BC Family Day Activity Grants
BC celebrates Family Day Weekend February 16 – 19, 2024!
2024 BC Family Day
Final Activity Report
Please complete the final report for your Family Day activity and submit the online report before March 15, 2024.
You may wish to prepare your answers in advance and cut-and-paste them into the online form, as you will not be able to save the online form.
BC Family Day Grant Program Guidelines 2024
Family Day was introduced in BC in 2013 to recognize the great contributions that families make to our lives, our communities and our province. In celebration of this important day, special activities in communities around the province are being held for families to enjoy throughout the Family Day weekend.
The Province of British Columbia is partnering with BCMA for the sixth consecutive year, to provide one-time grants to support local museums, art galleries, cultural institutions, and First Nations communities in coordinating family-based, admission-free community activities. This partnership will ensure that families throughout British Columbia have the opportunity to enjoy a range of cultural activities, both in person and online, free of charge.
Grants up to $2,000 are available to eligible organizations to cover a portion of the costs associated with delivering a free community Family Day activity. Eligible costs include but are not limited to: facility costs, hiring artists, COVID-19 safety, equipment rentals, etc.
Changes for the 2024 Program:
The BCMA has delivered a BC Family Day grant program since 2018. Part of this process is collecting feedback from our members and implementing recommendations to ensure the program best meets the needs of our community and sector.
A key piece of feedback we have received in recent years is that the awarded amounts are not increasing in a way that correlates with the inflated costs of producing a free activity. In response, the 2024 program will prioritize providing more substantial awards over providing a high number of awards to ensure the recipients receive funds that will be impactful to their organization and community. To summarize; there will be fewer awards given out in 2024 than in 2023, but a more impactful amount of money to each successful organization.
Previous success in BC Family Day Activity Grants does not guarantee organizations will receive an award in subsequent delivery of the program.
Family Day Activity Grant Criteria:
In order to qualify for a grant, you must meet the following criteria:
- Your organization must be a current BC Museums Association Member. For information about our membership program, please visit our website.
- Proposed activities must be hosted and produced by a local museum, art gallery, historic place, cultural institution, First Nation community, or other organization that would qualify for BCMA membership.
- First Nations groups and Indigenous Cultural Centres are encouraged to apply. If obtaining a membership with the BCMA is a barrier to your organization, the BCMA may waive this part of the criteria. Please get in touch if this is a concern: development@museum.bc.ca
- Any proposed activities must take place within the applicant’s community.
- All proposed activities must take place during BC Family Day long weekend (i.e. February 16, 17, 18, or 19, 2024).
- Your proposed Family Day activity must be free and accessible to everyone and all ages.
- There must be no financial requirements of the general public to attend the activity.
- Your proposed Family Day activity must be family-oriented.
- Your proposed Family Day activity must be designated and “branded” as a Family Day activity.
Other important things to know:
The goal of this program is to distribute funds to as many communities as possible to help BC families gain access to arts and cultural heritage institutions on BC Family Day 2024.
- We will only award one grant per activity location.
- Awards may be limited to one or two grants per community.
Awards will be based on the projected impact of your activity in your community and your organization’s need.
Grant awards will prioritize that a diversity of regions and institutions are represented in the final recipient list. We encourage applications from rural and remote communities.
The grant is intended to cover a portion of the activities’ costs.
You must acknowledge the financial support of the Provincial Government in any activity promotional material with the language: “This activity is supported by the Province of British Columbia.”
Priority Applicants
We encourage applications from the following:
Indigenous Organizations
First Nations Groups
Rural and Remote Organizations
Community Impact:
Activities that provide a significant impact to the community will be prioritized during the adjudication process. This can be demonstrated by sharing the number of anticipated attendees, demonstrating engagement with diverse groups, providing ways for families to gather in an area with limited opportunities, etc. Successful applicants will demonstrate why their activity is valued by and impactful to the larger community.
Organization Need:
Activities planned by an organization with limited funding and/or opportunities to host their community will be prioritized during the adjudication process. This can be demonstrated by sharing how requested funding would impact the organization’s ability to offer the activity. Successful applicants will demonstrate why this funding is needed and impactful to the organization.
Your approved activity will be posted on the Family Day Community Activity Listing page at familydaybc.ca.
You will be required to submit a brief post-activity report.
Grant Application Deadline: 4:30 pm PST on January 3, 2024.
Please complete the online application form below. Decisions will be communicated no later than January 11, 2024. All decisions made by the BCMA will be final.
You may wish to prepare your answers in advance and cut-and-paste them into the online form, as you will not be able to save the online form.
Should your application be approved, you will be sent an intake form to submit information that will be available as a public-listing for your activity.
For more information, contact BCMA at bcma@museum.bc.ca.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
