$1 Million Mastercard Foundation Contribution to Support Student Needs during COVID-19 Pandemic

April 22, 2020, Toronto, Canada – Under a new partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is the proud recipient of a $1 million contribution from the Foundation’s COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program. The funds will be used to address critical needs of Inuit students across Canada.

Inuit students experience ongoing gaps in internet infrastructure, access to technology in the home, and availability of learning resources to support learning outside of the school system. COVID-19 adds an additional level of anxiety and mental health strain for students.

To date, all jurisdictions in Canada have closed K-12 classrooms, and post-secondary institutions have moved to online learning. Jurisdictions, institutions and organizations across Canada have varying levels of supports available to students.

The $1 million donation from the Mastercard Foundation will be used to address student needs in four primary areas:

• Connectivity barriers (i.e. home internet, laptops and online learning tools)
• Emergency funds for students in transition (i.e. tools to help graduating students qualify for postsecondary programs)
• Expanding online supports (i.e. tutoring, mental health services)
• Monitoring the evolving impacts of COVID-19 on Inuit communities and students and identifying initiatives to repair and revitalize Inuit education systems

The ITK Board of Directors agreed on April 20, 2020 to allocate funds as follows:

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation: $130,000
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated: $501,000
Makivik Corporation: $250,000
Nunatsiavut Government: $119,000

Land claim organizations are responsible for their own beneficiaries inside and outside their respective settlement areas.

“During this unprecedented time, we have all been called upon in one way or another to identify what we can do to address ongoing needs in our society. I am grateful to the Mastercard Foundation for answering that call, supporting continued learning among our youth and laying the foundation for success among Inuit students in Inuit Nunangat and across Canada.”

– Natan Obed, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

“This crisis is teaching us how interdependent we are as well as how powerful collective action can be. As individuals, each of us can do our part to slow down the virus. This, too, is an expression of solidarity. Collectively, we can be a counterforce to the economic effects of COVID-19. We can rebuild in ways that make our world stronger, fairer, and safer for all of us.”

– Reeta Roy, President and CEO, Mastercard Foundation