Many small ICH management teams just starting up rely on band or tribal council funding or financial support for start-up costs. As initiatives grow, grants and loans are a valuable source of revenue.
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Capacity Funding
- The BC Capacity Initiative supports First Nations to build up skills and capacity to participate in treaty negotiations, agreements and arrangements concerning Aboriginal Rights.
- Coast Funds offers three different funding streams: Annual Conservation Funding, Conservation Project Funding and Economic Development Funding.
- New Relationship Trust (NRT) governance capacity funds offers several funds related to governance capacity.
- NRT Tribal Council Policy Initiative supports policy development.
- Community Capacity Building — Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program offers funding for capacity-building projects aimed at building the applicant’s ability to promote diversity and inclusion.
Region-specific Funding
- Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust Grant supports regionally strategic investments in economic development projects, such as job creation, that will provide long-term benefits for the Southern Interior.
- Island Coastal Economic Trust Economic Development Readiness Program supports economic development capacity building and investment readiness for projects located on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, or to those whose projects will contribute to these regions.
- Northern Development Economic Development Capacity Building Program offers a “financial incentive for local governments to hire and maintain an Economic Development Officer, or to pursue economic development activities.” Activities may include economic development plans, workforce attraction plans, collaborative research studies, feasibility studies and economic diversification projects, to name a few.
- The Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund offers funding for community economic development, job creation and enhancement, and sustainable employment for applicants affected by Rio Tinto Alcan’s Nechako Reservoir and Kemano Power project.
- Northern Development Cultural Infrastructure Program supports the development or improvement of arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation spaces within Northern Development’s service region.
- Northern Development Economic Infrastructure Program supports projects of local and regional importance that add to economic growth and stronger communities within Northern Development’s service region.
Funding for Cultural Projects, Events and Activities
- First People’s Cultural Council’s (FPCC) Heritage Program offer several grants for heritage projects and initiatives, including the Indigenous Cultural Heritage Micro-Grant and the Oral Histories Program.
- FPCC offers many grants for heritage, arts and language programs. Depending on the scope of your projects and initiatives, you may be eligible for grants.
- The Canada Council for the Arts offers the Creating, Knowing and Sharingprogram, which provides grant opportunities to support contemporary, customary or traditional artistic and cultural activities.
- The Heritage Legacy Fund offers four streams of funding, including the Heritage Conservation Program, the Heritage Awareness Program, the Heritage Planning Program, and the Indigenous Partnership Program.
- Keepers of the Earth Fund provides grants ranging between $500 and $5,000 for grassroots, Indigenous-led organizations and groups to support their self-designed development projects based on Indigenous values.
- The Listen, Hear Our Voices Initiative administered by Library and Archives Canada, offers free services for “Indigenous organizations, individuals, collectors and creators to digitize and to help preserve culture and language recordings.” There are also funding opportunities for digitizing Indigenous culture and language recordings that already exist and to help build the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to digitize and preserve such recordings.
- Indigenous Languages and Cultures Program, a program of the Federal government, strengthens Indigenous cultural identity and participation in Canadian society through preserving and revitalizing Indigenous languages and culture.
- Anti-Racism Action Program provides funding for projects that promote participation and reduce barriers in sport, arts and culture.
- Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage supports opportunities for local artists, artisans, and heritage performers to participate in community festivals, events, and projects. Funding may also be used to commemorate heritage.
- Local Festivals – Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage provides funding to local groups for recurrent arts and heritage festivals.
Tangible Heritage and Built Heritage Funding
- The City of Vancouver offers grants for built heritage, including the Heritage Incentive Program, the Heritage Façade Rehabilitation Program, and the Heritage Conservation Grants Program.
- Museums Assistance Program supports heritage institutions and workers in the preservation and presentation of heritage collections.
- Indigenous Heritage — Museums Assistance Program provides funding for projects related to the preservation, management and presentation of ICH.
- Movable Cultural Property Grants supports designated organizations to obtain cultural property of outstanding significance and national importance to Canada (in accordance with the Cultural Property Export and Import Act).
- Canada Cultural Spaces Fund supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation, such as construction/renovations, access to specialized equipment and feasibility studies for cultural spaces.
- Parks Canada’s National Cost-sharing Program for Heritage Places provides funding for national historic sites, heritage lighthouses and heritage railway stations.
- Library and Archives Canada Documentary Heritage Communities Program supports projects that increase access to and awareness of Canadian documentary heritage organizations and their holdings.
Potential Revenue
Depending on the type of ICH team or initiative you have, you may be able to generate your own revenue that will help sustain your team. Examples of revenue and funding you can generate from your cultural heritage management team or program include:
Permitting fees: The fees charged for permit applications can provide revenue for your program to help cover salary and overhead costs.
Income for community members: Require a community member to be on-site as an archaeologist, field technician or field monitor as part of your permitting requirements.