Vancouver developer donates $50M to BC students on his 50th birthday

A local real estate developer has announced a serious financial commitment to support students around British Columbia.

To celebrate his 50^th birthday, Ryan Beedie – President of industrial and residential property development company, Beedie – has committed $50 million for scholarships for local students.

The commitment comes in the form of Beedie Luminaries — a social-profit enterprise “designed to help remove barriers to higher education for resilient students who face financial adversity.”

For Beedie, who was born and raised in Burnaby, this is his largest philanthropic endeavour to date. The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University alumni has donated more than $35 million to other local organizations in previous years, such as the Ronald McDonald House, the BC Children’s Hospital, the Beedie School of Business, and the Vancouver Police Foundation, to name a few.

Fifty students across the Lower Mainland will receive grants for the program’s inaugural year, although there are plans to expand and support close to 100 students in the following years.

The scholarship will pay a student $40,000 across a four-year undergraduate degree or $15,000 across a two-year college or trade-school diploma, as well as offer paid internship opportunities during the summer.

Students can apply for Beedie Luminaries from now until February 15, 2019, with the first cohort announced in May 2019.

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