Eligibility

Find out which organizations and projects are eligible. Not sure if you qualify? Test your eligibility

Who can apply

Local non-profit documentary heritage organizations can apply, such as:

archives
genealogical organizations or societies
historical societies
Indigenous organizations or government institutions (a First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis Nation band council, government organization or non-profit organization - cultural centres, community organizations, historical societies)
private libraries
organizations with an archival component (an organization with a documentary heritage collection that portrays the past of the organization, its predecessors or the community in which it is located. The archival component would provide a dedicated storage for the collection(s), include accessible high-level descriptions and be accessible to the public.)
professional library or archival associations (incorporated bodies that represent the professional development of archivists, librarians, historians, authors, and information managers)

All applicants must be privately funded^{Footnote 1} (50% or more) except for Indigenous organizations or government institutions.

Who can't apply

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 institutions of higher learning, such 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

Ineligible applicants can still take part in a project submitted by an eligible applicant. They're allowed to provide goods, services or financial help. However, an ineligible organization cannot act as a co-applicant or official partner. They're not allowed to benefit financially from the contribution.

Project objectives

The program has two main objectives. We provide funding to local documentary heritage organizations for projects that meet one or both of these goals.

Access and awareness

Our first objective is to increase access to, and awareness of their holdings. Projects related to this goal include:

Collection-, catalogue- and access-based management (systematic, planned and documented process of maintaining and preserving collections, such as activities to enhance the archival standard descriptions of collections in order to increase physical, intellectual and bibliographical access to them)
commemorative projects (initiatives that celebrate historical figures, places, events and accomplishments of local, regional and/or national significance)
digital file conversion (from one format or media into another) and digitization for access purposes
development (research, design and production) of virtual and physical exhibitions, including travelling exhibits that circulate to one or more venues

Improving capacity for preservation

Our second objective is to increase their capacity to keep and preserve Canada's documentary heritage. Projects related to this goal include:

conservation and preservation treatment
conversion and digitization for preservation purposes, including recording interviews for oral history projects
increased digital preservation capacity (excluding digital infrastructure related to day-to-day activities)
training and workshops that improve professional competencies and build the organization’s capacity
development of standards, performance and other measurement activities

Eligible projects and activities

Migrating a collection or holdings to an online database
Adding archival standard descriptions, translations and transcriptions to finding aids
Recording oral history^{Footnote 2} interviews (for example: with local veterans or Indigenous Elders)
- Recording an oral history interview is an eligible activity.
- Editing the recording is not (except for adding subtitles and translations). Editing oral history recordings is creating new documentary heritage (books, documentaries, podcasts, etc.)
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

Applicant organizations must own the documentary heritage collections they're seeking funding for.

Published materials

For applications involving published materials, your organization must have:

the originals in its possession or
clearance for questions related to rights and permissions

This applies to newspapers, serials, books, sound and video recordings.

Artifacts or objects

Items of cultural or historical interest, such as statues, globes or medals, are not eligible for this program.

Ineligible projects and activities

Acquiring a new collection
Projects involving documentary heritage collections that:
- the applicant does not own
- are not originals
- for which the applicant does not hold appropriate rights and/or permissions
Activities related to artifacts or objects (such as statues, globes or medals)
Creating a book, magazine, theatre script, documentary film or podcast that features a collection
Editing oral history recordings into documentaries or short clips for publication on the web
Clearing backlogs of received materials
Developing an exhibition with material that is not in the applicant's custody
Renovating a building
Activities which the applicant would normally undertake as part of its ongoing operations

Costs

We can provide financial help for project-related expenses only, which can include:

Translating project-related communications material
Translating descriptive information (such as metadata), notably for official-language minority communities
Administration, shipping, promotion and communication expenses related to the project
Salaries and wages for project staff and consultants, and any travel expenses (consistent with the National Joint Council's Travel Directive)
Honoraria for Indigenous Elders
Buying and/or renting equipment and software required for the project (for example, to convert, digitize, preserve or catalogue)
Purchasing materials required for the project (such as archival boxes)
Project launch event costs, such as hospitality and acknowledgement/visibility of the contribution provided by the Government of Canada
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 (for example, staff or consultants to report on progress and results)
Training, competency and capacity-development activities

General administrative^{Footnote 3} and travel costs can't add up to more than 20% of the total funding. This does not apply to projects involving travelling exhibitions or workshops.

We don't fund operational expenses^{Footnote 4}, nor costs related to:

Acquiring documentary heritage
Expenses that would have been incurred if the project had not been undertaken
Acquiring or maintaining land, buildings, and equipment such as office furniture or vehicles
Creating books or documentaries based on a collection
Developing a project proposal or application for this or other funding programs
Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan and other benefits
Hospitality, other than the exceptions listed above
Honoraria for oral history interviews
Maintenance and overhead costs such as rent, heating or insurance
Salaries paid to staff at any level of government
Percentage for contingency expenses (an amount of funds set aside to cover any unexpected expenses of the project)
Taxes (for organizations that are exempt or eligible for reimbursement)

Footnotes

Footnote 1

An organization that receives 50% or more of its annual operating funding from private sector funds, such as private donations. It's okay if the organization receives some funding from government. However, this should not be a regular source of revenue or used for operational purposes.

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Footnote 2

A historical account memorized or recorded from the spoken words of people who have knowledge of past peoples, places, events and cultural traditions. Under the DHCP, recording an oral history interview is considered converting the account’s analog form to its digitized form.

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Footnote 3

Examples of administrative costs include:

office supplies
shipping fees
long-distance telephone calls
postage
messenger services
photocopies printing services

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Footnote 4

Operational expenses are cash expenses paid by an organization in return for goods or services that are not instrumental to the project. These expenses are ineligible for funding.

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