Cree-designed Roughriders logo proceeds go toward $60K in awards for Indigenous students

Proceeds from Saskatchewan Roughriders Indigenous logo merchandise are funding a combined $60,000 in awards for Indigenous students entering their first year at First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv).

On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club, the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation (SRF) and FNUniv announced the one-time funding news at the university's campus in Regina.

The logo was designed by Chris Chipak of Red Pheasant Cree Nation. The Roughriders commissioned the art as part of the team's stated commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

Roughriders president and CEO Craig Reynolds said the award money comes from 2024 sales of merchandise featuring the Indigenous logo in green. He said proceeds from 2025 are still being processed.

Merchandise with a colourized version of the logo "flew off the shelves," he said.

"Response to that was fabulous and fantastic and significant. And so, you know, once we get that all finalized, I think you'll probably see some other announcements of a similar nature," Reynolds said, hinting at more student funding down the line.

A $40,000 'Away from Home' bursary supports Indigenous students who must relocate from their home communities to attend FNUniv. And a $20,000 SRF Scholarship has been created to reward academic excellence among new Indigenous students.

Reynolds said the 'Away From Home' bursary is important because separation from home and family can be daunting.

"I can totally appreciate how scary that can be. And it's a potential barrier as well, because the cost of going to university from outside of a city, you know, is often more," he said.

The 'Away from Home” bursary is needs-based, according to FNUniv, and valued at $2,500 per award. Eight awards are to be given in the fall 2026 term, and eight in the 2026-27 term.

The university said the SRF Scholarship is based on academics, and valued at $2,500 per award. Four awards are to be given in the fall 2026 term, and four in the 2026-27 term.

Breanna Desnomie, a fourth-year Indigenous social work student at FNUniv, said the scholarship and bursary will relieve financial stressors so incoming students can better focus on their studies.

She said the 'Away From Home' bursary also expands access for young Indigenous people.

"It really helps our northern communities and our ones that are really rural on the on-reserve communities [be] able to leave their communities and leave their supports and come into school and start breaking those cycles and getting their education that's needed to better our generations to come," Desnomie said.

The cost of childcare, and expenses associated with vehicles, like insurance, are often barriers to Indigenous people getting into post-secondary education.

"There's lots of stuff that adds up while you're in studies that could make us miss a deadline because we're focused more on our life at the moment rather than our studies," she said.

FNUniv president Jacqueline Ottmann said the financial support from the Roughriders and the foundation helps ease students' transition, "and reinforces that our students are valued and supported as they begin their academic journeys.”

Reynolds thanked Riders fans for flocking in to buy the Indigenous logo merchandise.

"From the moment you saw that, you're like, this is absolutely stunning. It's beautiful. And our fans felt the same. "