Museum Assistance Program - Exhibition Circulation Fund

Who is eligible?

• Incorporated, non-profit Canadian museums
• Indigenous governing bodies with a mandate to preserve and support Indigenous heritage
• Indigenous organizations within Canada focused on heritage preservation

Who is not eligible

• Federal departments, Crown corporations, and agencies.
• Organizations whose principal mandate is not related to heritage.
• Contemporary visual art organizations seeking funding for exhibitions primarily featuring current works of living artists (unless the exhibition is retrospective or has a historical perspective).

Eligible expenses

• Rental fees related to exhibitions or borrowing artefacts.
• Pro-rated salaries and wages specific to project activities.
• Transportation, packing, and crating costs for exhibitions or artefacts.
• Installation and dismantling expenses, including temporary storage when necessary.
• Additional security and insurance expenses required for the project.
• Equipment rental and incremental project administration costs.
• Promotion, communication, and marketing costs.
• Translation of public-facing materials into both official languages and other relevant languages.
• Creation of educational materials, media kits, and marketing materials linked to the exhibition.

Eligible geographic areas

• Organizations located anywhere in Canada.

• Relevance and community engagement, including alignment with the organization’s mandate and documented support or interest from funders or partners.
• Project planning and management, assessing the organization’s capacity and the adequacy of the timeline and resources.
• Project budget, evaluating justification of expenses, comprehensiveness, and identification of all contributions.
• Impact and evaluation strategy, ensuring outputs and outcomes are clear, measurable, and linked to an articulated evaluation method.
• Organization’s capacity, such as demonstrated financial stability and professional management structure.

• Step 1: Review Application Guidelines
  • Read the Application Guidelines for the Exhibition Circulation Fund thoroughly to ensure understanding of requirements and expectations.
• Step 2: Consult with Regional Program Advisor
  • Contact the nearest regional office of the Department of Canadian Heritage to discuss your project and funding priorities, especially due to current limited funds.
• Step 3: Prepare Application Package
  • Complete the application form, including budget, checklist, and Declaration and Attestation.
  • Gather all required supporting documents, such as recent financial statements (audited if available), copies of all available quotes, and for borrowing artefacts, the signed loan agreement(s).
  • Ensure all documents are signed by an authorized representative.
• Step 4: Access the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal
  • Create or log into your account on the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal to start your application for hosting a travelling exhibition.
• Step 5: Submit Application
  • For hosting a travelling exhibition: Submit the complete application package electronically via the Canadian Heritage Funding Portal.
  • If unable to access the portal, contact support at info@pch.gc.ca or by phone.
  • For borrowing artefacts: Obtain and complete the application forms by emailing map-pam@pch.gc.ca, then submit your completed package electronically to the same email address.
  • If submitting multiple projects, indicate the order of priority.
• Step 6: Confirmation and Communication
  • After submission, monitor communications from the Museums Assistance Program or Canadian Heritage representatives regarding your application's status or any additional requirements.

• Applicants are encouraged to contact a regional program advisor before submitting due to limited funds available.
• There is no set deadline; applications are reviewed on a continuous basis.
• Funding may be provided either as a grant or a contribution, depending on project specifics.
• Products and communications developed with funding must be available in both official languages.