So I am a bit confused as to how the standard scholarship application works (North America, mainly Canada). When applying to the masters program, most schools ask me if I have applied to any scholarships and to list them. However, when looking to apply to any scholarships, one of the prerequisites for most is to have already been accepted to an academic program.

This is confusing to me, should I apply to scholarships before applying to my masters, should I apply after receiving a positive reply from at least one institution?

I understand that specific scholarships will have their own details, but this is a general question. How do i approach not starving if I get accepted to a masters?