Equity and Access Bursary
Supporting equity, accessibility, and anti-racism training for staff and volunteers working in BC museums and cultural institutions.
2025 Professional Development Bursaries
2025 Bursary applications were being accepted until February 3, 2025. Final results were communicated to applicants by February 10, 2025.
Questions about BCMA Bursaries?Ā Email us.
The Bursary
The Equity and Access Bursary is awarded annually to enable staff and volunteers of our member institutions, or Individual Members currently employed at a museum, gallery or historic site, to participate in equity, accessibility, and anti-racism training. Up to $5,000 are awarded annually. Average awards range from $800 ā $1,000.
Eligibility
Membership Status
Applicant should be a BCMA memberĀ ORĀ be employed by or volunteer for a BCMA member institution
If this is a barrier to you or if you have questions about your eligibility, please contactĀ development@museum.bc.ca
Eligible Expenses
There is no restriction on the training provider, but the proposed training opportunity must have a focus on equitable practice, social action, and accessibility. Organization-wide training opportunities are encouraged.
Consideration will be given to both credit and non-credit educational opportunities. Eligible expenses include but are not limited to consultant fees, tuition or registration fees, travel, and textbooks.
Evaluation
Applications are evaluated on the basis of:
- Financial need of the institution or individual making the application;
- Suitability and proven commitment of the individual(s) nominated; and,
- Value for money of the training selected. Tuition and expenses for a credit course at a local college may be rated higher than an application for fees, travel, and accommodation for a three-day workshop in Vancouver, for example.
Inspiration
Explore select professional development opportunities:
March 27ā30, 2025 -The Moving Trans History Forward conference is a biennial, international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational conference presented by UVic's Chair in Transgender Studies.
The Professional Specialization Certificate in Visitor and Community Engagement (PSC in VCE) is the first of its kind in Western Canada with a focus on the public role of museums. Developing knowledge and skills in the areas of visitor experience, public programmingĀ and building community relationships, the PSC in VCE supports museum and cultural sector workers to effectively engage with Indigenous and culturally diverse communities, reach underserved audiences, and be responsive to the needs of their public(s).
The Micro-certificate in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) provides you with a robust knowledge base and essential skills to create inclusive and thriving workplaces for all. By recognizing the significance of EDI principles in both the public and private sectors, organizations are increasingly prioritizing their integration at all levels. This micro-credential is tailored for employers and employees committed to the vital work of challenging systemic and organizational barriers, examining power dynamics, and fostering equity and inclusion.
This micro-credential critically examines the work of the galleries, libraires, archives, and museums (GLAM) with a view to make space for new ways of being through practical and theoretical discussions of how to apply decolonizing and Indigenizing actions to these spaces.
Mon-Thurs, August 5-8, with an optional day on Friday, Aug. 9. NAMSI takes place primarily at UC Berkeley TheĀ Native American Museum Studies InstituteĀ helps to increase the capacity of tribal community members to repatriate, conserve, and revitalize tribal cultural heritage, foster tribal representations and partnerships, and educate tribal and non-tribal communities through museum development exhibits. NAMSI was held annually 2012-2019 and is resuming in 2024 after a hiatus due to COVID.
Recent Bursary Recipients:
Charlie Cook, MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver and Archives (2023)
Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society (2023)
Recent Bursary Recipients
Sdahl KĢ±’awaas Lucy Bell, Haida Repatriation Committee, Simon Fraser University, 2025
Veronica Buck, Royal BC Museum, 2024
Sdahl KĢ±’awaas Lucy Bell, Simon Fraser University, Haida Gwaii Museum, 2024
Emily Teh, Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, 2024
Laurel Lawry, MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver and Archives, 2023
Heidi Rampfl, Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society, 2023
