Support Scholarships
Scholarships and awards motivate our learners to excel by rewarding performance and commitment. They enable students to participate more fully in all aspects of student life and build deep, meaningful ties to our city, region and school. Funding an award is an opportunity to support the individual post-secondary experience of a student who demonstrates academic excellence, athletic achievement, community commitment or financial need. This powerful gift leaves a lasting impression on the individual recipients of your gift and inspires other learners to dream bigger, work harder, and reach higher.
Give now
You can make a one-time or recurring gift to RDP's General Scholarship Fund, an endowed investment that supports the sustainability of our scholarships program, or you can contribute to a named award or scholarship fund by selecting "Other" and typing the name of the scholarship into the text box.
Learn how to make another type of gift here, or giving [at] rdpolytech [dot] ca (subject: Other%20ways%20to%20give) (contact us )for more information.
Establish an RDP Student Award
Named awards are a powerful way to inspire and reward excellence in the areas that are meaningful to your family, business or community. Awards that recur year after year imprint your legacy at Red Deer Polytechnic, on the community and on individual learners whose hard work is recognized in this way. Contact Donor Relations Advisor,abby [dot] kaun [at] rdpolytech [dot] ca (subject: Establishing%20an%20RDP%20student%20award) ( Abby Kaun)abby [dot] kaun [at] rdc [dot] ab [dot] ca (subject: Establishing%20an%20RDC%20student%20award) (,) for support establishing a Student Award. Abby will work through the following steps with you to establish an award that best achieves the impact you want to make.
Step 1: Determine the types of award you would like to create
- Scholarship: A scholarship is awarded in recognition of two or more criteria, for example, academic achievement, service or leadership at Red Deer Polytechnic, financial need or other conditions established by the donor.
- Award: An award is presented in recognition of one criteria.
- Bursary: A bursary is given on the basis of financial need.
Step 2: Decide how you wish to fund your award
- Support your award annually: You may create a named award with an annual gift of as little as $750. A minimum commitment of three years is requested to establish an annual award.
- Establish an endowment: An endowment generates annual investment income which is given away in the form of your named award(s). A named award endowment can be established with a minimum gift of $30,000, made at once or over time, which will fund your award(s) in perpetuity. Additional gifts may be added to the fund at any time.
- A combination of the two: You may find it more convenient to establish an endowment over time and fund your award annually for the first few years until you have reached the $30,000 minimum and the endowment is considered fully funded. For example, a gift of $7,000 a year for 5 years could provide a $1,000 annual award, allowing the remaining $6,000 to be directed toward building the endowment.
Step 3: Set the terms of reference for your award
Our giving [at] rdpolytech [dot] ca (subject: Establishing%20an%20RDP%20student%20award) (Donor Relations Advisor) will work with you to develop terms of reference to establish an award description. The amount of input you will have establishing your award is entirely up to you. The following are some guidelines for your input.
- Determine number of recipients: Your award can have one recipient or provide for as many students as the fund allows.
- Set the criteria: Award criteria varies depending on the donor. Academic achievement, financial need or other measures of merit, including leadership and involvement, are some options.
- Determine eligibility: You may choose an area of study and program level (entrance, continuing or graduate) for your award.
We look forward to working with you to establish a named award that supports students in the ways that are most meaningful to you and your family, organization or community. For more information or to establish your own award, please contact:
abby [dot] kaun [at] rdpolytech [dot] ca (subject: Establishing%20an%20RDP%20student%20award) (Abby Kaun), Donor Relations Advisor | 403.342.3320
Download a printable version of this information
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about charitable tax receipting, establishing award criteria, ways to maximize your impact to students and more on our FAQs page. Can't find the answer you're looking for? Use the online form to request more information.