Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage - Community Historical Anniversaries Programming

• Grants are generally awarded for projects requesting up to $50,000 in funding.
• Projects requesting $50,000 or more may be funded as contributions rather than grants.
• The maximum possible funding from the program is $200,000 per project.
• Total government assistance, including this program and all other sources, cannot exceed 100% of eligible expenses.

• The applicant must be a local, incorporated non-profit organization, unincorporated group, or an Aboriginal government or equivalent authority (such as Band Councils or Tribal Councils).
• The applicant must engage Canadians in their community through activities expressing, celebrating, or preserving local arts and/or historical heritage.
• The project must be a non-recurring event or series of activities commemorating the 100th or greater anniversary (in multiples of 25 years) of a locally significant historical event or personality.
• The project must be open to the general public and actively involve local community members.
• The application must include written confirmation of support (financial or in-kind) from the municipal government or equivalent authority.

Who is eligible?

• Local, incorporated, non-profit organizations
• Unincorporated groups
• Band Councils, Tribal Councils, and other Aboriginal (First Nation, Inuit and Métis) governments and equivalent authorities

Who is not eligible

• For-profit organizations of any kind.
• Individuals not associated with a group or organization.
• Governments and public authorities, except Band Councils and other Aboriginal organizations.
• Public institutions such as schools, universities, school boards, and public libraries.

Eligible expenses

• Recruitment, training, and support costs for local volunteers, including child care, food, and non-alcoholic beverages for volunteers.
• Performance fees and expenses for local artists, artisans, and performers for heritage activities.
• Exhibition fees and expenses for local artists and artisans, as well as expenses related to local exhibitions.
• Travel, accommodation, and meal expenses connected to the participation of historically significant local persons or their descendants, within reasonable limits and government guidelines.
• Publicity and translation costs aimed at attracting the local population.
• Production expenses, including equipment rental.
• Hall rental and venue preparation costs.
• Cost of a financial audit if the funding provided is $50,000 or more.

Eligible geographic areas

• All regions across Canada

• Local significance of the historical event or person being commemorated.
• Potential to increase community exposure to local historical heritage.
• Degree of involvement of volunteers and community members in project planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Level of support (financial or in-kind) from municipal government or equivalent authority.
• Reasonableness and justification of the project budget.

• Funding recipients must submit a final activity report upon project completion, with a template provided by Canadian Heritage.
• For contributions of $50,000 or more, an audited financial statement of the project is required at the end.
• Incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible for consideration.
• All applicants must disclose confirmed and potential sources of funding for the proposed project.