TORONTO, Sept. 28, 2020 /CNW/ - As part of its commitment to supporting economic inclusion for every future, Scotiabank today announced a $600,000 donation to Indspire – Canada's largest Indigenous-led and Indigenous-focused charity – in support of First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth in Canada.

Scotiabank's donation will focus on financial and culturally relevant teaching, and access to networking, coaching and mentoring, in order to increase economic sustainability and prosperity, and ensure a smooth transition into post-secondary education and the work force. 

"Indspire is known for having a profound and positive impact on the lives of Canada's future leaders," said Brian Porter, President and CEO, Scotiabank. "Our commitment to Indspire will help to further their life-changing initiatives within Indigenous education, art, culture, business, health, law and public service, while ensuring scholarships and bursaries are available to support Canada's Indigenous youth in achieving their future goals."

Scotiabank has been a supporter of Indspire and its initiatives since 1996. Indspire invests in the education of Indigenous people so they can achieve their highest potential and provides incentive through various awards and programs. The organization also strives to educate leaders, organizations and individuals about the importance of Indigenous students staying in school, succeeding and fulfilling their dreams.

"This new investment is a significant step in supporting First Nations, Inuit and Métis students to achieve their potential through education and training so they can in turn enrich their communities and create positive change in Canada," said Roberta Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire. "We are grateful for the support of Scotiabank for investing in Indigenous achievement and education."

Scotiabank has a long legacy of supporting Indigenous communities, holding the distinction of being the first chartered bank in Canada to open a branch in an Indigenous community. Scotiabank holds a gold level rating for Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business – the highest rating to recognize companies with demonstrated programs and policies that support Indigenous communities and businesses – and recently implemented mandatory Indigenous cultural competency training for its employees.

To further demonstrate its support of Indigenous communities, Scotiabank has created several Downie-Wenjack Legacy Spaces to recognize and promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

For more information on Scotiabank's vision and initiatives concerning diversity and inclusion, visit:
https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/about/our-company/diversity-and-inclusion.html 

About Indspire
Indspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. With the support of its funding partners, Indspire provides financial awards, delivers programs and shares resources so that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students will achieve their highest potential. Anchored by its mission and mandate, Indspire's North Star vision is that, within a generation, every Indigenous student will graduate. In 2019-2020, Indspire provided over $17.8 million through 5,124 bursaries and scholarships to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students across Canada. For more information, visit indspire.ca.

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of over 90,000 employees and assets of approximately $1.2 trillion (as at July 31, 2020), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: BNS) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit http://www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

SOURCE Scotiabank