Skate Canada is proud to announce the first recipients of the Skate Global Foundation grant, which was launched in 2024 to support Canada’s Indigenous, Black, and racially marginalized athletes. The funding will help three Canadian figure skaters overcome financial barriers within the sport and assist the athletes in reaching their full potential. Each grant recipient will receive $3,000 to be used for any expenses related to figure skating training and/or competitions.

Through the Skate Global Foundation, founders Elladj Baldé and Michelle Dawley aim to break down barriers in figure skating and increase diverse representation at the highest levels of the sport.

“If it hadn’t been for my coaches helping me with expenses for most of my career, I would not have had the opportunity to achieve what I did in the sport. That is why alleviating the financial burden of figure skating is crucial in creating more representation,” said co-founder Elladj Baldé.

The 2025 Skate Global Foundation grant recipients are:

Ian Boudreault, a Hispanic pre-novice men’s skater from Montreal, Quebec. Boudreault made his national debut this season at the 2025 Skate Canada Trophy, a competition for Canada’s up-and-coming skaters.

Nathan Lickers, an Indigenous senior ice dancer from the Six Nations Territories of the Grand River, ON. Together with his partner Lily Hensen, Lickers claimed the gold medal at the 2024-2025 Skate Canada Challenge and earned a fifth-place finish at the 2025 Canadian National Skating Championships.

Kieran Thrasher, a Black junior pairs skater from Amherstburg, Ontario and member of Skate Canada’s NextGen Team. Alongside his partner Jazmine Desrochers, Thrasher took home three medals from the Junior Grand Prix Series this season, including the bronze medal at the 2024 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.

Skate Canada recognizes that diversity builds better sport. In partnering with Skate Global Foundation, Skate Canada is reinforcing its dedication to create an equitable skating system where everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their dreams.

“The Skate Global Foundation grant helps remove financial barriers for promising Indigenous, Black, and racially marginalized Canadian figure skaters, enabling them to access the tools and training to level up in their sport,” said Debra Armstrong, CEO of Skate Canada. “Skating for Everyone is a foundational pillar of our Strategic Plan, and this grant will help reinforce that all athletes, regardless of race or ethnicity, have the opportunity and ability to reach the highest level of figure skating.”

For more information about the Skate Global Foundation, including updates on the next grant application period, please visit skateglobalfoundation.com.