Question Period Note: Museums Assistance Program

Almost 1300 organizations across Canada received emergency support (166 in Quebec), which has been well received by recipients. Among these are four heritage institutions in the Estrie region of Quebec, who received a total of $98,589, which has helped to maintain their collection and support their operations during the pandemic.

• The Government recognizes the importance of our heritage institutions to Canadians, and understands the many new challenges heritage organizations are facing due to COVID-19.
• This is why in June we announced the Emergency Support Fund for Heritage Organizations. In less than three months, the Fund provided almost $34 million to approximately 1300 heritage organizations across Canada.
• While this emergency funding provided some temporary relief, we know that heritage organizations continue to face challenges, and we are actively looking at other ways we can support heritage organizations in these unprecedented times.

• In March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across Canada, museums, art galleries and other heritage institutions followed public health directives and closed their doors to protect the health of their visitors and staff. These closures resulted in considerable financial hardship, particularly for small and medium sized organizations.
• In early April, a survey by the Ontario Museums Association indicated that 74% of museums in Ontario had less than 3 months of reserve funds, while expenses to safely store their heritage collections were ongoing. Not all heritage institutions were able to benefit from previously announced emergency funding measures.
• On April 17, 2020, the Prime Minister of Canada announced funding of $500 million to establish a new COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations. Under this Fund,
$53 million was made available for the heritage sector through the emergency component of the Museums Assistance Program (MAP) to ensure continuity of operations.
• On June 18, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced the launch of the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Heritage Organizations under MAP, and an additional $25.7 million for the national museums and National Battlefield Commission.
• It was estimated at the time of the launch that the Fund could support as many as 1500 organizations with heritage collections, including museums, archives and historic sites. Seasonal museums and volunteer run organizations not normally eligible for MAP funding were made eligible for the emergency funding. Federal, provincial and territorial crown corporations were not eligible.
• To expedite funding for eligible groups in need, a streamlined application process was put in place, including a new online application funding portal.
• The Fund received a total of 1280 applications requesting over $33.8 M. One hundred sixty-six applications were approved in Quebec, awarding almost $6.3 million to heritage institutions across the province.
• Since the launch of the Fund, the closing date for applications was extended from September 1, 2020 to September 11, 2020. The eligibility requirements were also changed to include smaller organizations with annual budgets between $2,000 and $9,999.
• Funding amounts can range from $1,000 to a maximum of $100,000. The amount is determined by a formula based on 2019 expenses or the last completed fiscal year. The formula is as follows: for expenses between $2,000 and $4,999 a fixed funding amount of $1,000; between $5,000 and $9,999 a fixed funding amount of $2,000; between $10,000 and $50,000 a fixed funding amount of $5,000; expenses between $50,001 and $100,000 a fixed funding amount of $10,000; and for annual expenses between $100,001 and $3,000,000 a variable amount equivalent to 10% of annual expenses up to a maximum of $100,000.
• The objectives of MAP are to facilitate Canadians’ access to and foster preservation of our cultural heritage, including Indigenous cultural heritage, and to develop professional knowledge, skills and practices related to key museum functions.
• MAP’s annual budget is $6.7 million with funding allocated based on demand and merit, on a regional basis, through three main components:
o Access to Heritage (which includes the Exhibition Circulation Fund);
o Indigenous Heritage; and
o Collections Management (which includes the Canada-France Agreement and the Emergency Assistance sub-component).

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