Stories of Impact
Every heritage story in Edmonton starts with a person who decided it was worth telling. A family who turned a drop-in centre basement into a living museum of Chinatown. A writing club that published its first English-language book. A national gathering of Black heritage practitioners. A city museum built out of moments, not walls. These are the stories behind the grants we award, the projects we back, the programs we run, and the advocacy we do on behalf of the sector.
Our Call to Action
Edmonton City Council is setting the 2027 to 2030 budget right now. Heritage is part of what makes this city a home, and these stories exist because of sustained public investment. Add your voice
Heritage Work That Starts Here
Edmonton's heritage is carried by people who gather, record and share it. The Edmonton Heritage Council supports that work through grant funding and through our own programming, often with a modest early investment that grows far beyond what we could do alone. These stories show what that support makes possible, and why it matters for the 2027 to 2030 budget.
Add your voice to Edmonton’s 2027 to 2030 budget. Copy the letter below, make it your own with a sentence or two about why heritage matters to you, and send it to City Council through the City’s Contact Council form. Written remarks are due by November 16, 2026.
Draft letter to City Council
Dear Mayor and Councillors,
My name is [your name], and I live in [your neighbourhood or ward]. I am writing to ask you to support sustained funding for the Edmonton Heritage Council in the 2027 to 2030 budget.
[Add two or three sentences about why heritage matters to you. For example: a project you attended, a story that stayed with you, a place you want to see preserved, or a grant that supported your own work.]
The Edmonton Heritage Council’s grant programs put public dollars directly into community hands. Over the current budget period, about $3.2 million has supported projects like Journey of the Horse in Chinatown, the Edmonton Chinese Writing Club’s first English-language anthology, and language and cultural revitalization led by Indigenous creators. Demand is growing: applications to the Heritage Community Investment Program rose 49% in 2025.
Edmontonians clearly value this work. In a September 2025 survey, 77% agreed the heritage and cultural sector is valuable and 68% said it has a positive economic impact. Without stable funding, investment would fall to $1.16 per resident, down from $2.13 in 2025, and community projects like these would be the first to be lost.
I urge Council to approve the Edmonton Heritage Council’s three funding requests for 2027 to 2030: sustained funding for its programs, an inflation adjustment, and support for the Heritage Places Strategy. Heritage is part of what makes Edmonton a place people are proud to call home, and it deserves the same long-term commitment as other essential city infrastructure.
Thank you for your time and your service to our city.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address or ward]
[Your phone or email, if you would like a reply]