Indigenous students should receive high-quality, culturally responsive education. Indigenous communities know what their students need and have been calling for it for decades. MFI supports educators in their efforts to equip Indigenous students with quality learning opportunities adapted in ways that strengthen pride in their own cultural identity, language, and history.

Educational Well-being

Our Programs

First Nations Principals’ Course
MFI’s First Nations Schools Principals’ Course serves as a much-needed resource, providing professional development aimed at building leadership skills and improving educational outcomes for students.
Model Schools Literacy Project
The Model Schools Literacy Project supports reading and writing achievement for Kindergarten to Grade 3 Indigenous students, ensuring that they have the necessary means to learn and take pride in their cultural identity, language, and history.
Leadership in Teaching and Training
The LITT program focuses on lending a helping hand to school community leaders as they pilot efforts in their schools and communities to establish, enrich, and expand literacy learning.

In today's Canada, no student who wants to succeed should have to leave their identity at the door when they walk into a classroom.

The Right Honourable Paul Martin, Founder of the Martin Family Initiative and the 21st Prime Minister of Canada

MFI’s programs strengthen education across the spectrum of learning: support for parents and young children in their earliest years of life, literacy in First Nations elementary schools, entrepreneurship at the high-school level, and mentorship for students to pursue post-secondary education.

We also provide resources to support Indigenous education more broadly, including a virtual library for educators to explore learning materials and research reports. We helped create a skills-development course for principals, vice-principals, and aspirants working in First Nations schools across Canada.

Want to help strengthen Indigenous education and literacy? Reach out to us for all your inquiries, to start collaborating, or to contribute funding.