The Vimy Foundation Announces 2026 Vimy Inspires Tomorrow Grant Recipients

The Vimy Foundation Announces 2026 Vimy Inspires Tomorrow Grant Recipients

The Vimy Foundation is proud to announce the six youth‑led groups selected to receive the 2026 Vimy Inspires Tomorrow Grants, a program that encourages Canadian youth to explore leadership through history and community impact.

Vimy Inspires Tomorrow is a national history‑based leadership development initiative for young people aged 13–17. The program draws lessons and inspiration from Canada’s First World War experience and helps participants develop and exercise leadership skills that benefit their communities today. Youth submit a project idea that addresses a community need, participate in workshops and activities on leadership and project management, and then submit a full project proposal. Six projects, chosen for their creativity, community impact, and leadership potential, each receive a $2,500 grant to help bring their vision to life.

Crescendo — Ottawa, Ontario

Created by Cédrick Michaud‑Lavoie, Crescendo aims to build a vibrant musical space at École secondaire Pierre‑de‑Blois by making instruments accessible to all students.

“Crescendo aims to create a musical space at École secondaire Pierre‑de‑Blois by making a variety of instruments accessible to everyone. It will foster well‑being, creativity, and an active musical culture through a club, performances, and guitar lessons. The Vimy Inspires Tomorrow grant will help nurture a musical legacy for youth for years to come.”

The project fosters well‑being, creativity, and an active music culture.

Honouring Black Voices — Saint John, New Brunswick

Led by Adaeze Okonkwo, Ibukunoluwa Boluogun, Tolami Ogunyemi, Khalid Saheed‑Kolade, Melody Ovuakporoyecha, and Toluwanimi Akintoye, this initiative creates the first official Black History Month celebration at their school.

“Every year, Black History Month went unrecognized at our school, despite a strong Black student community. Our project creates the school’s first official Black History Month celebration through student‑led events, classroom presentations, cultural displays, and school‑wide activities. The goal is to promote representation, cultural awareness, and lasting inclusivity beyond one month.”

20/20 Mission — Coquitlam, British Columbia

Jonathan Park, James Oh, Christian Wilson, and Ian Hartono are behind 20/20 Mission, which collects unused eyeglasses from schools and local communities, measures their prescriptions, and prepares them for donation to organizations that support people in need.

“20/20 Mission is a student‑led initiative that collects unused eyeglasses from schools and local communities in Coquitlam, BC. The project focuses on measuring lens prescriptions and preparing the glasses for donation to organizations that distribute them to people in need. We will place labelled bins and run collection drives in school and in our neighbourhood. Other students will be invited to learn more about health through workshops and by participating in the sorting and cleaning process.”

A.I.ce Bot — Ottawa, Ontario

Sophie and Emma Kao are the students behind, A.I.ce Bot an automated robot designed to help address the hazards of icy Canadian winters.

“A.I.ce Bot is an automated robot designed to confront icy Canadian winters. Centred around helping seniors stay safe, it effectively reduces fall risks by autonomously spreading salt on slippery driveways with the help of sensors, smart programming, and custom mechanics. This way, our team is able to turn our passion for science and technology into real‑world applications to make winter safe for everyone.”

Le Coin Jeunesse — Brossard, Quebec

This group — including Nabil Riziki, Ali Reza Jaffari, Fatima Jaffari, Rayan Salama Kasonga, Dieu‑Merci Rizwani, Enock Abbas Kika, Mehrangez Alizada, Abdoulaye Abdoulkader, and Aboubacar Abdoulkader — is creating Le Coin Jeunesse, a community room at the Maison Internationale de la Rive‑Sud that youth can call “home.”

“Le Coin Jeunesse is an initiative by young people aged 13 to 17 from Brossard (QC), aiming to create a community room within the Maison Internationale de la Rive‑Sud they can consider their ‘home.’ The goal is to create a safe space where they can both learn and have fun.”

Youths for Hospice — Toronto, Ontario

Responding to the experience of young caregivers across Canada, Aran Davoudpour & Gregory Perri created Youths for Hospice the first youth‑led platform transforming hospice and palliative care education and support for peers.

“Over 1 million Canadian youth become caregivers for family members facing serious illness, yet young caregivers remain largely invisible in our communities. Our innovation, Youths for Hospice, is Canada's first youth-led platform transforming hospice and palliative care education and support for youth, by youth. By normalizing difficult conversations and fostering peer-to-peer connections, we empower youths to become compassionate, informed advocates and supporters in our communities. We plan to expand our online platform, distribute a bilingual educational resource to Canadian residential hospices, and host Canada's first Youth Palliative Care Summit.”

The Vimy Inspires Tomorrow program is made possible thanks to the generosity of donors, including the Government of Canada. Each year, the program highlights the ingenuity, leadership, and commitment of youth who are tackling issues, from cultural inclusion to technology, health, and community safety, with thoughtful, impactful initiatives.

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