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New Matching Gift Campaign : “The Power to Make a Difference + Help Them Overcome Adversity”

From now until September 30, every donation made to help students in difficult circumstances will be doubled!

         

September 12, 2025

As the impacts of inflation are felt by a growing number of talented students, the HEC Montréal Foundation, with the invaluable support of Conrad Pelletier* (HEC Montréal 1996), is launching a matching gift campaign to help those who are struggling due to a situation that is out of their control.

The funds raised will help provide emergency assistance or a bursary to enable students to continue their year under better conditions. It’s alarming to learn how many brilliant academic journeys are threatened by stressful life events, such as a surprise medical diagnosis, a robbery, a family estrangement, an abusive work environment or exorbitant rental costs. As inflation continues to mount, these situations are becoming more and more commonplace, even at HEC Montréal, despite the popular belief that all our students are well-off.

Applications for need-based bursaries have jumped by 41% since 2022. In 2024–2025, as many as 1 out of 10 students had applied for need-based or encouragement bursaries, although only 12% of these applications could be granted during the year. A significant percentage of these applications are waiting for the right donor and the right path forward.

Help make their back-to-school season easier and show them they have an entire community they can count on.


Behind every donation to the Student Assistance Fund is a story of courage and resolve to build a new life. Abdeljalil’s is one of those stories. I’ll never forget the first time he came to my office, determined to overcome the obstacles he was up against to stay in school. These kinds of situations can happen to anyone. The Student Assistance Fund let me help Abdeljalil turn his ambitions into reality. I’m told all the time that I’m a miracle worker, but the real miracle is your generosity!

Guy Epassy, Coordinator, Study Community Services, HEC Montréal

 

 

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Real-life experiences you have the power to change

The list of ordeals that our students have encountered while pursuing their studies is long, but here are a few that will touch your heart and make you think. By granting bursaries to students to help cover tuition, issuing grocery vouchers or granting emergency funds to cover rent, we are helping them overcome adversity and putting them on the path to a future they richly deserve.

  • A serious health concern. A student’s parent learns they have cancer while the other is hospitalized for an operation.
  • A family rift. A student is rejected by their family after coming out as gay.
  • A hostile work environment. A student is pressured to quit their job with no financial resources to fall back on.
  • A parent in crisis. A student’s mother becomes incapacitated, forcing the family to turn to community food banks to feed themselves.
  • A break-in. A student has all of their belongings taken and is left with nothing.

About the Student Assistance Fund

The Student Assistance Fund helps applicants in difficult or urgent circumstances of a financial or other nature that jeopardize their ability to continue their studies. The support they receive from the fund is vital in reinforcing their resilience.

Alumni + Foundation > News > New Matching Gift Campaign : “The Power to Make a Difference + Help Them Overcome Adversity”