Elizabeth Henry Scholarship

The Elizabeth Henry Scholarship for Communities and Environmental Health supports graduate students working on research projects in partnership with one or more Indigenous and/or non-Indigenous British Columbia communities that are addressing air quality, environmental health issues and/or promoting environmental sustainability through cooperative initiatives.

Congratulations to 2024 Scholarship recipients, Kristina Disney and Sean O’Rourke. Learn about their projects!

Watch for details on the next scholarship applications intake in January 2025, with an application deadline in May 2025.

The information below is for general reference.

About the Scholarship

The Elizabeth Henry Scholarship for Communities and Environmental Health supports graduate students working on research projects in partnership with one or more Indigenous and/or non-Indigenous British Columbia communities that are addressing air quality, environmental health issues and/or promoting environmental sustainability through cooperative initiatives.

A scholarship of $4,000 was offered in 2024, with the possibility of a second, smaller scholarship as funds allow.

The scholarship was created in 2014 with support from the Directors and the staff of the Fraser Basin Council to remember Elizabeth Henry and her many contributions to our organization and to communities across British Columbia. Elizabeth exhibited high ethical standards and integrity in her work, and she was committed to promoting dialogue and respectful collaboration among diverse stakeholders. The intent of the scholarship is to support community projects that reflect these values.

The Elizabeth Henry Scholarship Fund has received contributions from the Fraser Basin Council, the British Columbia Clean Air Research (BC CLEAR) Fund and the many friends, family members and colleagues who wished to remember Elizabeth and her work. Our thanks to all who have contributed.

The Vancouver Foundation administers the fund, and the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship Committee evaluates applications and awards the scholarship.

Eligibility Requirements

  • The applicant must be a full-time graduate student for at least one semester before being awarded the scholarship
  • The student’s proposed research project must focus on working in partnership with one or more Indigenous and/or non-Indigenous British Columbia communities that are addressing air quality, environmental health issues and/or promoting environmental sustainability through cooperative initiatives
  • The project must have well-defined objectives and research methodologies as well as tangible project outcomes that provide direct and ethically sound benefits to the community
  • Preference will be given to significant and innovative projects

  • Preference will be given to projects that directly engage the community and where strong community support and buy-in are demonstrated

Application Process

The next applications intake is scheduled for January 2025, with an application deadline in May 2025.

Applications are made online. As an applicant, you will be asked to provide basic contact information, information on previous experience and a project description (max 750 words).

You will also be asked to provide digital copies of:

  • your undergraduate transcript

  • your transcript of graduate courses to date (if applicable) and

  • two signed letters of reference on official letterhead evaluating your capabilities and/or the significance and feasibility of your research project. One letter should be from your academic supervisor, while the second may be an academic, employer or community partner reference (both letters sent directly from the references by email)

Evaluation Criteria

The Elizabeth Henry Scholarship Committee evaluates each application based on the following:

  • the applicant’s satisfaction of eligibility requirements
  • the applicant’s academic performance
  • direct benefits to the community of the proposed research project
  • alignment of the project with the scholarship values: high ethical standards, integrity and promoting dialogue and respectful collaboration among diverse stakeholders
  • preference will be given to significant and innovative projects
  • preference will be given to projects that directly engage the community and where strong community support and buy-in are demonstrated

The decision of the committee is final. The Elizabeth Henry Scholarship Committee thanks all applicants for their interest in the scholarship.

Scholarship Committee

Here are the members of the Scholarship Committee:

  • Suzanne Henry
  • David Henry
  • Ilona Dougherty
  • Hana Boye
  • Charlotte Argue
  • Jim Vanderwal

Contributions Invited

The Fraser Basin Council and the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship Committee warmly thank everyone who has contributed to the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship Fund.

Contributions to the scholarship fund are always gratefully accepted through the Vancouver Foundation.

New contributions to the Fund are welcome. The Vancouver Foundation manages the Fund and will issue a charitable tax receipt for each donation of $25 or more.

To make a donation, visit the Vancouver Foundation donation page.

Sign Up for Updates

Subscribe for updates about the Elizabeth Henry Scholarship Fund for Communities and Environmental Health. And if you haven’t already, check out the projects of the 2024 and past Scholarship recipients!

About Elizabeth Henry

Elizabeth was a bright light in our midst. Everyone who knew Elizabeth benefitted from her talent, her insight, and her warm, generous nature. She had a passion for making positive change in the world, and compassion for the people around her. She showed each of us what it means to be a good colleague and friend, and a good person.

Elizabeth was committed to education. She held a B.Sc. in Ecology from the University of Guelph and an M.A. in Adult Education from the University of British Columbia.

Elizabeth excelled at her work. As Program Coordinator of Climate Change and Air Quality at the Fraser Basin Council, Elizabeth was pivotal to the success of many climate change action and adaptations initiatives, and successfully facilitated various multi-interest processes. She coordinated programs to help local governments and First Nations increase their energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and adopt transportation demand management strategies. She also oversaw the BC Clean Air Research (BC CLEAR) Fund, which provides grants for research to support air quality in our communities.

Elizabeth loved the outdoors. We knew her to be a determined commuter cyclist who was unfazed by any weather, an avid outdoors enthusiast who loved exploring beautiful places across BC and Canada by ski, by bike and on foot, and as a gardener who graciously shared the bounty of her efforts.

Elizabeth made her passions an inspiration. She engaged people in sustainability issues that were important to them and their communities. She had a particular interest in developing relationships with Indigenous communities through the process of decolonization, which was a major focus of her Master’s degree. She worked to engage Indigenous communities in all areas of her work at FBC, helping to bridge gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. In everything she did, she strove to connect with people at the grassroots who were trying to make a difference in their communities.

Elizabeth left us too soon. Despite a brave effort to overcome illness, Elizabeth passed away in the spring of 2014 at the age of 32. The scholarship is one step towards honouring Elizabeth in the way she wished, by supporting her passion for sustainability and her desire to see good work continue.