BCAC: Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centres (Project Assistance)

Deadline: October 14, 2026 (11:59 p.m. PT)

Program Summary:

The Project Assistance: Museums and Indigenous Cultural Centres grant program supports eligible museums, Indigenous cultural centres and arts or curatorial collectives with the development and creation of artistic or cultural history programming and community engagement initiatives. Examples of eligible projects include exhibition development, documentation and dissemination projects, artists’ residencies, exploration of new museological and curatorial practices, community engagement projects, public programs, and collections management projects.

What you can apply for:

This grant program provides one-time funding for specific projects, such as the development and creation of artistic or cultural history programming and community engagement initiatives. Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to, exhibition development, documentation and dissemination projects, artist residencies, exploration of new museological and curatorial practices, public programs, and collections management projects.

Grant Amount:

Maximum request amount is $25,000

Applicants may request: 

• a grant up to 50% or less of the total eligible project budget; or 
• a grant up to 65% of the total eligible project budget from applicants that are considered part of the BC Arts Council’s designated priority groups as defined in the Who Can Apply section below. 

Applicant contributions to the project budget can include both cash and in-kind contributions.

Submit a realistic and balanced budget that shows how much money you need to complete the project. BC Arts Council intends to support successful applications at 100% of their request. However, in some cases, grants may be awarded for less than requested.

BC Arts Council grant programs are competitive. We are not able to support all eligible applications. We generally fund between 20% to 30% of eligible applications in a program intake. To see a list of previous grant recipients and the range of grants awarded, visit the BC Arts Council Grant Recipients webpage.

Eligible Applicants:

Before you begin your application, make sure you are eligible, and your proposed project is eligible. Ineligible applications will not be forwarded for assessment. If you have questions about eligibility, contact the Program Advisor.

Organization eligibility:

To be eligible, an organization must: 

• Hold a permanent art or cultural history collection and have a definable physical space designated for public exhibition of collection material (except in the case of arts service organizations).  

AND 

• Be a museum or Indigenous Cultural Centre registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application with:
  • The majority of key staff (paid or volunteer) and board members based in B.C. 
  • Creative control and decision making for programming and engagement primarily maintained within the organization and by leadership based in B.C. 
  • A purpose or mandate dedicated to arts and culture programming and activities.
  • or   
  • A purpose or mandate to provide services to the arts and culture sector in B.C. 
  • Operations and activities that reflect this dedicated purpose or mandate. 

OR 

• Be an Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) community organization registered and in good standing as a non-profit society or community service co-op in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application with:
  • The majority of key staff and board members based in B.C. 
  • A commitment to offering regular arts and culture activities.  

OR 

• Be a First Nations government in B.C. that offers regular arts and culture activities.

OR 

• Be a museum or Indigenous Cultural Centre operated by a local government in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application, that:
  • Maintains an ongoing arm’s length, community-based board of management or advisory structure that sets policy for the organization’s programs and services. 
  • Holds a dedicated programming space and has at least one dedicated staff person in an artistic, curatorial, or administrative leadership position who is responsible for programming and engagement. 
  • Offers ongoing public programming by arts and cultural practitioners. 
  • Primarily operates with autonomy, holding creative control and decision making for programming and engagement within the organization, with separate financial records for operations. See Financial Statement Requirements section below for more detail. 

OR 

• Be a museum or Indigenous Cultural Centre operated by a public post-secondary institution in B.C. for at least one fiscal year prior to application, that:
  • Holds a dedicated programming space and has at least one dedicated staff person in an artistic, curatorial, or administrative leadership position who is responsible for programming and engagement. 
  • Offers ongoing public programming by skilled arts and cultural practitioners, the majority of which is not programming of faculty or student works. 
  • Primarily operates with autonomy, outside of curriculum, holding creative control and decision making for programming and engagement within the organization, with separate financial records for operations. See Financial Statement Requirements section below for more detail.