United Way provided support for 201 post-secondary students on Vancouver Island in 2025/26 through its Youth Futures Education Fund last year and it is investing in its largest disbursement yet next year.
The organization is investing $800,000 into the fund and it says it will help ensure former youth in care can access support quickly and maintain stability to pursue education.
The program helps with urgent needs including rent, groceries, transportation and technology for eligible students.
“When I left home at 16, I had five dollars and no plan. The Youth Futures Education Fund gave me the safety net I needed to stay in school during hard times and believe in a future that once felt out of reach,” says Emory Woods, Vancouver Island University student and YFEF recipient. “I went from being a high school dropout to a Dean’s List student. The Youth Futures Education Fund, paired with the Tuition Waiver Program, changed the course of my life.”
United Way says more people than ever are enrolled in the provincial Tuition Waiver Program. There are currently 1,962 students enrolled, a 28 per cent increase over 2025.
“Removing tuition costs is an important first step, but it doesn’t eliminate the financial barriers students face. Young people who’ve been in foster care without a family safety net to fall back on can have their futures derailed when an unexpected expense, emergency or rising costs put their education at risk,” says Trisha Dulku, strategic initiatives manager at United Way BC. “This record-breaking investment is about helping students not only access post-secondary education, but stay enrolled, succeed and build the futures they deserve.”
Province-wide, the Fund supported 727 students with $714,254 in 2025/26.
