Nunavut Arctic College awarded $5M to support Indigenous education

Nunavut Arctic College will receive $5 million from the Mastercard Foundation to expand training and cultural programming, part of a total $235 million in national funding for Indigenous education.

The foundation announced the funding Tuesday in a news release.

The announcement marks the 10th anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report, and the money will be shared among 30 post-secondary institutions and national Indigenous organizations. 

The foundation said its goal is to double the number of Indigenous students in programs such as health care, trades, engineering, and technology over the next decade.

The colleges and universities and Indigenous organizations selected to receive funding currently serve a combined total of 28,000 Indigenous students, Mastercard Foundation said.

The funding will have lasting benefits for students and communities across the territory, Margaret Nakashuk, the minister responsible for Nunavut Arctic College, said during Tuesday’s sitting at the legislative assembly. 

“This funding will allow the college to extend the impact even further through program enhancements, operational investments, and capital improvements, all designed to maximize the benefits for students, communities, and Nunavut as a whole,” Nakashuk said in a minister’s statement. 

The college’s board of governors will play a key role in deciding how the money is used, Nakashuk said in an email. 

 “In the coming month, Nunavut Arctic College will begin exploring options on how to use this generous gift,” she said.

“Once options have been drafted, a discussion will be held with the board. The college anticipates sharing plans for this funding after the next government is formed.”

The Mastercard Foundation said Nunavut Arctic College is among institutions chosen for their proven impact on Indigenous education and accountability to communities.

Collectively, the 30 post-secondary institutions it selected to split the funding have educated more than 30,000 Indigenous youth, the news release said.