$10M gift to Banff Centre one of the largest ever received

The SuncorEnergy Foundation has donated $10 million to the Banff Centre, one of the largest gifts in the facility's history.

The money, doled out over five years, will go toward Indigenous leadership programs and social impact and social innovation courses. It will help pay for faculty, program design and scholarships for those from "remote and under-served communities," according to a news release.

Those scholarships will be open to Indigenous leaders as well as non-profit and "socially minded entrepreneurs."

"This transformational gift from the Suncor Energy Foundation will empower the next generation of leaders to move communities forward, and help them navigate a wide spectrum of social, economic, and environmental conditions that are becoming more complex in today's society," Banff Centre president and CEO Janice Price said in the release.

The funded programs are offered through the centre's Peter LougheedLeadership Initiative, founded in 2014.

"Strong leaders who can navigate complexity are essential for building resilient communities that can adapt and thrive through change. Banff Centre has a proven track record of world class programming that inspires bold leadership," Eric Axford, chair of the Suncor Energy Foundation board, said in the release.