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  • History of Horatio Alger Association

About Us

History of Horatio Alger Association

The Horatio Alger Association of Canada was founded in 2009 to inspire individual Canadians to reach their highest potential, thereby strengthening Canadian society as a whole. The Association was created to recognize men and women of outstanding achievement and to educate young Canadians about the limitless opportunities that exist through the free market system.

The Horatio Alger Association bears the name of renowned author Horatio Alger, Jr., whose tales of overcoming adversity through unyielding perseverance and basic moral principles captivated the public in the late 19th century.

The Horatio Alger Association of Canada is the Canadian affiliate of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. The American Association was created in 1947 with the goal of reigniting hope among younger generations and educating people about the economic and personal opportunities afforded them by the free-enterprise system.

In 2012, Horatio Alger Members founded the Association’s first Canadian scholarship program for students in Ontario. The following year, a new scholarship program was established in Quebec in honour of former Prime Minister and Association Member, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney. In 2014, the Association expanded its scholarship reach to Alberta and British Columbia with two new scholarship programs in honour of Horatio Alger Member, Jim Pattison.

Thanks to the generosity of Horatio Alger Members, a $10 million endowment was created to enable the Association to expand its scholarship support nationally. Since 2015, scholarships of up to $10,000 are available to students from all Canadian provinces and territories through the Horatio Alger Canadian Scholarship Program.

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