Museums Assistance Program

Table of art, prints, and frames

The Government of Canada announced a series of new measures to promote Canadian history.

This includes the Museums Assistance Program that will, beginning November 1, 2013, eliminate the requirement that travelling history exhibits must circulate beyond their province or territory of origin.

Also beginning April 1, 2014, the program will support museums, including small museums, in borrowing artefacts from the national collection of the future Canadian Museum of History. A total amount of up to $1 million per year will be available for history-related projects.

To find out more about this modification, please contact us.

Find out more on what the Government of Canada is doing to make history more accessible to Canadians.

The Museums Assistance Program (MAP) supports heritage institutions and workers in the preservation and presentation of heritage collections. MAP provides financial assistance to Canadian museums and related institutions for activities that:

  • facilitate Canadians’ access to our heritage;
  • foster the preservation of Canada’s cultural heritage, including the preservation of representative collections of Aboriginal cultural heritage; and
  • foster professional knowledge, skills and practices related to key museum functions.

2014-2015 - Application Deadlines

Access to Heritage: November 1, 2013
Exhibition Circulation Fund: Applications accepted year-round
Aboriginal Heritage: November 1, 2013
Collections Management:  November 1, 2013
Canada-France Agreement: To be confirmed

Components

MAP funding is available for five broad categories of projects:

Access to Heritage: for the development and circulation of travelling exhibitions;

Exhibition Circulation Fund: for the hosting of travelling exhibitions;

Aboriginal Heritage: for projects related to the preservation, management and presentation of Aboriginal cultural heritage;

Collections Management: for projects to improve knowledge, skills and practices related to key museum functions;

Canada-France Agreement: for joint missions between French and Canadian heritage organizations to create ties and enhance competencies of museum professionals, including partnerships for exhibition development and sharing of specialized expertise in the area of museology. Particular emphasis is placed on applications in which the objectives also further the development of official language minority communities.

Eligible Applicants and Projects

Please refer to the 2014-2015 Museums Assistance Program Guidelines as well as component pages.

Program Funding Priorities

  • History projects related to 2017 anniversary milestones
  • Development and circulation of exhibitions about key events or figures in Canadian history
  • Borrowing artefact(s) from the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation for exhibition purposes

Application Process

Project proposals are reviewed competitively once each year. Completed application forms must be sent no later than the application deadline date. Hard copies sent by mail or courier, or hand-delivered, must be postmarked by the deadline date. If the application is sent electronically, the embedded sent date must be no later than 11:59 p.m. local time on the deadline date.

To obtain application forms, contact the nearest regional office. National organizations should contact the national office. It is also highly recommended that you consult your regional program officer to discuss your project prior to submission.

Funding History

To review recently funded projects under the MAP, please consult the following lists.

Note that project descriptions are listed in the language in which they were provided.

Service Standards

Canadian Heritage has set service standards for the timely delivery of the acknowledgement of receipt, funding decision and payment processes. Service Standards for each funding component are available from the individual component pages.