The First Nations Cancer Scholarship Program is funded by the Australian Government through Cancer Australia. Established by the Aurora Education Foundation (Aurora) and Cancer Australia. The First Nations Cancer Scholarship (scholarship) will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduate students, health professionals, and early-career researchers (ECRs) to undertake full-time postgraduate study (graduate certificate, masters or a PhD) or research in a cancer-related field. The purpose of the scholarship is to support scholars in building the skills and knowledge required to inform strategies to improve cancer outcomes for Indigenous communities and increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in cancer-related fields.

The scholarship provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander graduate students, ECRs and professionals access to funds to support their full-time studies or research at recognised universities or institutes in Australia, the US or UK.

Up to four scholarships will be awarded yearly from 2024 to 2026.

Administered by Aurora, each scholarship is valued at up to $120,000 AUD per year, for up to three years. Recipients will also have access to up to $5,000 AUD per year in tailored academic and wellbeing support. In addition, Aurora will facilitate community and network-building opportunities for individuals and the scholarship cohort.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must:

• Be of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent;
• Identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and be accepted as such by the community in which they live or have lived;
• Provide written confirmation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identity from an incorporated Indigenous organisation or Land Council;
• Provide written confirmation of enrolment in a postgraduate course (graduate certificate, masters or PhD) at a recognised university in Australia, the US or UK OR provide written confirmation from a recognised research institute;
• Must be undertaking full-time graduate study or research in a cancer- related field in health, research and policy. A list of applicable fields is provided in Appendix A. 
• Provide a budget outlining how the scholarship funds will be used. The budget must also outline all additional funding and income1 ;
• Be able to demonstrate how the graduate study or research will impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in improving cancer-related outcomes;
• Be able to demonstrate an aspiration towards employment or continued employment in a cancer-related field.

How to apply

For further information and how to apply, please refer to the Aurora Foundation website.