Equity and Access Bursary
Supporting equity, accessibility, and anti-racism training for staff and volunteers working in BC museums and cultural institutions.
Professional Development Bursaries
2024 Professional Development Bursaries have been allocated.
2025 Bursaries will be available in January 2025.
Questions about BCMA Bursaries? Email us.
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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
Bursary applications are invited from BC Museums Association Institutional Members on behalf of staff or volunteers, or from Individual Members. 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:
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.
Help Heritage come alive through the power of people!Ā This May 1-3, join us in learning about the benefits of putting people first in our heritage work. Explore how collaboration with local voices empowers communities to add their stories to the historical narrative, how inclusive heritage conservation centers the human experience, and how prioritizing the needs of community can ensure a more authentic and sustainable heritage legacy. Together, weāll explore how putting people at the forefront leads to shared ownership and increased support for heritage. Donāt miss this opportunity to connect with passionate advocates and learn how to make heritage truly by and for the people.
This professional development opportunity will include workshops and panels curated with the care and intentionality that characterizes our work. Weāre proud to offer an opportunity to gain knowledge that centres anti-oppression, liberation, disability justice, and other values that we believe serve artists and arts workers. We hope that you will join us!
The National Queer and Trans+ Community History Conference is designed to bring together 2SLGBTQ+ community members, nonprofit organizations, heritage professionals, academics, historians, and emerging scholars who have an interest in documenting, preserving, and celebrating diverse and intersectional queer and trans+ histories in Canada. This conference serves as a scholarly community gathering space to share best practices, foster research collaborations, mobilize knowledge, and build upon existing community and professional networks.
Recent Bursary Recipients:
Charlie Cook, MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver and Archives (2023)
Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society (2023)
Recent Bursary Recipients
Veronica Buck, Royal BC Museum, 2024
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