OUR STORY

We believe that the promise of a young person is to be found in character. To find Canada’s next generation of leaders, we must look beyond grades and rankings to find the promise of character.

At the Loran Scholars Foundation, we identify and support young people who have the integrity and courage to make difficult decisions, the perseverance to work towards long-term goals, the curiosity to better understand the world around them and the drive to make positive change in their communities.

Every year, our volunteers dedicate over 7,000 hours to selecting up to 36 Loran Scholars from over 5,000 applicants. Our scholars come from all walks of life and every corner of Canada, from Hazelton, BC to Montréal to Fogo Island, NL.

In partnership with 25 Canadian universities and our donors, we challenge our scholars to explore, develop and share their talents. Each Loran Award is valued at up to $100,000 over four years of undergraduate study, including mentorship and summer experiences.

By making long-term investments in the future of Loran Scholars, we’re investing in the future of Canada. See the impact our alumni are making on Canada and the world.

We are an independent charitable organization governed by a board of directors, working in partnership with universities, donors and volunteers. In 2017, the Financial Post once again named us a Top Canadian Charity based on evidence of good governance, financial transparency and clear evidence of impact. In 2021, Loran was honoured to be the first Canadian scholarship provider to receive an Award of Excellence from the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) as the 2021 recipient of the Scholarship Provider of the Year Award (Large Provider).

History

Founded in 1988, the Loran Scholars Foundation was the first national organization in Canada to grant undergraduate awards based on a mix of academic achievement, extracurricular activity and leadership potential.

Our founders responded to what they recognized as a gap in the Canadian system of merit-based financial assistance to university students. Such assistance tended to be directed to two groups － those with exceptionally high academic averages, via university scholarship programs, and those with exceptional abilities as athletes, via national teams programs. Only a small proportion of overall financial aid was directed at those who show promise of the leadership and other talents that will make their communities better places both during and after their university careers.

In the words of our founder Dr. Robert Cluett, at the heart of our work is the belief that “breadth, openness to challenge, and willingness to take risk are many times more important than any quantitative measure of promise.” It is a belief that we still hold quite strongly today.

Before 2007, Loran Awards were known as Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation National Awards. We changed the name to emphasize the long-term impact of our work and the three pillars of character, service and leadership.

Board of Directors

Our board of directors meets quarterly and has three standing committees: executive, audit and investment.

Rhonda Lenton 
President and Vice-Chancellor, York University

Alex Mazer (BMO Loran Scholar ’97)
Founding Partner, Common Wealth

Filip Papich
Managing Director & Co-Head of BMO Capital Markets Québec, BMO Capital Markets

Deepak Ramachandran
Co-Founder & CTO, FundThrough

Susan Scace
President, The Henry White Kinnear Foundation

Dr. Ian Sunderland (Loran Scholar ’98)
Division Chief, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, University of Saskatchewan

Doug Winslow
Vice-President, Portfolio Manager Burgundy Asset Management

Bruce M. Wright
Retired Managing Partner, MLT Aikins LLP

Ex Officio:

Vali Bennett (Secretary)
Vice-President and Corporate Secretary, Avana Capital Corporation

Meghan Moore (W. Garfield Weston Loran Scholar ’98)
Chief Executive Officer, Loran Scholars Foundation

Honorary Council

Rod MacLennan, C.M. 
Owner, Tribune Holdings Ltd.

John H. Phillips
President & CEO, Klister Credit Corp.

Wendy Rebanks
Director, Weston Family Foundation

Susan Scace
President, The Henry White Kinnear Foundation

Past Council:

Purdy Crawford (1931 – 2014)
Former CEO, Imasco Ltd.
Former Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Grant L. Reuber, O.C. (1927 – 2018)
Former COO, Bank of Montreal
Former Chair, Canadian Deposit Insurance
Corporation

Annual Reports & Publications

Staff

For application inquiries, please email info@loranscholar.ca or call 416.646.2120 x100.

Our small staff works with a national network of volunteers, donors and university partners to discover and support Loran Scholars.

Heather Spratt
Vice-President, External Relations
heather.spratt@loranscholar.ca
416.646.2120 x224

Heather co-founded Loran’s Newfoundland selection committee in 1992 and later volunteered in Ottawa. Prior to her current role, she served as Loran’s Director of Programs for more than ten years. Heather has also worked as a guidance counsellor in Ottawa and special education teacher in New York City. She has a BA and BEd from Memorial University as well as an MEd from the University of Sydney as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

Carolyn Bailey
Director of Programs
carolyn.bailey@loranscholar.ca
416.646.2120 x231

Carolyn brings to Loran more than 10 years of experience in the educational and non-profit sectors, both in Canada and in the United States. She is passionate about issues of community development, civic engagement, food security, environmental education, and youth leadership development. She holds an HBA in history from McGill University.

Kimberly Carthy
Manager, Selections
kimberly.carthy@loranscholar.ca
416.646.2120 x 230

Kimberly is an iBA graduate of the Translation Studies program at York University’s Glendon Campus. She brings to Loran years of experience in the continuing education and non-profit sectors. When she is not working, Kimberly enjoys reading or discovering new things to see and do in the city of Toronto.

Heather Holland (Loran Scholar ’98) 
Associate Director, External and Alumni Relations
heather.holland@loranscholar.ca
416.646.2120 x 234

Heather is a social worker (MSW) with extensive experience in project, program, and organizational management. She has worked predominately in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, and child and youth mental health. Prior to joining the Loran team, Heather was the Executive Director for a community organization in Peterborough, Ontario that offered youth justice programs and child and youth mental health programs.

Jessica McKay
Scholar Advisor

As a graduate of Laurentian University’s Sociology and Social Work program, Jessica is dedicated to community development and working with youth. For the past 12 years she worked for a community health agency, most recently as a program manager, where she supported youth – through the development of mentorship programs and workshops – as they transitioned to post-secondary education. Originally from Sudbury, Ontario, Jessica relocated to Toronto after university where she currently resides with her family and two cats.

Roxy Rae
Community Engagement & Communications Officer
roxy.rae@loranscholar.ca
416.646.2120 x233

Roxy has a passion for community building and brings over 10 years of marketing, communications, and donor relations experience from her time within the Community Foundation movement. She is a graduate of the Digital Media and Photography programs from Conestoga College and is pursuing a certificate in Communications and Public Relations from Western University. Hailing from Stratford, ON, she loves theatre, food, and the outdoors.

Tanner Zekonic (Grandey Loran Scholar ’15)
Program & Selections Coordinator
tanner.zekonic@loranscholar.ca
416.646.2120 x240

Tanner most recently worked for McGill University’s Office of Sustainability where he stewarded the million dollar Sustainability Projects Fund which empowers staff and students to create a culture of sustainability on campus. Prior to this, he graduated from McGill with an Honours BA in Economics and the Earth’s Environment. He brings his passion for environmental and social sustainability to the Loran team. Outside of work, he loves to garden and to refurbish vintage electronics.