Muir Educational Trust Fund
Last update of page: 10 April 2024.
Muir Educational Trust Fund Information Sheet & Application Form
The texts below include the Information Sheet and application form. Alternatively, a copy of the information sheet and application form can be requested from the TD Trust Service Centre (see address below), citing the "Muir Educational Trust Fund" (Account No.: 417767350).
Background
Shortly after their marriage in 1821 in Scotland, Andrew Muir and his wife Jean (née McJerrow) sailed to Halifax. Ten of their sixteen children died from tuberculosis; William Muir (1827-1911) was a survivor. Active in business in Halifax well into his 90s, William Muir prospered in sail-making and chandlery. William Muir was married to Harriet Smith Wisdom and they had seven children.
One of his daughters, Ethel Muir (1856-1940), obtained a Ph.D. of Philosophy from Cornell University in 1896; her thesis was entitled “The Ethical System of Adam Smith”. She was Head of the Philosophy Department of Lake Erie Women's College in Ohio from 1919 to 1933. She was one of the first women to take an active part in the medical missionary work begun by Dr. Wilfred Grenfell in 1892 in Labrador. She spent her summers for 25 years running a school for children in Labrador.
On her death, she dedicated about one third of her sizeable estate to her lifetime goal of promoting education. As she never married, her will directed that the Muir Educational Trust Fund be established for the descendants of her father, William Muir. The will indicated that the Fund was to be administered by three trustees. The original capital was about $35,000 and she stated that only interest from the capital was to be made available for funding students.
Living descendants of William Muir trace their roots to two of his seven children: i) Andrew Muir (1864-1942), who was married to Annie Durfee; and ii) Mary (1867-1920), married to Frank Graham. Further information is available at this website on the Muir and Graham families.
By tradition, one trustee has come from each of the Muir and Graham lineages; the third trustee is the fiduciary company administering the Fund (now TD Wealth, after many name changes since the 1940s). A replacement family trustee must be chosen unanimously by the other two trustees. The current trustees are: Mr. Mark Petch, living in Markdale, Ontario; Mr. Douglas J. Graham, a retired environmental specialist now living in Kelowna, BC; and The Canada Trust Company which acts in its capacity as Corporate Trustee. The Trust Fund Officer currently assigned to this account is Mr. Luigi M. Iannuccilli, Trust Officer. Investment decisions must be endorsed by the three trustees. Past trustees allowed the capital to increase substantially from the original amount willed by Ethel Muir and at one time it reached a capitalization of $250,000.
In the first 25 years of the Fund, about ten students benefited from some $30,000 in funding. Up to about 2000, an additional 25 descendants of William Muir drew down a total of about $100,000. In those years, students could draw up to $4000/year. In the following years, with an ever-increasing number of applicants, disbursements continued to increase and the capital of the fund was decreasing quickly. By the end of 2008, it could be calculated that the fund would be exhausted in another ten years and would have to be closed.
A unanimous decision was made by the three trustees to reduce funding to a level that would allow the METF to continue into the future, and to slowly rebuild its capital. The new funding levels are described below and fully came into effect at the end of 2009. As of 2021, the value of the Fund is about $160,000.
Eligibility Requirements
To ensure fair access to these funds for present and future descendants of William Muir, the three trustees agreed in late 1993 to eligibility guidelines. To a large extent, they formalized criteria that had been in effect in previous years. All the trustees have approved these guidelines, which are subject to future revision.
Persons Eligible for Funding: All descendants of William Muir, by direct lineage or by legal adoption, are eligible to apply for funding. In about 2000 there were 30 living descendants on the Graham side and about 50 on the Muir side. By 2010 these numbers had increased substantially.
Eligible Academic Programmes: Post-secondary programmes are eligible for consideration if they demonstrably further the long-term career goals of the student. Courses related to hobbies or taken for general interest are thus specifically excluded. Normally, funding is limited to students attending recognized colleges or universities.
Funding Available: Expenses that are eligible for funding include tuition fees, costs for text books or obligatory course requirements, and living expenses. A student is eligible to request living expenses, if he or she is studying full-time and is paying his or her accommodation expenses. Under no circumstances will the amount accorded in one year exceed $1,000; usually tuition and book costs will exceed this amount so funding for living expenses is not normally even considered. The maximum available in any given year may be even less depending on the Fund's cash reserves and the number of applicants. All funding decisions require unanimous approval of the three trustees.
Limits per individual: Because of the need to drastically reduce funding outlays to ensure the financial survival of the Fund, lifetime funding per individual is limited to a total of $5,000, equivalent to maximum funding of $1,000/year for five years. All funds received in the past are included in this total so any student who has in the past received at least $5000 in funding is no longer eligible to receive further support.
Achievement Requirements: Students are required to provide evidence of passing grades in order to continue receiving support from the Fund.
Application Procedures
All applications must be forwarded in writing to:
Luigi Mario Iannuccilli, BA, TEP I Trust Officer I TD Wealth Private Trust
TD Bank Tower 66 Wellington St. West, 36th Floor. Toronto, ON M5K 1A2
TEL (416) 982-8769
All applications must be received at least several months before funding is requested. This period is required for the three trustees to consult with each other on the funding decision.
The application must include all the information requested below; failure to do so will result in the application being returned.
Further information: The Trust Service Centre can be contacted for further information on the Fund's administration. The two family trustees would both be very pleased to discuss any financial, academic, or career-related concerns that applicants may have. They can be contacted at the following addresses: Mr. Mark Petch (markdrpetch AT gmail.com Mr. Douglas J. Graham (douglasjgraham AT me.com)
The application form follows. For faster processing, please ensure that all the information requested is supplied. It might be convenient to copy and paste the following into a new document.
Date: Full Name: Birth Date: Address:
Phone (Home): Phone (Work): Mobile No: (if different from above): Email address:
Banking information (no payment will be made without this information): Note: Attach to this form a blank cheque marked "VOID," or complete the banking information area below:
Branch number (5-digit number): Institution number (3-digit number): Account number (12-digit number maximum):
Descendance from William Muir:
Recent academic and employment history (please enclose a copy of the transcript of marks obtained in your last year of study):
Program for which funding is requested, contact information for institution; course and length; commencement date; other relevant information:
Relationship of programme to student's long-term plans:
Costs for which reimbursement is requested:
Declaration: I declare that the information given in this application is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, true and accurate in every respect. I declare further that I have read this Muir Educational Trust Information Sheet and believe that I am eligible to be a recipient of benefits from the Trust.
____________________ (signature of Applicant)
