General guide on how to apply – Museums Assistance Program

Before You Begin

Please contact the nearest regional office of the Department of Canadian Heritage to speak with a program advisor. They will help you assess if your organization, your project and its expenses are eligible.

The Museums Assistance Program does not provide operational funding. It can only provide support to eligible projects.

A project has a clear start and end date, has defined activities, takes place within a reasonable period of time and demonstrates measurable products and results.

Average funding: Although the Indigenous Heritage and Access to Heritage components can fund up to 70 % of eligible expenses for a maximum amount of $600,000 over three years per project, program funds are very limited. The national average funding in 2024-2025 for all components was approximately 40 % of total eligible costs. Speak to your program advisor for more details.

Part A – Organization Information

• Organization

  If you are applying through the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal, identify the organization that will be applying for funding.

  If you are submitting your application in an alternate format (Word application form), provide the required information about your organization in Part A of the form:

  • Organization name (complete name that appears on incorporation documents, or on foundational legal documents or legislation of larger par organization if applicable), address and phone numbers;
  • Organization website, email address, social media and official language of communication;
  • Representatives: Authorized Representative and Application Contact
  • Legal structure.

• Roles

  “Authorized Representative”: Is an individual with the authority to enter contracts on behalf of the applicant organization; and identified as such in the organization’s official operating policies (e.g., financial policies, by-laws), or in an official motion from the organization’s board or governing body. The funding application is submitted by the Authorized Representative.

  “Application Contact”: Is the person we should contact if we have questions about your application.

  If your organization, Authorized Representative or Application Contact do not appear when you select the magnifying glass next to the required field in the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal, they must be added in the Applicant Profile section.

Part B – General Information

• General information

  Provide general information about your organization and the community or communities that it belongs to. The information you provide is based on self-identification and will be used for statistical and reporting purposes within the program and Department. The information provided will not be used to assess your application and will be kept confidential.

  You can respond yes to more than one question. For example, organizations that belong to an Indigenous community or are Indigenous-led may also self-identify as an ethnocultural and/or racialized community, based on the definition provided in the Glossary.

  Other underserved communities may include: official language minority communities, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, youth, people with disabilities, or other.

  Indicate if your organization is located in a rural or remote area.

• Organization Type

  Select your organization type from the list provided.

• Staff

  Identify the number of full-time and part-time paid staff and volunteers.

  Museums and heritage service organizations must have the equivalent of at least one full-time staff, employed year-round, to be considered eligible for funding.

• Attendance

  If you are a museum or another type of organization that is open to visitors, provide attendance figures.

  This question may not apply to all applicants, such as Indigenous governing bodies and heritage service organizations.

Part C – Project Information

• Other PCH-funded projects

  Indicate if your organization is working on other ongoing projects funded by Canadian Heritage programs.

  If your answer is “yes”, describe how your organization will manage multiple projects, should your application be approved. For example, explain how resources and timelines will be managed to carry out these projects at the same time.

• Project Title

  Indicate the project title.

  The project title should be short (no more than 53 characters) and summarize the project. The title may be used by the Department in public facing materials along with the project description.

• Project Description

  Provide a description of your project.

  The project description should summarize the project and its intended goals, and may include the following information:

  • Who are the key participants (individuals, department or team, partners)?
  • What are the key activities and intended audiences or stakeholders?
  • When will the project be carried out?
  • Where will it take place?
  • Why do you wish to undertake it (objectives and impact)?

  If you are applying under the Access to Heritage component for a travelling exhibition project, include the names of the planned host venues for the circulation phase.

• MAP Objectives

  Select the Museums Assistance Program objective(s) that your project relates to.

  Provide a description of how the objective(s) will be met. Demonstrate the link between your project’s activities/results and the selected Museums Assistance Program’s objective(s).

Part D – Official Languages

Provide information regarding your organization and project regarding the use of official languages.

• Question 1: Indicate if your organization belongs to an Official Language Minority Community

  Official language minority communities (OLMCs) are the Anglophone communities residing in Quebec and the Francophone communities residing outside of Quebec.

• Question 2: Indicate if the project's target audience or the communities involved in the project composed of both English-speaking and French-speaking people

  A ‘’no’’ response means that your project’s audience is internal to your organization, or the project targets members of a specific local community or professional group.

  A ‘’yes’’ response means that your project’s audience is external to your organization and includes the general public.

  General public audiences in Canada can be assumed to have anglophone and francophone members. For this reason, it is expected that any public-facing product be developed in both English and French so that your audience may participate in the official language of their choice. Content, products and activities developed for the general public such as exhibitions, online products, publications, promotional material, etc., must be available in both English and French. Applicants are also encouraged to develop products in other languages relevant to the project.

  Please note: translation costs related to your project are eligible for support under MAP.

• Questions 3 to 6: Provide information on the products, information and promotion that will be provided in both official languages, if applicable

  If you indicate that your project will be developed in one official language only, the Program will assess your application and may inform you that certain measures to communicate in both official languages are required to receive funding.

  For more information about Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) in your area, please visit: Official language minority communities with at least one school in the minority language - Canada.ca

Part E – Community Engagement

Provide information about your project and community engagement.

You are strongly encouraged to provide letters from your community partners, which describe the nature of the partnership and the contribution to the project.

• Question 1:

  Describe how your project will develop partnerships with community members, other institutions, or organizations.

  For the Museums Assistance Program, a partnership implies that the organizations involved agree to combine efforts and resources to achieve a common objective, while keeping their independence. Both/all organizations contribute directly to the accomplishment of the project and benefit from its results.

  For non-Indigenous organizations applying to the Indigenous Heritage component: identify the Indigenous partner that you will be working with, and describe the nature of your partnership.

• Questions 2, 3, and 4:

  If you confirm that Indigenous, ethnocultural and/or racialized, or other underserved communities are among the project’s intended audiences, describe how you will reach these audiences in question 1 and include relevant information in Part G - Project Detail.

• Question 5:

  Indicate if your community partners and/or target audience are located in rural or remote areas.

Part F – Project Planning

• Space requirements

  Leave these spaces blank if they do not apply to your project.

  Questions apply to Access to Heritage projects and Indigenous Heritage projects involving the development, production and/or circulation of an exhibition:

  1. Identify the planned dimensions of your travelling exhibition in square metres or square feet.
  2. If the required space for the exhibition exceeds 186 square metres/2000 square feet, describe how the potential for circulation has been considered. For example, how could venues with smaller spaces be accommodated should they wish to host the exhibition?

• Project start and end dates

  The project start date and project end date should be the same as in the detailed timeline.

  The federal fiscal year is from April 1 to March 31. The program can only consider expenses beginning next April 1. Activities carried out before this date cannot be supported by the Program.

• Total cost of project and Total funding amount requested

  Please ensure that the amounts indicated in this section match the amounts entered in the project budget form (Part I).

Part G – Project Detail

• Project Relevance

  Explain the relevance of the project for your organization. Explain how the project will help your organization fulfill its mandate and, if applicable, how it relates to your strategic/business plan.

  Describe the project’s intended audience(s). The project may be intended for an internal audience (i.e. staff, members, etc.) or an audience external to your organization. If your audience(s) include more than one group or community, provide examples.

  If you confirmed that Indigenous, ethnocultural, racialized, or other underserved communities are among the project’s target audience in Part E - Community Engagement, describe them here.

  If your project is intended for external audiences, Official Language requirements will apply (see Part D - Official Languages).

• Management and Resources

  Provide a description of all human and material resources required to carry out your project. Include partnerships described in Part E - Community Engagement.

  For each participant, including staff, outside consultant(s), volunteers, or other unpaid participants, explain:

  • Their role
  • Their tasks
  • Their relevant qualifications

  “Consultants” may also include Elders, Knowledge Keepers, cultural practitioners, or other experts or partners required to carry out your project.

  If project staff or consultants have not been identified yet, provide the information listed above and describe how you plan to recruit and select them.

  If part of your project includes mentorship, describe the mentorship program and its benefits to the project, the organization, the mentee, and mentor.

  Please ensure that costs for staff, consultants and material resources are both described in this question and identified in the project budget.

  You are strongly encouraged to provide and attach to your application the following, if applicable:

  • confirmation letters
  • quotes, agreements and/or terms of reference for proposals consultants, partners, etc.
  • documentation of recently incurred expenses used to estimate project costs.

Part H – Document Preparation

• Detailed Timeline

  Complete and attach a detailed timeline of your project. A timeline template is available, please contact your regional office.

  This timeline must include:

  • Project activities
  • Milestones
  • Planned risk management measures
  • Key participants

  List the activities and tasks for each stage of your project, with the estimated start and end date. Present them in order and be realistic about the estimated time required.

  If applicable, include the activities you plan to undertake with partners and to reach target audiences.

  For applications under the Access to Heritage component, include names of the planned host venues for the circulation phase of the project (at least one venue external to your organization is required). Letters of interest with corresponding dates from the identified host venues must be attached to the application.

  Identify the key participants for each activity (“who does what”).

  Identify how you will manage risks associated to the activities included in your timeline. Examples of risks may include: shortage of staff; difficulty in recruiting appropriate experts; reduced contribution from an expected funding source; unexpected rise in cost of materials; unexpected response from target audiences; partners or host venues no longer able to participate; etc. It is not necessary to address the project being declined for funding by the Museums Assistance Program as a risk factor.

  If you have any comments or explanations regarding your detailed timeline, include them in the provided field. It is not necessary to duplicate the information contained in your timeline or provide a narrative description in this field.

• Expected Results and Evaluation

  Complete and attach a detailed evaluation strategy for your project. An evaluation strategy template is available, contact your regional office.

  Expected results should be directly tied and relevant to your project’s objectives and activities.

  Results should be measurable, and the methods and tools used to collect should be appropriate to measure the identified outcomes. Both qualitative (opinions, behaviours, attitudes) and quantitative (numbers, percentages, ratios) performance indicators are recommended.

  A complete project evaluation strategy typically includes:

  • All expected products (outputs) of the project.
  • The expected short-term results (outcomes) of the project.
  • The expected long-term results (outcomes) of the project.
  • The performance indicators (qualitative and quantitative), for measuring the success of your project.
  • The methods and tools to gather data to assess outputs and outcomes.
  • The expected attendance (if applicable)

  If you have any comments or explanations regarding your detailed evaluation strategy, you may include them in the provided field. It is not necessary to duplicate the information contained in your evaluation strategy or provide a narrative description in this field.

Part I – Project Budget

• Project Budget

  Download and fill out the budget form.

  Total expenses and revenues must balance for each fiscal year (April 1 to March 31) covered by the project. All pages of the budget form must be completed.

  If you enter in-kind expenses (donated goods and services), please make sure that the same costs are entered on the revenue page.

  In-kind contributions are not reimbursable as no monies change hands. Paid staff and use of your organization’s own resources and facilities are not considered to be in-kind contributions. They may be entered as cash expenses to your organization if the costs are directly related to the project.

  Costs should be based on reasonable estimates – if you have any quotes, pricing or estimates to support your budget, attach them to your application.

  Regular operating costs, such as a percentage of utility or rent costs, are not eligible for funding.

  Details to look out for:

  • Staff, consultants, activities (including travel) and associated material resources as described in the Management and Resources section (Part G) and/or your detailed timeline should be reflected in the budget;
  • Permanent Staff and Contract Staff: specify by job title or duty, and indicate how the amounts were calculated (ex: Director – 5% of $65,000 for 5 months OR Consultant – $45/hour for 30 hours)
  • Travel must not exceed the rates permitted for travel on government business;
  • If your organization is exempt from taxes, do not include them in your budget costs, and inform the Program in the explanatory notes;
  • In-kind contributions from your funding partners, including staff time they have allocated to the project, should be detailed in the “in-kind” revenues and expenditures.
  • Make sure the amounts requested from MAP are within the funding limits for that component.

Part J – Organizational Capacity

• Financial Stability

  Provide your completed and approved financial statements of operations for the last two years, signed by two members of the Board of Directors (or equivalent). Audited financial statements are preferred, if available.

  Organizations belonging to a municipality, an Indigenous governing body, a university, or another type of parent organization: Please submit the financial statements for your organization or museum for the last two years, signed by the Chief Financial Officer (or equivalent). If these are available, you are not required to submit the audited financial statements of the parent organization in addition to them.

  Outline any significant changes in your organizations’ financial situation since the last financial statement, if applicable.

  Applicants requesting a higher percentage of costs than the Program’s normal reimbursement rate: Explain why your organization is unable to access matching funds either from internal budgets or from other funding sources.

• Governance Structure

  Provide a general overview of your organization’s structure. Describe the composition of your board, oversight and reporting relationships between board members and staff, the roles and responsibilities of your organization’s departments or services, as well as the key governance and operational policies (i.e. human resources, financial management, health and safety, etc.)

  Applicants belonging to another level of government, Indigenous community, or other type of parent organization: Explain your relationship to the larger organization. Details regarding the parent organization (governance structure, staff, committees, and operational policies) are not required. Instead, describe these elements as they pertain to heritage activities within your direct structure, as applicable.

• Mandate Implementation

  Provide an overview of the activities and services relating to your heritage/museological mandate. Describe your involvement in the heritage sector and within your community, including audiences and partners.

  If you are an Indigenous governing body or similar “non-museum” applicant, reflect on this question with respect to the heritage activities you undertake in your community and/or in partnership with the wider museum or heritage sector.

  This question pertains to your organization and its overall activities. It is not project specific as in “Part E - Community Engagement” described above.

Attachments and Declaration

• Supporting Documents (required)

  Attach all required documents to your application. These include:

  • Comprehensive project timeline
  • Detailed project evaluation strategy
  • Project budget
  • Financial statements of operations for the past two years

  For museums, you must also include:

  • Three to five-year strategic/business plan
  • Copies of institutional policies related to key museum/heritage functions

• Additional Documents (if applicable)

  Attach all applicable additional documents. These may vary depending on the type of project:

  • Activity and financial reports on previous phase of same project
  • Confirmation of funding from other sources
  • Letters of intent, support or confirmation
  • Proposals, agreements and/or terms of reference for contractors, consultants, partners, etc.
  • For exhibitions: loan agreements and/or list of content
  • Supplementary supporting documents

  Although not required, you may include other documents relevant to your organization or project, such as your latest annual report. Non-museum applicants may also include policies related to collections, public programs, etc., if available.

• Declaration and Attestation

  The Declaration must be completed by your organization’s Authorized Representative (see “Roles” in Part A).

Submitting your Application

• Steps

  Through the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal: the application must be submitted no later than 5pm Eastern Time on the application deadline date.

  When you click “Submit”, you will no longer be able to edit your application. You will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt at the email address provided in your application form.

  By email (Word version of the application form): the application must be submitted no later the 11:59 local time on the application deadline date.

  You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt from a Program representative within 2 weeks of the date the application was received.