Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects

Q: How much funding can be received?

Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects Funds up to 250000% of admissible expenses.

Q: What is the deadline to apply?

The deadline to apply is 2025-12-01T17:00:00Z.

Q: Is the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects a grant, loan, or tax credit?

Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects is a Grant and Funding

Q: Who are the financial supporters of the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects?

Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects is funded by Digital Museums Canada (DMC)

Q: Who is eligible for the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects program?

To be eligible for the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects program, you must: • For-profit businesses are not eligible. • Only museums, heritage, cultural, or Indigenous organizations with not-for-profit, charitable, or public legal status may apply.

Q: Who can I contact for more information about the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects?

You can contact Digital Museums Canada (DMC) by email at proposals@digitalmuseums.ca.

Q: Where is the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects available?

The Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects program is available across Canada.

Q: Are Indigenous Peoples eligible for the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects program?

Yes, Indigenous Peoples are eligible to apply for the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects program.

Q: Are Black Canadians eligible for the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects program?

Yes, Black Canadians are eligible to apply for the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects program.

Last Update: August 1, 2025

Canada

Funding for Canadian museums to develop accessible digital storytelling projects

At a glance

Eligible Funding

Max. $250,000

Timeline

Open Date : June 15, 2025
Closing date : December 1, 2025

Financing Type

Grant and Funding

Eligible Industries

Information and cultural industries
Educational services
Arts, entertainment and recreation

Funds Providers

Unspecified

Program status

Open

Overview

The Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects stream provides up to $250,000 in funding to support Canadian museums, heritage, cultural, and Indigenous organizations in developing accessible and engaging online projects from the ground up. Eligible activities include creating virtual exhibitions, immersive experiences, online tours, web applications, educational resources, and other innovative digital products.

Financing terms and conditions

Investment of up to $250,000 CAD per project, determined by the scope of the proposed project.
Funds are released in phases, contingent on review and approval of deliverables at each stage.
Only one project may be funded per applicant at a time.

Activities funded

Creation of virtual exhibitions or immersive online experiences.
Development of virtual tours of heritage sites accessible through a web browser.
Production of online educational resources related to heritage, culture, or Indigenous themes.
Design of online games or progressive web applications with a storytelling focus.
Launch of new, narrative-driven digital projects that provide unique, curated content to targeted audiences.

Examples of admissible projects:

$ 180,000

Producing bilingual online storytelling games about urban Indigenous culture

$ 205,000

Building a digital resource centre on local natural history collections

$ 190,000

Developing an immersive digital tour of community railways history

$ 185,000

Creating a web application for virtual art gallery experiences

$ 150,000

Design and launch of a virtual walking tour of historic districts

$ 185,000

Developing an accessible online education hub about Acadian heritage

Eligibility

The applicant must be a museum, heritage, cultural, or Indigenous organization established and operating in Canada, with a physical establishment, site, or public programming (including online).
The applicant organization must have been in existence for at least one year with its current legal status at the time of application.
The applicant must be a registered charity, a federally or provincially incorporated not-for-profit, an Indigenous nation/group/organization operating similarly to a not-for-profit and supporting Indigenous heritage and culture, or a municipal, provincial, band heritage, or university-affiliated organization.
The proposed project must be a distinct, accessible online product developed from the ground up (not a replica of existing onsite or online products), and must be accessible at no cost through a web browser without requiring special equipment.
The project must be professionally produced and translated in both English and French, and meet web accessibility standards.

Who is eligible?

Museums
Heritage organizations
Cultural organizations
Indigenous organizations focused on cultural heritage preservation (including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit)
Galleries, science centres, historic sites, historical societies, botanical gardens, planetariums, artist-run centres, archives, zoos, aquariums

Who is not eligible

Organizations that are members of the Canadian Heritage Portfolio.
Museum associations and professional associations.
Membership organizations.
Community centres and recreation centres.
Magazines and publishing organizations.

Eligible expenses

Web development services provided by a web development agency.
Professional translation and comparative editing for both English and French versions of the online project.
Project management and coordination expenses directly linked to the development of the digital product.
Content creation, including research, writing, and production for online dissemination.
Costs related to ensuring web accessibility and compliance with digital accessibility standards.

Eligible geographic areas

Organizations established and operating in Canada.

Selection criteria

Clarity and strength of the digital storytelling approach and narrative structure targeting a specific audience.
Quality and completeness of the project plan, including adherence to web accessibility standards.
Demonstrated respect for equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) principles within the project and organization.
Distinctiveness and originality of the proposed online product, ensuring it is not a mere replica or digitization of existing content.
Readiness and capacity of the organization to deliver the project in compliance with program requirements and timelines.

How to apply

Review program eligibility and guidelines

Read the complete DMC program guidelines and eligibility criteria on the official website
Ensure your organization meets the requirements for primary purpose, mandate, and legal status
Verify that your project type is eligible

Access application support resources

Attend optional Application Assistance sessions for more information about the process
Join information sessions or office hours for guidance on eligibility and criteria
Consider a one-on-one mentorship chat if eligible

Complete eligibility application

Create an account on the DMC online application platform (new applicants) or log in (returning applicants)
Complete and submit the Eligibility Questionnaire
Wait for an eligibility decision from DMC (approx. 10 business days)

Start and structure your proposal

Start the proposal once eligibility is confirmed
Select the investment stream (only one per organization per Call)
Optionally, fill in the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Assessment Questionnaire

Complete proposal and upload documents

Answer all proposal questions on the platform
Prepare and upload the required documents: project schedule, detailed budget (using the template), letter of support, and estimates if applicable
Ensure compliance with eligibility and mandatory project requirements

Submit your online application

Submit your complete proposal through the DMC online platform by 5 p.m. EST, December 1, 2025
Make sure all forms and attachments are included and accurate
Late proposals will not be accepted

Await evaluation results

Wait for the Advisory Committee evaluation and decision
Applicants will be notified of results (Letter of Award or Letter of Regret) by end of April 2026

Additional information

DMC provides support and guidance to organizations throughout the development and launch of funded projects.
Projects must acknowledge DMC support using the required credit line and logo in all communications and on the project website.
Unsuccessful applicants can request a feedback call (video conference only, no written summaries) within a month of receiving a regret letter.
Selected projects must be launched by June 30, 2030 at the latest, but a typical project may take 2 to 3 years to complete.

Contacts

proposals@digitalmuseums.ca

Apply to this program

Frequently Asked Questions about the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects Program

Here are answers to the most common questions about the Digital Museums Canada — Digital Projects. This section explains what the program is, how much funding is available, eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and other important details to help you determine if this grant is right for your business.