The Embark Student Foundation awards $2.5 million to five post-secondary institutions across Canada as part of its Major Grants Program
Since 2023, the program has awarded $7.4 million to schools to enhance the student experience in Canada and expects to award millions more over the next two years.
TORONTO, February 4, 2026- Embark Student Corp. (“Embark”), Canada’s education savings and planning company, today announced the 2026 recipients of the Embark Major Grant Program.
Launched in 2023, the Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program awards millions to post-secondary institutions to support innovative programs, services and initiatives that have a positive impact on student experiences in Canada. Each post-secondary institution selected will receive funding to build their programs and realize their goals. So far, the company has awarded $7.4 million to universities, colleges and trade schools across Canada and expects to award millions more over the next two years.
“Through the Embark Major Grant Program, we’ve seen how Canadian post-secondary institutions are evolving to meet student needs,” said Andrew Lo, President and CEO, Embark. “This year, proposals highlighted the urgent challenge of youth unemployment, focusing on equitable access to work-integrated learning and upskilling opportunities that empower students to graduate prepared, confident, and ready to contribute meaningfully to their fields.”
2026 Recipients of the Embark Major Grant Program
| School | Program | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Athabasca University | Open Architecture e-Studio | $500,000 |
| Conestoga College | Making Education Accessible with Open Education Resources | $500,000 |
| Simon Fraser University | Friend of Simon Tutoring and Mentorship Program | $500,000 |
| Toronto Metropolitan University | DMZ’s Embark Business Academy | $500,000 |
| University of Waterloo | AI Enabled Learners | $500,000 |
Overview of Recipient Programs
Athabasca University – Open Architecture e-Studio
Traditional architecture education in brick-and-mortar institutions filters out diversity, innovation, and community voices. With only a few accredited programs in Canada, all concentrated in major cities, students typically have to choose between relocating or abandoning the profession. Rural, remote, caregiving, and working learners are excluded when relocation means leaving behind responsibilities and community ties.
Athabasca University’s Open Architecture e-Studio will transform architecture education into a truly global, accessible classroom where learners can thrive without leaving their communities. By integrating advanced, immersive tools such as AR/VR, AI, sensors, drones, 3D scanning, and 3D printing directly into online learning, students will graduate ready to bring new voices, skills, and perspectives to the profession. The development of the e-Studio represents a paradigm shift in built environment education—one that will redefine who gets to study architecture, how they learn, and how they contribute to the communities they serve.
Conestoga College – Making Education Accessible with Open Education Resources
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials available in the public domain or released under open licenses, allowing educators and institutions to customize content to meet industry and student needs. Amongst the many benefits, OER save students money by replacing traditional paid resources and improve equitable access to learning.
Conestoga is a significant contributor and adopter of OER and has saved its students $5.8 million since 2021. This aligns with the college’s support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. The Embark Major Grant will support the adaptation, creation and adoption of additional OER to have a direct impact on thousands of Conestoga students and an extended reach to over 100,000 students globally.
Simon Fraser University – Friends of Simon Tutoring and Mentorship Program
Since 2006, the Friends of Simon program recruits, prepares, and assigns university students as afterschool tutor-mentors at school and community sites through the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, serving newcomer and refugee students in kindergarten through to Grade 12.
Each year, 45-50 SFU undergraduate students receive training through the Faculty of Education and paid employment as tutors to support more than 500 K-12 students. The Embark Major Grant will support program delivery costs over two years as well as help establish a permanent Friends of Simon location at SFU’s Surrey campus.
Toronto Metropolitan University – DMZ’s Embark Business Academy
Under the leadership of Toronto Metropolitan University’s tech incubator and startup ecosystem, DMZ is launching a new program in March 2026 to address the youth unemployment and skills gap that is disproportionately impacting non-STEM, non-business, women, and racialized students.
The Embark Business Academy will give students the abilities, network and proven experience that employers want. Students will go through three progressive phases of learning: business foundations and AI fluency, specialized training for high-demand roles such as sales, marketing and operations; and finally, 8-week paid placements to apply and further hone their skills.
University of Waterloo – AI Enabled Learners
Technology continues to accelerate at an exponential pace, bringing both benefits and new challenges. The University of Waterloo is helping students develop AI skills through practical experience to make them future-ready and increase their employment opportunities. This responsibility extends to all learners – not just those in STEM – reducing barriers for equity-deserving groups who face the greatest risk of being left behind.
As Canada’s leader in co-op and work-integrated learning, this initiative integrates practical AI training with WIL experiences, enabling students to build skills while tackling real-world projects. Students will apply AI tools and techniques to projects from nonprofits and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) that recognize AI’s importance but may lack the technical resources, expertise or bandwidth to get started. This initiative will also provide valuable insights on how students learn, apply, and adapt AI in real-world contexts. AI becomes more than a subject of study, it becomes a practical tool for good, building both student capacity and community resilience.
About The Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program
The Embark Major Grant Program provides funding for innovative programs, initiatives or services that support student success before, during and beyond their post-secondary years. Through this grant program, Embark wishes to partner with post-secondary educational institutions in their efforts to advance access, agency and innovation that will empower students to take hold of their future. Grants of $250,000 to $500,000 are available annually. Efforts are made to represent all types of post-secondary educational institutions and regions in Canada.
About Embark Student Corp.
Embark is Canada’s education savings and planning company. With $6.6 billion in assets under management, the company is committed to empowering families along their post-secondary journeys, giving them the resources and tools they need to better save for all that comes with an education. Registered as a Scholarship Plan Dealer across Canada, the company manages almost 600,000 RESPs. Last year students withdrew over $663 million to help pay for their education with an Embark plan.
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