SDG 1: No Poverty

Advancing research through partnership

Many Queen’s researchers worked in partnership with governments, community groups, and NGOs to confront and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and plan for recovery. Some projects which focused on addressing poverty and employment included a series of white papers from the COVID-19 Working Groups in the School of Policy Studies and a federal basic income plan prepared through the Royal Society of Canada's Task Force on COVID-19.

Supporting community housing

The PhD-Community Initiative brings teams of PhD students from different programs of study to assist local community organizations in addressing a particular issue or challenge of importance to them. In 2021, the initiative pivoted to address key issues of community resilience and economic and social recovery in partnership with the Mayor’s Kingston Economic Recovery Team. Past projects include proposals for community housing, addressing poverty, promoting arts and culture, and supporting equity-deserving communities.

Supporting women of all ages

The Ban Righ Centre assists women of all ages, especially those who are returning to university to continue formal or informal education. The Centre offers supports including student advising, workspaces, napping rooms, free meals, and financial assistance, as well as community-building events and programs.

Increasing access

Our Indigenous Students Admission Pathway offers Indigenous candidates an additional and alternative pathway for admission to the first year of a full-time, first-entry undergraduate degree program, known as the Indigenous Admission Policy. Students are also eligible for a need-based Indigenous Admission Award through the Admission Bursary Application.

We offer a First-Generation Student Admission Pathway to support students who are within the first-generation of their family to pursue post-secondary education. General application support is provided, as well as guidance on navigating student resources, education and career planning, financial assistance, and more.

The Promise Scholars program also aims to reduce financial barriers and increase access to Queen’s for local, first-generation students with financial supports between $60,000 – $100,000 over four years.

Queen’s Commitment Scholars Award celebrates and recognizes demonstrated leadership in, and commitment to, racial justice, social justice, or diversity initiatives by a student in their high school or in their community. The award provides dedicated financial, academic, and career support to help students complete their degree. First-year students are also eligible for the Commitment Bursary which provides support to students who self-identify as a member of an underserved or underrepresented group through the Admission Bursary application.

Ensuring bottom financial quintile student success

Through a range of anti-poverty programs, we seek to support and admit students who fall into the bottom 20% of household income group (or a more tightly defined target) in the country.

Programs include our Admission Bursary, the Queen’s Work Study Program, and Student Academic Success Services.

Giving back to those in our community who are in need

Our annual United Way campaign supports over 53,000 local citizens through the programs funded by United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington. Donations from Queen’s staff, faculty, and retirees raise hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Students offering support

Bags of Promise, co-founded by a Queen’s undergraduate student, works to address the challenges faced by youth in Kingston who may be transitioning or living in precarious housing situations. Their recent bag drive successfully distributed 30 bags of hygiene and non-perishable food products to a local youth shelter. Now consisting of volunteers from Queen’s and the Royal Military College, the organization is focused on increasing awareness, education, and access to services for youth who are struggling with housing in the community.

As a student-athlete organization, the Varsity Leadership Council aims to build relationships within Kingston and Queen’s communities through volunteering and outreach initiatives. In 2021, Queen’s Gaels teams donated over 1,200 items to Martha’s Table to create 60 baskets with enough food and hygiene products to support a family of four each.

Empowering regional innovation

The Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative Program offers local post-secondary students and community members the opportunity to participate in a 16-week incubator program where they receive no-cost training, mentorship, and office space to launch their ventures.

Through our partnership with Ottawa’s startup accelerator L-Spark, Compass North offers a five-month accelerator program for women-led tech-based start-ups in the greater Kingston region as part of the Women Entrepreneurs Can (WE-CAN) program at Queen’s.

Opportunities for international students

Queen’s is committed to supporting students from across the globe in accessing quality education. We are proud of our long-term agreement with the Karta Initiative, which enables talented, low-income youth from rural India to study at Queen’s. Our Queen’s University chapter of World University Service of Canada (WUSC) also sponsors eligible students through the WUSC Student Refugee Program, which combines resettlement of young refugees with opportunities for higher education through a peer-to-peer model. 

The Principal Wallace Freedom of Opportunity Award, established by Alfred and Isabel Bader in recognition of Queen’s 11^th Principal, Robert Charles Wallace, offers financial support for students from developing countries who demonstrate financial need. Preference is given to refugee students.

Partnerships with the Mastercard Foundation support a variety of initiatives that enable students to research and learn at Queen’s. Through a partnership with the University of Gondar, the UoG/ Queen’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars program is designed to provide up to 60 of the Ethiopian university’s students and faculty members the opportunity to pursue graduate training related to disability in Ethiopia and Africa at Queen’s. The Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship provides students and recent graduates from African universities within the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program the opportunity to apply to a free virtual entrepreneurship training program delivered by the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre.

Global impact

The Smith School of Business’ Centre for Social Impact empowers current and future leaders to create a better world by providing them with services and programs that support research, foster education, and promote collaboration across sectors.