Scholarships

Vinequity is excited to open our fourth round of scholarship application. So far we have awarded $70,050. Our first round we awarded $21,150 to ten recipients. In our second round we awarded 27,750 to thirteen recipients. Our third round awarded $21,250 to twelve Canadian BIPOC beverage alcohol professionals.

We believe access to high quality wine education and the support to excel in such programs are vitally important to diversifying the ranks of the wine industry, especially in leadership roles.

We provide scholarships ranging from $250-$5000 to a range of top tier beverage alcohol education programs such as the Court of Master Sommeliers, Niagara College Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management, and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Scholarship applicants are invited to select the monetary amount and educational resources that will best aid them in their career trajectory.

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Scholarship Award Timeline

Applications Open: January 31st

Applications Close: February 28th

Scholarships Awarded:March 31st

Monetary Groupings

Tier 1: $250/$500/$750

Regional Specialist courses
One-time tastings and how-to clinics
Introductory level courses

Tier 2: $1,000/$1,500/$2,000

Certification programs

Tier 3: CAPS Certified Sommelier Program

Donated by CAPS Ontario
Full payment of certification will be awarded.
Program details can be found here.

Tier 4: $3,000/$5,000

1 year (continuous in-session school year), and multi-year education program

Named Scholarship: The Marshall Cheung Family Scholarship $5,000

See the details of this scholarship here

To apply applicants must meet the Scholarship Eligibility Requirements:

At least 19 years of age
Identify as Black, Indigenous or Person of Color
Applicant must specify a specific course, education provider and enrollment date to which they are requesting funding
Completed and signed scholarship application that meets the criteria and includes all required attachments, which must be postmarked or electronically submitted no later than 11:59 PM on the application deadline date (February 28, 2024) to be considered for the scholarship.
Applicants must have a play to use the awarded scholarship within the 2024 calendar year.

More on the Selection Process and Framework can be found here.

Educational Programs

Please see below for a detailed, but not exhaustive, list of educational programs that Vinequity scholarships may be used towards:

WSET
French Wine Scholar
CMS
CAPS
Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute – Brock University
Beverage Alcohol Programs at Canadian Colleges incl, Brock University, Niagara College, Algonquin College, Nova Scotia Community College, University of British Columbia, Okanagan College, Vancouver Island University.

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We believe that education empowers professionals to higher levels of success and visibility within the wine industry.

The Vinequity Scholarship Fund is uniquely positioned to offer access to the full breadth of internationally recognized wine education programs, and centers BIPOC voices throughout the application and scholarship awards process.

Your contributions make a direct positive impact in diversifying our Canadian wine community.