Chief Roy Mussell Bursary
About the Bursary
The Chief Roy Mussell Bursary was established in 2024 to honour the legacy of the Fraser Basin Council’s founding Vice-Chair Chief Roy Mussell (Sx̱elá:wtxw till), his commitment to sustainability, and his passion for supporting Indigenous youth in BC.
Applications for 2025-26 are now closed. A recipient will be announced in January 2026 and applications will open again in fall 2026.
For this 2025/2026 academic year, the Bursary Fund offered a $1000 bursary to support the successful applicant in completion of a course or a studies program that will help them advance sustainability and/or reconciliation through their work, community service, or community engagement projects.
The Fund was created through an initial donation from the Fraser Basin Council and additional individual donations. The Fund is administered by the Fraser Basin Council, with the participation and approval of the Mussell family, and with support from staff of the FBC Youth Program.
Eligibility Requirements
The Chief Roy Mussell Bursary is open to Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, Métis) applicants in British Columbia who are:
- between 17-30 years of age
- in need of financial assistance, and
- enrolled in a post-secondary course or studies program that supports their pursuit of advancing sustainability and/or reconciliation in B.C.
Application Process
Applications intake for the 2025-2026 Bursary is now closed, and the information below is for reference. Thanks to all who applied. Subscribe for bursary updates!
Application Process
You can preview the application questions as a Word document here.
As an applicant, you will be asked to provide the following information in the form:
- Full contact details
- Proof of your current full or part-time enrolment in a post-secondary course or studies program focused on advancing sustainability and/or reconciliation
- A description of how you are working to advance sustainability and/or reconciliation through your studies, work or community project(s) (max 400 words)
- A short statement of how the bursary award would support you in meeting your sustainability and/or reconciliation goals (max 200 words)
- Two signed letters of reference (e.g., instructors, community service leaders) to support your suitability for the bursary. These are to be emailed directly from your references to youth@fraserbasin.ca.
Proof of Indigeneity (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) in the form of copy of your status card or Métis card, your Inuit number, a letter of support from an affiliated Indigenous community, or a statutory declaration regarding your Indigenous roots. Please email Proof of Indigeneity to youth@fraserbasin.ca.
Evaluation Criteria
The Chief Roy Mussell Bursary Committee will evaluate each application based on the following:
- Fulfilment of eligibility requirements
- Applicant’s academic work and/or recent involvement in community project(s) that demonstrate applicant leadership or innovation in sustainability and/or reconciliation, and
- Alignment with Chief Roy Mussell’s values of integrity, responsibility and respectful collaboration
Bursary Committee
The Bursary Committee is composed of:
- one member of the Mussell Family
- FBC Youth Director and
- FBC Youth Program Manager
Application Review and Bursary Award
The Bursary Committee will make its decision on the successful applicant in December 2025, following its review of all applications and based on the evaluation criteria. The decision will be announced in January 2026.
The decision of the Bursary Committee will be final. FBC and the Bursary Committee reserve the right not to make a bursary award in any given year.
Bursary Fund Contributions Invited
Contributions to the Chief Roy Mussell Bursary Fund are invited and gratefully accepted. They support the annual bursary awards and help to increase the bursary amount over time. You can donate via FBC’s Canada Helps donation form: see Support our Work  (choose Chief Roy Mussell Bursary Fund on the Fund drop-down menu.)
Canada Helps is a charitable society that processes electronic donations, securely and confidentially, for thousands of charities Canada-wide — and issues tax receipts on their behalf.
The Fraser Basin Council and the Chief Roy Mussell Bursary Committee warmly thank everyone who contributes to the Chief Roy Mussell Bursary Fund.
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About Sx̱elá:wtxw till – Chief Roy Mussell
Chief Roy Mussell, also known as Sx̱elá:wtxw till, was a founding member of the Fraser Basin Council Society and Vice-Chair of the Council. He was a four-term Chief of Sqwá (Skwah) First Nation and held numerous leadership positions with various organizations, boards, and committees throughout his lifetime. As a highly respected leader in both his community and throughout British Columbia, Roy advocated for sustainability, community-based decision-making, and results-driven planning.Â
Roy was known for his kindness and earned widespread respect for his ability in bringing people together. He firmly believed in working and collaborating with others, and he advocated for different groups to come together to tackle challenges and blaze trails for those who follow. He spearheaded innovative initiatives to bring together leaders from all orders of government to work together for sustainability, while also emphasizing the importance of responsibility and accountability. He left a great legacy, and the results of his work continue to inspire and influence many today.Â
Roy also had a particular passion in supporting Indigenous youth in their education and blazing their own leadership paths. He believed that providing youth with meaningful tasks and challenges will help them to move into the kind of leadership roles he had taken through his own life. He actively encouraged seasoned leaders to help foster the leadership capacity of younger generations by supporting youth to be involved in decision-making and to even initiate their own projects and initiatives.Â
Known to be a pragmatic leader who delivered results, Roy often said, "What gets measured gets done!". In his own words, his work with the Fraser Basin Council was very special and dear to his heart, and he greatly believed in its mission and work in British Columbia.
