YUFA Foundation
The YUFA Foundation is a charity, incorporated under Ontario law in 1980 to receive and maintain funds and apply them for the advancement of learning, the dissemination of knowledge, the intellectual, spiritual, social, moral, cultural, and physical development of members of the York community and the betterment of society.
The main functions of the the YUFA Foundation are currently:
- Providing Scholarships and Bursaries to York University students: Scholarships are awarded to top student(s) in each undergraduate faculty of York University. Bursaries and emergency funds support students in need across the university. A total of $136,000 was distributed in 2014-15. Funds contributed to York University endowments, totaling approximately $6.8m (2015), have resulted from donations of the YUFA Trust Fund and Foundation; matching contributions from an anonymous donor and the Ontario government; and investment returns.
- Support for High School and Transition-Year Students: In recent years, and together with the YUFA Community Projects Committee and the YUFA Trust Fund, the YUFA Foundation has supported programs like Readers to Leaders (a literacy enrichment and leadership program for Grades 9 and 10 students), Transition Year Program (TYP) students in need of bursary support, and, most notably, the Advanced Credit Experience (ACE) Program. ACE is a partnership between the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the YUFA Trust Fund, the YUFA Foundation, and the Faculty of Education at York University that aims to enhance university access for Grade 12 students from four local high schools: CW Jeffreys C.I. (TDSB), Westview Centennial C.I. (TDSB), Emery C.I. (TDSB), and James Cardinal McGuigan (TCDSB). Up to forty Grade 12 students identified as having leadership potential enrol into an undergraduate course at York. These students spend a term on York’s Keele campus taking both the university course and earning their high school co-op credit by completing co-op placements within a York University unit/department.
2023 Graduation Ceremony of the Success Beyond Limits Program at York University's Second Student Center
- Support for Success Beyond Limits: Success Beyond Limits (SBL) is a significant organization dedicated to youth in the Jane-Finch community. The model SBL pioneered is proving effective in supporting young people from this community through individualized and intensive support for students and their families. SBL is also providing a 6-week program on the York Keele campus in the summer for Grade 8 students of Brookview and Oakdale Park schools. Funds for SBL are mainly provided by other organizations like United Way, The Laidlaw Foundation, the Telus Foundation, the Toronto Community Foundation, MorCan, and private individuals who use the assistance of the YUFA Foundation to distribute and monitor the money they donate. The YUFA Foundation also provides periodic bridge financing when delays are encountered in receiving funds from donors.
