mentors are accomplished leaders who come from professional domains and various sectors – private, public, parapublic and non-profit. Mentors are intentionally not selected from the academic sector. They offer a range of opportunities for Scholars, from job shadowing to networking, and from introductions to conferences to co-publications. One of the features of the Mentorship program is that Mentors and Scholars are not and should not necessarily be working in the same fields: pushing Scholars to understand new and different approaches, while also encouraging them to transfer knowledge and understand other opinions and needs, are all part of the learning process laid down in the Mentorship program.

Selection and Results

What happens after the submission of the application?

A selection committee will determine a limited number of short-listed candidates who will be invited for an in-person conversation in Montréal, QC, held usually in early March. Only invited candidates will be informed. Following this in-person meeting, the selection committee will make a proposal to the Board of Directors.

How will Mentors be evaluated?

The selection committee members are interested in having a conversation with all candidates to evaluate their professional experiences, mentoring capacity, leadership and engagement and their availability.

When will the successful candidates be informed?

Successful candidates will usually be informed by the end of April.

Expectations

How many Mentors are chosen per year?

Mentors are normally matched with one or two Scholars. The number of Mentors depends therefore on the number of nominated Scholars and is usually around six to eight. Each year, Mentors are paired with new Scholars from their year and cohort.

What is the total value of the Mentorship?

Mentors are nominated for three years; they receive a yearly honorarium of $30,000 and a yearly travel allowance of up to $15,000 to be used for Foundation-related events and activities.

What are the Mentors' obligations once chosen?

Mentors will join other community members (Scholars, Fellows, and Mentors). Involvement in the Foundation's programming is strongly encouraged. The Foundation requires Mentors to participate in the Foundation's annual summer schools and the Mentors-Scholars Retreat in the first year; in other years, they are encouraged to participate in a second event of their choice organized by the Foundation; participation in Foundation conferences is encouraged but not mandatory. During their term, Mentors are encouraged to identify themselves as “Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Mentor”.

Expected time commitment

The expected time commitment is as follows:

  • monthly meeting with Scholars (online or in person); Mentors are usually matched with one or two different Scholars each year; the Foundation strives to respect language differences but is interested in matching Mentors and Scholars who are not located in the same province;
  • availability to participate in Foundation events and to connect with all Scholars, Fellows and Mentors; such annual events are for example orientation meetings to welcome the new cohort of Scholars, Fellows and Mentors or annual public conferences;
  • partnerships and the organization of own events in collaboration with their Scholars and other community members; additional funds may be made available to this effect;
  • willingness to contribute actively to Foundation events.
Are Foundation events open to the public?

It depends on the event. Foundation conferences are usually open to the public (on invitation) as are the P.E. Trudeau Foundation Talks. The Summer School and the Mentors-Scholars Retreat are reserved for active Foundation community members. Partnership events and events held by our community members may be open to the public.

May Foundation Alumni participate in Foundation events?

Foundation Alumni are included in events wherever possible, particularly when it comes to local participants. Alumni are olso often approached to participate as speakers or moderators in Foundation events.

How can I participate in the Conference or other events?

The Foundation normally sends a call for interest through our Newsletter if we hold an event that is open to the public. If you wish to subscribe to the Newsletter, please click here: The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation

Which events does the Foundation organize regularly?

A public policy conference is organized biennially (in November usually); between four to five P.E. Trudeau Foundation Talks with Foundation Fellows are held at different institutions and universities; we organize a Summer School in June for all of our active members and bring together Mentors and Scholars for a Retreat in the Fall. Additional events may be held by our Scholars, Fellows and Mentors or in partnership with other organizations and institutions.

Where do Foundation events take place?

The events are organized all across Canada, and the Foundation strives to maintain a balance between the following five regions: British Columbia and territories; Prairies; Ontario, Québec and Atlantic Canada.

Is the Foundation interested in partnership events?

The Foundation' events are primarily organized for the benefit of community members. However, if you think that your event may be of interest to our Scholars, Fellows and Mentors, please send a request to info@trudeaufoundation.ca

May active/current Foundation Scholars, Fellows and Mentors ask for financial support to organize events?

Yes, they may. The Foundation finances a couple of community-organized ad-hoc events throughout the year. The Foundation will contribute to the financing and the marketing, but will not support the organization or logistics as such.

Currently, the Alumni Network is being rebuilt and restructured. In the future, they may be well placed to respond to this question.

Currently, the Alumni Network is being rebuilt and restructured. In the future, they may be well placed to respond to this question. 

OTHER QUESTIONS

If you have any other questions about the programs, our team is available to assist you.

Contact us