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Funding Opportunities
A Database of Funding Opportunities for Heritage-Based Projects
» Community Based (includes location-specific grants)
» First Nations, Inuit & Métis
» Heritage Students & Professionals
» Open to All (some exceptions apply)
Please Note: As a grant writer, you must understand the eligibility and description of each grant. Please refer to a funder’s website, or contact them directly, for up-to-date information.
For more tips on writing a successful grant application, watch our webinar on-demand on Grant Writing.
This is not an exhaustive list of funding sources and Heritage BC does not guarantee the information, which can change from time to time.
You can refer to the Heritage BC Funding Resources page for other funding databases and grant information.
Please let us know of other opportunities to add, or of any corrections on the current list.
Heritage BC acknowledges the Columbia Basin Trust in preparing the original version of this list.
Description: BC Home Energy offers a free coaching and/or an EnerGuide home evaluation, as well as help to successfully complete projects that will improve your home’s energy efficiency and comfort all year round.
Description: Fortis BC offers rebates for upgrades and renovations on homes.
Description: Grant committee and manager work with heritage property owners to provide guidance and grants for the maintenance, rehabilitation and/or restoration of their heritage buildings.
Eligibility: City of Kelowna
Description: A maximum of $12,000 is available per home towards qualifying retrofits or a maximum of $18,000 per home if fuel switching from gas or oil to an electric air source heat pump is included with other retrofits.
Eligibility: Vancouver
Description: The Heritage Conservation Grants program provides funding opportunities through two categories of heritage conservation grants: Planning Project Grants and Conservation Project Grants. The grants can support owners or stewards in the care of their historic site with financial assistance and professional guidance.
Eligibility: Vancouver
Description: The House Grants Program of the Victoria Heritage Foundation (VHF) promotes the retention and preservation of Victoria’s irreplaceable historic housing stock by assisting owners of Heritage Designated houses with the costs of rehabilitation and maintenance.
Eligibility: Victoria
Description: Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage supports community celebrations, such as festivals, events and projects.
Field of interest includes arts, culture and heritage. The Victoria Foundation serves the Capital Regional District.
Description: The Columbia Basin Trust manages several heritage funding programs: Community Development Program; Built Heritage Grants; Community Initiatives and Affected Areas Programs; Heritage, Museum and Archive Grants
Description: Focus is organizational leadership for inclusive, sustainable communities. The Institute helps build capacity in communities through lifelong learning scholarships and by working with locally elected leaders.
Applicant Type: Business or Individual, Government
Field of Interest: Capacity Building
Description: Community War Memorial funding supports the construction, restoration or expansion of a community war memorial.
Community engagement funding grants also available.
The Green Municipal Fund responds to evolving municipal sustainability needs and priorities.
Description: Provides funding for projects that will help Canadian cities and communities enhance their asset management practices.
Applicant Type: Government
Field of Interest: Capacity Building
Description: Grants up to $10,000 available to help improve or develop plans that include capital asset management plans, community energy plans, storm water management plans, liquid waste management plans, etc. See website for more info.
Applicant Type: Government
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: Granting to projects based in communities with 25,000 residents or less. Project categories considered include community capacity building, workforce development, community & economic development and business sector development.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society, Government, First Nations
Field of Interest: Community Development, Capacity Building
Description: Program provides funding for community-based projects across the country that encourage seniors to continue to play an important role in their community. Calls for applications are issued once or twice a year.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society, Business or Individual, Government, First Nations
Field of Interest: Seniors
Description: Supports heritage conservation across BC through education, training and skills development, capacity building in heritage planning and funding through the Heritage Legacy Fund.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society, School Districts, Government, First Nations
Field of Interest: Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Provides small grants to novel action projects within Canada that might not otherwise be funded. Areas of interest include: social justice, privacy rights, food safety, civil liberties, public interest research training, innovative youth projects and consumer health and safety issues.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Children & Youth
Description: Funding for programs that promote an inclusive society that values the full engagement of its young people in the civic, social, economic and cultural life of diverse and environmentally healthy communities. A number of funding programs exist such as "pop up funding."
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Children & Youth
Description: Grants in a wide range of areas, including arts, conservation, education, health and welfare. It maintains a flexible policy, with particular emphasis on projects showing promise of general social benefit but which may initially lack broad public appeal.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Award grants of $1,000, as well as provide free advisory support, to help kick-start projects that contribute to community or the environment. Applications welcome from early-stage community-based organization
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Capacity Building
Description: Funding $1,000 - $6,000 to provide support to not-for-profit groups active in the broad areas of recreation, sports, parks, culture, the environment and education.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Arts, Culture & Heritage
The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund supports the improvement of physical conditions for artistic creativity and innovation.
Canadian Heritage offers a number of funding program including the Canada Cultural Investment Fund and the Museums Assistance Program.
Description: managed by Canadian Heritage, the Museums Assistance Program supports heritage institutions and workers in the preservation and presentation of heritage collections.
Description: The Support for Interpretation and Translation sub-component assists organizations in providing services in both official languages at public events. It also supports the availability of an increased number of documents in both French and English.
Applicant type: not-for-profit
The Youth Take Charge Program aims to strengthen youth attachment to Canada through engagement. In this context, youth is defined as individuals between 7 and 30 years of age. Funding thematic areas include history and heritage.
Description: Managed by Canadian Heritage, the Documentary Heritage Community Program ensures that Canada’s continuing memory is documented and accessible to current and future generations by adopting a more collaborative approach with local documentary heritage communities.
The National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places is open to owners and eligible lessees of national historic sites, heritage lighthouses and heritage railway stations. The Program continues to support the Parks Canada Agency's mandate of protecting and presenting places of national historic significance, and fostering the public's understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of these places in ways that ensure their commemorative integrity for present and future generations.
Description: Programs must have been in operation for at least 12 months prior to application. To receive a grant, the program must fall into one of the following sectors: arts and culture, sport, environment, public safety, human and social services, and parent advisory councils.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Children & Youth, Seniors, Indigenous, Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: $7,000 to $25,000 for events, and up to $50,000 for other outreach activities that facilitate the flow of social sciences and humanities knowledge. Other funding areas include the Talent and Insight Program that supports academic advancement in Social and Humanities research. Applications must be submitted by an eligible Canadian academic institution.
Applicant Type, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Capacity Building
Description: Funding areas: Building the Workforce of Tomorrow; Safety Education; and, Developing Smart Energy Ideas. Broad impact grants of $10,000 for program development and expansion and Grassroots grants of $2,000.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Children & Youth
Description: Wide range of support for activities including arts and culture, education, youth-centered projects, recreation activities, health, heritage, environment and First Nations initiatives.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & YouthIndigenous, Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: There are three grant programs available to non-profit organizations: Investing in People; Science Giants; Safe and Healthy Communities. Eligibility: non-profit organizations in Alberta and Devon’s commuter communities in British Columbia.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Seniors, Indigenous Capacity Building
Description: Capital grants to enhance rural communities with populations of less than 150,000 (i.e.: hospitals, medical centres, childcare facilities). Donation between $5,000 and $25,000.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, Government, First Nations
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: Funding in the following categories: safety, education, environment and aboriginal initiatives. Must be a non-profit organization.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Indigenous
Description: Support for community organizations that provide benefit to local communities in these categories: arts and culture, civic causes, education and youth, environment, health, social services, amateur sport and recreation. Funding is also available for community events.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Seniors, Indigenous, Arts, Culture & Heritage, Capacity Building
Description: Awards financial sponsorships and in-kind donations to community groups and registered charities throughout the Kootenays.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Seniors, Indigenous, Arts, Culture & Heritage, Capacity Building
Description: Focus areas for sponsorships include: health, education, environment, and community.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity
Description: Support to a non-profit, registered charity, association or foundation that generates clear and demonstrable value to communities. Focus areas include: safety, community, and, environment.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: Community Giving Grants for non-profit organizations that help community members in need. Grants are valued at $1,000
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: Awards granted for international sustainable development projects that contribute to effective, responsive and accountable governance with civil society participation.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: A range of funding programs for leadership, innovation, infrastructure and scholarship programs. Proposals accepted only from eligible institutions (see website). Non-profits, universities, colleges and research hospitals are all eligible if they can prove that they support and conduct research.
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: Supports Canadian registered charities whose initiatives improve the quality of life for children and youth.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Community Development, Children & Youth
Description: Two types of grants: "Development Grants" for short term (typically 4 month) work that will better position the organization to succeed with larger projects and "Project Grants" to support clearly defined activities. Program areas include: health and wellness, education and the environment.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: Grants to registered charities relating to four major challenges: inclusion, sustainability, resilience, and innovation. The Foundation's mandate is to address issues of national significance.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Seniors, Indigenous, Capacity Building
Description: Supports registered charities that help children, youth and the economic well-being of a community. In some cases they make cash donations, in others they donate promotional tickets.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Children & Youth
Description: Donates to non-profit organizations that are registered charities. Requests are reviewed by Corporate Donations Committee, which meets on a quarterly basis.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Seniors, IndigenousCapacity Building
Description: Support for registered charities that promote physical activity and play for children of all abilities and help at-risk youth gain a better understanding of how education is vital to their future.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Children & Youth
Description: Support for registered charities that provide programing and services for kids, cures and community. Most organizations receive donations of less than $10,000.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth
Description: Grant applications are accepted from registered charities fitting the following categories: health and social service, education, arts and animal welfare. Grants range from approximately $1,000-$25,000.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Seniors, Indigenous, ARts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Supports registered charities that seek to improve people’s quality of life and that foster development in health, education and social services.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Community Development
Description: Considers funding requests for both new and established projects. The organization must be a registered charity and relate to children or youth in some way.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Children & Youth
Description: (from website) "As a purpose-driven company, creating a positive social impact – not just an economic one – is integral to how we do business. It is fundamental to our philosophy and is at the very heart of our corporate citizenship approach. In 2017, we contributed over $98 million globally to more than 6,700 organizations."
Description: Three funding areas: Education and Financial Literacy; Creating Opportunities for Young People; and Environment. Organizations must be registered charities.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Children & Youth
Description: Supports registered charities that offer environmental and/or arts education programs for youth.
Applicant Type: Charitable status
Field of Interest: Children & Youth, Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Funding to support First Nation's language, arts and culture. Available to communities, organizations, individuals and language groups in two areas: Ars and Language.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, Business or Individual, First Nations
Field of Interest: Culture & Diversity, Indigenous, Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Managed by Canadian Heritage, the Aboriginal Peoples’ Program promotes Indigenous languages, strengthens cultural identity and increases Indigenous participation in Canadian society.
Description: Provides grants up to $1,000 that support artists to engage young people in schools and communities in arts-based projects.
Applicant Type: Business or Individual
Field of Interest: Arts, Culture & Heritage
BCMA provides a resource of funding opportunities and oversees several bursaries.
Field of Interest: Museums
Bursaries assist museum professionals in the following areas: Conference Professional Development; Emerging Professional Development; Mid-Career Professional Development
The Herb Stovel Scholarship keeps his legacy alive and provides one or more post-secondary students and/or emerging professionals (ages 20-35) in the field of heritage conservation with opportunities to travel, network and enrich their research.
Description: National charity that inspires and leads action to save historic places, and promotes the care and wise use of our historic environment. Programs for youth, scholarships and promoting Canada's historic places.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society, School Districts, Business or Individual, First Nations
Field of Interest: Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Funding for a range of arts programing for visual and performance arts including touring, youth, arts festivals and professional development.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, School Districts, Business or Individual, First Nations
Field of Interest: Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Grants support thousands of projects every year to help build healthy, vibrant, and livable communities across BC. Field of Interest Grants for arts & culture, education & training, environment & animal welfare, health & social development (up to $75,000). See website for individual grants and their eligibility.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, Business or Individual First Nations
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity, Children & Youth, Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Funding for Canadian artists and arts organizations. Five different program areas.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, Business or Individual
Field of Interest: Arts, Culture & Heritage
Description: Managed by Canada Council, Young Canada Works offers a variety of summer job and internship programs to job seekers and employers.
Canada Summer Jobs in an initiative of Summer Work Experience program that provides wage subsidies to employers to create employment for secondary and post-secondary students.
Applicant Types: not-for-profit, public and private sector
Description: Provides grant and training opportunities for community-based organizations across BC to develop and deliver innovative projects that respond to the needs of individuals and families experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, Business or Individual, Government
Field of Interest: Community Development, Seniors
Description: Funding programs from Employment and Social Development Canada are government grants and contributions that help support jobs, training, and social development. Includes apprenticeship grants.
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, School Districts, Business or Individual, Government, First Nations
Field of Interest: Children & Youth
Description: Each program has its own grant stream: Access and Activity ($500 - $15,000); Advocacy and Awareness $1,000 - $15,000); Capacity Building $5,000 - $15,000); and, Land Acquisition ($10,000 - $100,000).
Applicant Type: Charitable status, Non-Profit Society, Business or Individual
Field of Interest: Capacity Building
Description: Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage - Legacy Fund component provides funding for community-initiated capital projects, intended for community use. Recipients may receive up to 50 per cent of eligible project expenses up to a maximum of $500,000.
Applicant Type: non-profit organizations; local band councils, tribal councils or other local Aboriginal government and organizations (First Nations, Inuit or Métis);
local governments
Description: Managed by Canadian Heritage, the Canada Cultural Investment Fund encourages private sector investment, partnership and sound business practices to help arts and heritage organizations be better rooted and recognized in their communities.
Description: Supports the socio-economic integration of individuals and communities and helps them to contribute to building an integrated, socially-cohesive society. Two funding streams: events and programs.
Applicant Type: Non-Profit Society, School Districts, Government, First Nations
Field of Interest: Community Development, Culture & Diversity