Government Support for Museums

Reflections for a Canadian Context

While museum standards and accreditation programs exist in Canada through entities like the Canadian Museums Association (CMA), the Canadian Conservation Institute’s Conservation Assessment Program (CAP), and the Provincial/Territorial Museum Associations (PTMAs), there is no comprehensive national accreditation framework comparable to the UK’s Museum Accreditation Scheme​​​​. The Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) and CAP provide some funding for digitization and conservation, but there is a perceived need for increased funding to better meet modern standards​​. The Museums Assistance Program offers project-based support with six streams including those for collections, digitization, exhibit circulation, and Indigenous heritage. There is a need for more substantial, sustained investments in Indigenous-led reconciliation initiatives beyond such short-term project funding. 

Policy Ideas:

1. Establish a National Museum Accreditation Framework that Aligns with Existing Provincial/Territorial Programs: This framework could set standards for museum operations, exhibit management, community engagement, and preservation practices, ensuring consistency and quality across Canadian museums. 
   1. Ensure a National Museum Accreditation Framework Supports the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): The BC Museums Association and First Peoples’ Culture Council recently published a policy paper that notes how accreditation systems have a key role to play in actioning UNDRIP within the museum sector. A national framework should include pathways for Indigenous communities and institutions to assess non-Indigenous museums to ensure that they are being better allies, working towards reconciliation, supporting repatriation, and supporting equity, diversity and inclusion. 
2. Ensure that New Accreditation Frameworks Are Developed and Regularly Reviewed to Speak to the Needs of Changing Museum Sector: Future frameworks should include modern standards that address current challenges and opportunities in the museum sector, such as digital engagement, environmental sustainability, and accessibility. It is also critical that a commitment is made to review and update these frameworks on a regular schedule in order to ensure that they continue to innovate, adapt, and support.
3. Alignment with Funding and Support Programs: The accreditation could be linked to eligibility for some funding programs like the Museum Assistance Program (MAP). Museums meeting these standards could receive priority in funding allocation, encouraging adherence to high-quality practices. However, it is important to note that under the current funding landscape, this is an imperfect solution. Tying accreditation to the MAP program would exclude a high number of small community museums due to the program’s requirement that eligible museums have full-time staff. Expanding access to MAP funding and linking it to an accreditation program would help to address this issue.
4. Focus on Equity and Reconciliation: The framework should integrate equity and Reconciliation principles, with the utmost respect for Indigenous Museology. This involves developing criteria that reflect active support for equity, diversity, and implementation of UNDRIP in museum practices and governance.

Reflections for a Canadian Context

While Digital Museums Canada (DMC) supports digital storytelling and virtual exhibit development, there is potential for further enhancement using emerging technologies to improve accessibility and engagement. The current DMC funding program also offers severe limitations. Under the current DMC framework, the majority of DMC funding often goes towards hiring external web developers and technical consultants, meaning that in many cases, developing a DMC-funded project does not increase an organization’s digital literacy because the technical work is led by external contractors. Investing in digital literacy training for museum staff and content creators is crucial for capacity building, a need acknowledged by the DMC’s initiatives​​.

In a Canadian context, special care must be taken to ensure that Indigenous data sovereignty and cultural autonomy are at the core of all digital initiatives and programs. Technologies like artificial intelligence have the potential to appropriate and exploit Indigenous arts, culture, and heritage and also to help communities preserve and share their cultural knowledge. Care must be taken to ensure that well-meaning digital programs do not perpetuate harm. Supporting Indigenous-led digital repatriation and reconciliation is aligned with Canada’s UNDRIP obligation and could benefit from global learnings​​. 

Policy Ideas:

1. 1. Enhancing Digital Literacy and Skills Training for Museum Professionals: Developed training programs that compliment funding offered by Digital Museums Canada to enhance digital skills and literacy among museum professionals. This will enable them to effectively and ethically utilize digital tools and technologies, enhancing their ability to create engaging and educational digital content​​.
   2. Convening a National Forum on Museum Digitization Priorities: Establish a National Steering Committee, as outlined by the Coalition for Canadian Digital Heritage (CCDH) to develop digitization initiatives across Canada. This committee should include representatives from Indigenous communities and institutions, libraries, archives, historical societies, museums, galleries, and other relevant sectors. Its role will be to set direction, organize projects, and develop funding models for digitization efforts, ensuring a collaborative and inclusive approach​​. Work to convene a national forum should also include existing provincial and territorial initiatives. The forum could include organizations like the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance, Mukurtu CMS, the Reciprocal Research Network, Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Museums Association, the Provincial and Territorial Museum Associations, and other Canadian and international organizations working to develop sustainable and culturally appropriate digital protocols and practices.
   3. Creating an Innovation Fund for Museums to Develop Projects with Emerging Technologies: Implement an innovation fund to support museums in exploring and integrating emerging technologies and digital interactives. This would enhance accessibility and engagement, making museum experiences more immersive and interactive, and ensure the long-term viability of digitized heritage​​. These funds could be delivered through Museums Assistance Program (MAP).

Reflections for a Canadian Context

Educational and community projects are a valued part of museums’ work and community impact. While the Museums Assistance Program (MAP) offers project-based support for heritage institutions and various initiatives, there is a significant opportunity to establish dedicated funding streams for ongoing educational outreach and engagement. This approach would provide continuity and foster relationship building, moving beyond the constraints of periodic project grants. The development of curriculum-linked educational resources and material culture, facilitated through museum-school partnerships, would require collaboration between ministries of education, school boards, museums, and Indigenous communities. 

Policy Ideas:

1. Providing Core Multi-Year Funding for Museum Educational Outreach: Establish dedicated, multi-year funding within the Museums Assistance Program (MAP) for educational outreach initiatives. This funding would support the development of curriculum-linked resources and artifacts, facilitating effective museum-school partnerships. Such a sustained funding approach would enhance educational programs offered by museums and provide stability beyond the constraints of periodic project grants.
2. Facilitating Dialogue and Relationship Building Between Ministries of Education, School Boards, and Museums: Develop a collaborative task force involving ministries of education, school boards, and museums to develop strategic considerations for incorporating more museum resources into school curricula. This task force would leverage existing protocols for collaboration on school curriculum, aiming to enhance the educational value of museum collections and exhibits for students across Canada. This task force could also include organizations like the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to provide an opportunity to bring curricula in every province into alignment with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
3. Enhancing Digital Access and Literacy in Museums: Focus on increasing digital literacy among museum professionals and enhancing digital access to heritage collections. This can be achieved by reviving initiatives like the Digital Access to Heritage component of MAP, which fostered improved access to collections through digitization and digital content development. Develop funding programs that support digital literacy professional development opportunities and digitization efforts that preserve heritage and make it more accessible and engaging for a wider audience.

Reflections for a Canadian Context

While Canada participates in international museum organizations like the International Council on Museums (ICOM), there is potential to expand strategic partnerships through cross-border exhibitions, collaborations, and expertise exchanges, building on the global engagement of Canadian museums​​​​. In the area of international digitization and knowledge repatriation, Canada is beginning to address the repatriation of Indigenous artifacts, reflecting a growing movement that could significantly impact museums and cultural institutions across the country​​​​​​.

Policy Ideas:

1. Establishing UNDRIP-Informed Policies, Funding, and Legislation that Supports Global Repatriation: Canada’s National Museum Policy has not been updated in three decades and lacks policies, protocols, and funding programs to support a global repatriation strategy. The first, and most critical part, of any international museum policy discussions is the working with Indigenous communities, museums, and cultural organizations to establish UNDRIP-informed policies, funding, and legislation to support global repatriation of both items back to communities within the colonial borders of Canada and to return items being held without consent by Canadian cultural institutions. 
2. Providing Grants and Support for International Traveling Exhibitions: The Museums Assistance Program (MAP) in Canada already offers an Access to Heritage component that promotes access to heritage across different regions in Canada, especially for travelling exhibitions​​. Expanding this to include international travelling exhibitions would allow Canadian museums to reach global audiences and facilitate cross-cultural exchanges. This could involve providing grants and logistical support for museums to host or participate in exhibitions abroad, fostering international collaboration.
3. Funding Canadian Expert Contributions to Global Museum Conferences and Networks: Canadian museums and professionals could benefit from enhanced participation in global museum conferences and networks. The government can provide funding for Canadian experts to attend and contribute to these international events. This approach could be supported by Global Affairs Canada programs that offer funding opportunities for initiatives focusing on global issues and international collaborations​​​​. Such involvement would enable Canadian museum professionals to share their expertise, learn from international best practices, and develop global partnerships.

Reflections for a Canadian Context

Canada’s heritage conservation efforts are supported through a mix of federal, provincial, and local initiatives. The federal National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places and the Canadian Conservation Institute promote heritage conservation. At the local level, programs exist in municipalities across the country to support conservation work on designated properties​​​​. 

Policy Ideas:

• Work with Indigenous Communities, Museums, and Cultural Organizations to Develop Culturally-Informed Conservation and Preservation Programs: At the 2023 BCMA Gathering held in partnership with Saahlinda Naay Haida Gwaii Museum, staff members from the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) co-lead a workshop with curators from the Haida Gwaii Museum exploring cultural heritage preservation through both the lens of colonial practices and through Indigenous protocols of care. This opportunity represented a sharing of knowledge that resulted in an increased understanding of both Haida and colonial conservation and preservation methods, and how community knowledge informs those practices. Organizations like CCI as well as Indigenous communities require access to funding to support intercultural knowledge exchange.

1. 1. Expanding Conservation Grants and Tax Incentives for Museums: This involves enhancing the scope and funding for programs like the National Cost-Sharing Program, but with a specific focus on museums. This expansion would enable more museums, particularly smaller or regionally significant ones, as well as rural museums or those in remote regions that face high transport costs, to access funds and tax incentives for preservation and conservation work.
   2. Developing Sector-Specific Training and Professional Development: Creating and funding training programs specifically designed for museum professionals. This could include workshops, seminars, and online courses on the latest conservation techniques, heritage management, and digital archiving, and incorporate concepts of Indigenous ownership and consent. These programs would enhance the skills and knowledge base of museum staff, enabling them to better preserve and present heritage.
   3. Promoting Collaboration and Networking Among Museums: Encouraging collaborative projects and networks among museums across Canada. This could involve shared conservation projects, exchange programs for museum professionals, and joint exhibitions. Such collaboration would allow museums to pool resources, share expertise, and work together on large-scale conservation initiatives.
   4. Enhancing Public Engagement and Education in Heritage Conservation: Developing programs that increase public awareness and participation in heritage conservation, with a special focus on museum collections. This could include interactive exhibits, public lectures, and educational programs that highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage and the role of museums in this endeavor.
   5. Recognize that Emergency Preparedness is an Essential Part of Conservation: While emergency support and crisis management are discussed in detail in the next section, increasingly frequent climate disasters are one of the biggest threats to the preservation and conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Future local, provincial, and federal emergency management programs must take the unique needs of the heritage sector into account in order to safeguard our shared heritage.

Reflections for a Canadian Context

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada provided targeted relief funding to museums, demonstrating a robust response to immediate crisis needs. The Museums Assistance Program (MAP) adjusted eligibility criteria to accommodate various organizations during the pandemic​​. Heritage institutions, including museums, benefited from a part of the $500 million COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage, and Sport Organizations, indicating a significant federal investment during the crisis. Concurrently, Canada is acknowledging the impact of climate change on its society and environment, as highlighted in the National Adaptation Strategy. This blueprint focuses on strategic risk reduction and addresses climate change impacts across various systems, including infrastructure, economy, and human health.

Policy Ideas:

• Develop Funding and Training that Support Indigenous Communities: Structural inequalities resulting from the ongoing colonization of the lands now called Canada mean that Indigenous communities are disproportionately impacted by climate change, exacerbating health and socio-economic inequities and food/water insecurities. Indigenous communities also face greater risks from forest fires than non-Indigenous communities in Canada. It is critical that policies are developed at the local, provincial, and federal levels to ensure that Indigenous communities have access to culturally-informed conversation and preservation programs to protect their tangible and intangible cultural heritage and funding to ensure communities can respond to threatens quickly and effectively.

• Establishing Permanent Emergency Response Funds for Museums: In light of the temporary relief provided during COVID-19, there is a clear need for permanent emergency response funds. This would ensure rapid mobilization of resources in future crises, providing a safety net for heritage institutions. The existing funding models can serve as a template for more permanent solutions.

• Mandating Integration of Climate Risks into Museum Disaster Planning with supportive funds: As climate change poses increasing threats to cultural heritage, it’s imperative to integrate climate change risks and adaptation strategies into museum policies. The National Adaptation Strategy’s focus on disaster resilience and infrastructure protection can guide museums in developing climate-responsive disaster planning​​.

• Developing Standardized Emergency Protocols and Risk Preparedness Guidelines: To protect museum collections from diverse threats, systematic emergency protocols and cultural heritage risk preparedness plans are crucial. These should be standardized nationally to ensure a cohesive approach with integrated goal setting to ensure those not meeting the standards can create action plans to improve their protocols and preparedness. The National Adaptation Strategy, along with other national frameworks like the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada, can serve as a foundation for these protocols, ensuring a comprehensive approach to risk management and resilience building​​.

Reflections for a Canadian Context

Destination Canada has established partnerships with provinces, territories, and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) to promote cultural tourism, including Indigenous experiences. In 2020, Destination Canada announced a partnership with provincial and territorial marketing organizations, investing $30 million to support community recovery and encourage Canadians to explore locally​​. Additionally, Destination Canada and ITAC secured a USD $100,000 investment from Expedia Group to boost Indigenous tourism. This funding supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #92 and is channeled into areas like infrastructure, product development, workforce, and marketing initiatives for Indigenous tourism​​​​​​.

Policy Ideas:

• Enhance Marketing Campaigns for Museum Attractions: Building on Destination Canada’s existing collaborations, there is potential for increased investments in targeted marketing campaigns that specifically highlight museum experiences. Such campaigns could significantly boost museum attendance and revenues, capitalizing on the diverse and rich cultural heritage Canada offers.

1. 1. Invest in Indigenous Heritage: Dedicated marketing resources should be allocated to promote Indigenous heritage and funding should be made available to Indigenous communities to support local museums, cultural experiences, and arts organizations. This aligns with the broader reconciliation efforts and supports the promotion of Inuit, Métis, and First Nations cultural experiences and perspectives. The strategic partnership between Destination Canada and ITAC, along with the investment from Expedia Group, serves as a foundation for such initiatives​​.

• Showcase Diversity in Museum Promotional Materials: To accurately reflect Canada’s multicultural society, museum promotional materials should showcase a diversity of perspectives. This would not only enrich the cultural tourism experience but also foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the varied cultural narratives within Canada.

Reflections for a Canadian Context

Canada currently provides project-based funding to museums through various programs, such as the Museums Assistance Program, the Canada Cultural Investment Fund, and the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. These programs support heritage institutions in preserving and presenting heritage collections and assist arts and heritage organizations in maintaining their financial, organizational, and administrative health​​​​​​ (Source: Funding – Museums and galleries – Canada.ca). 

There is an increasing recognition by many funders, like the Vancouver Fondation for example, that project-based funding models are a barrier to supporting growth, innovation, and resiliency in the charitable sector. Too many organizations attempt to overload on project grants in order to cobble together enough administrative funding to support their actual capacity needs – this leads to projects that are done quickly and rarely have the time and funding required to create ongoing impact. Additionally, many Indigenous communities are pushing back on project-based funding models. Building meaningful relationships between museums and Indigenous communities take time for trust to development and project-based grants do not provide the opportunity for mutually beneficial relationships to develop, instead they continue patterns of extractive exploitation.

Aside from a handful of federally-funded museums and galleries, the Government of Canada offers no operational funding for museums. This means that for more than 90% of the museums in the country, the majority of which are small institutions in non-urban communities, the only available federal funding is project funding. With the severe increase in inflation over the past several years and an uneven return of visitation levels, an alarming number of museums find themselves in positions where they can access funding for new projects, but cannot fund staff to deliver these projects.

Policy Ideas:

• Providing Core Multi-Year Operational Funding for Museums: To ensure stability in budgeting and planning, Canada should consider transitioning from relying predominantly on project-based grants to offering sustained operational funding for museums. This shift would provide a more stable financial base for museums, allowing for better long-term planning and program development.

• Expanding Tax Incentives for Museum Donations and Philanthropy: Enhancing tax incentives for museum donations could further encourage philanthropic support. Building on the current system, which offers tax receipts for donations to the National Collection, expanded incentives could attract more substantial contributions from private donors and organizations.

1. Developing a Public-Private Partnership Model for Flagship Museum Projects: Exploring public-private partnership models could catalyze major new museum projects. By adopting a P3 model, museums could leverage both public funding and private sector investment, expertise, and innovation. This approach could enable the development of ambitious projects, providing shared financial responsibility and potentially better value for money compared to traditional funding methods.