Open
Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP)
Support for documentary heritage organizations
Last Update: May 28, 2026
Funding available
$ 24,999 - $ 150,000
Timeline
- Open Date : October 20, 2022
Location
Canada
Overview
The program is now ended, but existing annual and multi-year funding continues as planned. It formerly supported local documentary heritage organizations to improve access, awareness, preservation, and digitization of holdings.
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Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Increase performance through digital transformation
- Increase social or community impact
- Develop strategic partnerships
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 150,000 $
- Minimum amount : 24,999 $
- Up to 100% of project cost
Timeline
- Open Date : October 20, 2022
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- Information and cultural industries
Location
- Canada
Legal structures
- Non-profit
- Public or Parapublic institution
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Indigenous Peoples
- Language Minorities
- Rural or Northern Residents
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- Culture and Arts
- Research
- Diversity and Inclusion
Target groups
- General public
- Indigenous peoples
- Rural / Remote communities
- Artists / creatives
- Nonprofits / charities
- Academia / students
- Minority groups
Revenue structures
- Mixed revenue (<50% earned)
Scope
- Local
- Regional
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Migrating a collection or holdings to an online database.
- Adding archival standard descriptions, translations, and transcriptions to finding aids.
- Recording oral history interviews, such as with local veterans or Indigenous Elders.
- Conserving and/or restoring portraits or photographs of historical and/or local significance.
- Creating an exhibition based on a specific collection.
- Developing and sharing best practices and policies for processing holdings.
- Digitizing a mixed media collection or local oral history interviews.
- Digitizing newspapers for which the applicant owns the copyright.
- Organizing a documentary heritage conference.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Archives
- Genealogical organizations or societies
- Historical societies
- Indigenous organizations or government institutions (First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis Nation band councils, government organizations or non-profit organizations such as cultural centres, community organizations, historical societies)
- Private libraries
- Organizations with an archival component (organizations with a documentary heritage collection that portrays the past of the organization, its predecessors, or the community in which it is located)
- Professional library or archival associations (incorporated bodies that represent the professional development of archivists, librarians, historians, authors, and information managers)
Who is not eligible
- Businesses (for profit)
- Government institutions (except Indigenous government institutions)
- Publicly funded organizations (such as municipal libraries)
- Educational institutions (public and private institutions, as well as colleges, universities or trade schools)
- Non-profit organizations administered by a government or an education institution
- Non-profit organizations receiving more than 50% of their annual operating funding from any level of government
Eligible expenses
- Translating project-related communications material.
- Translating descriptive information, notably for official-language minority communities.
- Administration, shipping, promotion, and communication expenses related to the project.
- Salaries and wages for project staff and consultants, along with associated travel expenses.
- Honoraria for Indigenous Elders.
- Purchasing and/or renting equipment and software required for the project.
- Purchasing materials required for the project, such as archival boxes.
- Project launch event costs, including hospitality and visibility for Government of Canada contributions.
- Gifts to Indigenous Elders, valued at less than $100 each.
- Insurance costs for a travelling exhibition.
- Professional costs for conservation/preservation treatments.
- Project results evaluation costs, including staff or consultants for progress and results reporting.
- Training, competency, and capacity-development activities.
Eligible geographic areas
- Organizations located in remote areas qualified under the Canada Revenue Agency's list of prescribed zones.
Additional information
- The program is now ended.
- Current recipients for annual or multi-year projects are not affected.
- The call for proposals is closed and there is no current call underway.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) Program
Here are answers to the most common questions about the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP). 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.
What is the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP)?
The program is now ended, but existing annual and multi-year funding continues as planned. It formerly supported local documentary heritage organizations to improve access, awareness, preservation, and digitization of holdings.
How much funding can be received?
Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) Funds up to 100% of admissible expenses, capped at $150,000 per project.
Who is eligible for the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) program?
To be eligible for the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) program, you must:
The applicant must be a local non-profit documentary heritage organization such as archives, genealogical societies, historical societies, Indigenous organizations, or entities with an archival component.
Organizations must receive at least 50% of their annual operating funding from private sources, except for Indigenous organizations or government institutions.
Applicants that are not incorporated must provide a letter of reference from a recognized association or government.
What expenses are eligible under Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP)?
Migrating a collection or holdings to an online database.
Adding archival standard descriptions, translations, and transcriptions to finding aids.
Recording oral history interviews, such as with local veterans or Indigenous Elders.
Conserving and/or restoring portraits or photographs of historical and/or local significance.
Creating an exhibition based on a specific collection.
Developing and sharing best practices and policies for processing holdings.
Digitizing a mixed media collection or local oral history interviews.
Digitizing newspapers for which the applicant owns the copyright.
Organizing a documentary heritage conference.
Who can I contact for more information about the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP)?
You can contact Library and Archives Canada (LAC) by email at contributions@bac-lac.gc.ca or by phone at 819-997-0893.
Where is the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) available?
The Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) program is available across Canada.
Is the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) a grant, loan, or tax credit?
Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP) is a Grant and Funding