HCIP – Operational Grant

Deadline: Intake currently closed

How to Apply

Applications are now closed. The deadline to apply was October 4th at 4PM.

We have launched a new online grants portal, streamlining applications and enhancing accessibility for heritage funding programs. All applications must be submitted though our online portal.

APPLY NOW

If you are experiencing issues with the portal please contact grants@edmontonheritage.ca.

Operational Grants provide limited operating assistance—up to 25 percent of an applicant’s eligible expenses—to museums, archives, and other heritage organizations to increase their capacity to research, preserve, interpret, and advocate for Edmonton’s heritage.

Who Is Eligible?

  1. Applicants must be registered as a non-profit society in Alberta for at least one year
  2. Be located in the city of Edmonton.
  3. The organization must encourage public engagement in Edmonton’s heritage by:
    • operating a heritage facility that is open to the public for a minimum of 200 hours per year, and / or
    • providing regular heritage programming to Edmontonians for a minimum of three years
  4. The organization must demonstrate sound board and governance practices
    • Examples of unsound governance practices could include:
      • having a board member also in a paid staff role in the organization
      • a lack of financial controls or review
    • The organization must have year-end financial statements that follow generally accepted accounting principles for not-for-profit organizations
    • The applicant must be up to date with final reports for other HCIP-funded work, including returning any unused grant funds

This program excludes educational institutions, recreation centres, community leagues, health facilities, religious institutions, and government-owned and/or operated facilities. Organizations that receive operational funding through other City of Edmonton grant programs are also not eligible to apply.

What Expenses Are Eligible?

The Operational Grant will invest up to a maximum of 25% of expenses directly incurred by an organization’s internal operations, including:

  • Rent, lease, or mortgage
  • Utilities
  • Financial management costs
  • Staff salary and wages
  • Liability and property insurance
  • Property maintenance, security, and cleaning
  • Office supplies
  • Ongoing public programming costs
  • Digital systems maintenance costs including websites, databases, and other core digital assets

Ineligible expenses include:

  • Fundraising costs
  • Costs related to general marketing and promotion initiatives
  • Capital costs, including, but not limited to:
    • the purchase of property, equipment, artifacts, or digital assets
    • major construction, renovation, or restoration work

How to Apply

Applications open on August 26th at 12:00pm. The deadline for Fall 2024 is October 4th.

We have launched a new online grants portal, streamlining applications and enhancing accessibility for heritage funding programs. All applications must be submitted though our online portal. If you are experiencing issues with the portal please contact grants@edmontonheritage.ca.

In addition to the questions in the online application form you will be required to upload copies of the following documentation:

  1. Proof of Registration as a non-profit organization (Provincial or Federal)
  2. Most recent Proof of Filing of your Annual Return (Provincial or Federal)
  3. Most up to date bylaws of the Society
  4. Most recent Annual Report or minutes from the most recent Annual General Meeting (AGM).
    • Must be provided in English for jury review, translation support available if required.
  5. Comparative Financial Statements for your organization’s most recently completed fiscal year
    • For grant requests of less than $30,000, comparative financial statements must be independently reviewed and/or signed by two board members other than the Treasurer, or as specified in the Society Bylaws
    • For grant requests of $30,000 or more, comparative financial statements must be independently audited and signed by a CPA with an auditor’s report
  6. Completed Operational Budget Form

The EHC strongly encourages all potential applicants to contact staff prior to submission to confirm eligibility and completeness of applications. Draft applications can be submitted for feedback no later than two weeks before the grant deadline.

How will my applications be evaluated? 

Edmonton Heritage Council Staff review all applications for eligibility and completeness. A qualified third party reviews the submitted financial statements and provides summary information to be included with the application package. A community jury appointed by the Edmonton Heritage Council evaluates all eligible applications and makes funding recommendations to the Edmonton Heritage Council Board of Directors. The application process may take up to sixteen (16) weeks from close of submissions to notification. All applicants will be notified of the final decision on their application.

Jury members base their recommendations on the proven and potential merit of each application and each project’s alignment with Connections & Exchanges: A 10-Year Plan to Transform Arts and Heritage in Edmonton. The following Aims and Actions will be prioritized in making funding decisions for the Operational Grant:

  1. Aim: Edmonton’s neighbourhoods come alive with meaningful and relevant opportunities for participation and engagement.
    1. Action: Nurture cultural curiosity through planned and spontaneous heritage encounters that are personal and experiential.
    2. Action: Develop new heritage interpretive experiences (digital and analog) to increase visibility, improve access, and broaden engagement.
  2. Aim: Edmontonians feel a sense of belonging and connectedness to people, places, and stories.
    1. Action: Create and support opportunities for cultural connection and documentation that increases understanding between people, communities, and places.
    2. Action: Adopt inclusive practices in museums, archives, and historical research and programming.
    3. Action: Contribute actively to placemaking that includes cultural landscape, natural history, built history, object, language, and story.
  3. Aim: Dynamic exchanges of ideas and expertise occur between Edmonton’s heritage sector and the world.
    1. Action: Partner with public agencies, private citizens, and private sector organizations to celebrate and raise the profile of Edmonton’s historic urban landscapes and sites of conscience.

Grant Reduction Policy

Operational Grant applicants, new and returning, acknowledge they are aware of and agree to the terms in the Operational Grant Reduction Policy.

Grants are Revenue

EHC is required by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to issue tax slips to organizations which receive funds in excess of $500.00 per calendar year. For your tax-related questions, contact the Canada Revenue Agency or a qualified financial advisor.

Final Reports 

Final Reports are not required for the Operational Grant stream if the applicant is applying for funding the following calendar year. If you received Operational Grant funding, but will not be applying again, please contact us at grants@edmontonheritage.ca.