Application Deadline: April 28, 5pm ET

The Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund is investing $105 million to support community arts and culture, heritage, tourism, sport and recreation organizations, that are experiencing significant financial pressures due to the pandemic. These organizations support community engagement, tourism and recreation through a variety of attractions, experiences, programs, events and activities. The Community Building Fund is offering two streams – Operating and Capital.

Eligibility Guidelines

Organizations applying to the Community Building Fund - Operating stream need to have a significant presence in the arts and culture, heritage, tourism, sport and recreation sectors, and operate facilities and/or deliver experiences or programs in Ontario that are open to the public, 

and must meet one of the following:

• A charitable organization or public foundation registered as a charity by the Canada Revenue Agency
• An organization incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation without share capital in a Canadian jurisdiction
• A First Nation / Métis / Inuit or other Indigenous community funding opportunities offered by the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and Grants Ontario.

Ineligible organizations include:

• Any Municipality or municipal agencies
• A conservation authority
• An unincorporated branch or chapter of a registered charity or incorporated not-for-profit organization
• A for-profit organization
• A university/college, hospital, school and or an agency of one of these organizations
• An agency of the provincial or federal government
• Organizations outside Ontario

Operating Stream Outcomes

Organizations can apply for funding from the Community Building Fund - Operating stream to remain viable to operate facilities and/or deliver experiences or programs to Ontarians in the short and longer term. Outcomes include:

• Transform operations to meet public health requirements  
• Maintain viability to operate facilities and/or deliver experiences or programs in the short and medium term 
• Ensure sustainability to operate facilities and/or deliver experiences or programs in the long term 
• Adapt to new ways of working  
• Meet the changing needs of program and service delivery 
• Enhance visitor and participant experiences

To learn more, attend OTF's information sessions HERE. 

To visit OTF's webpage for more information, click HERE.

• Impacts identified are COVID-19 related.
• Grant request aligns with Community Building Fund - Operating stream outcomes
• Request amount aligns with organization's total eligible operating expenses
• Financial Workbook (budget) includes eligible expenses only

Grant application deadline: April 28, 2021 at 5 PM ET. 
Term length: 6 or 12 months.
Amount awarded: Minimum $10,000, Maximum $250,000

Contact OTF's Support Centre for general inquiries about the Community Building Fund - Operating stream. 
otf@otf.ca
1 800 263 2887

Book a 15-minute application coaching call with an OTF Program Manager. 
Book online: otf.ca/support/application-coaching

Application Deadline: April 20, 5 pm ET

The 2021 Reconnect Festival and Event Program supports innovative programming and marketing for festivals and events. It helps to improve experiences for visitors and stimulate local community economic development and recovery.

To be eligible, your organization must:

• be Ontario-based with legal status for one year or longer, as of January 1, 2021. For example, this includes organizations that are:
  • established by or under legislation
  • federally or provincially incorporated
  • band councils established under the Indian Act
  • other Indigenous organizations that are incorporated
• not be in default of the terms and conditions of any grant or loan agreement with any ministry or agency of the Government of Ontario (for example, Ontario Trillium Foundation)

Your event must also meet each of the following requirements:

• take place between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022
• if an in-person event, it must occur in the province of Ontario. Broadcast or virtual events must be produced in Ontario
• be open to the public at large without membership in a club or group
• follow all municipal and provincial guidelines, including health and safety guidelines

Organizations that are approved for funding will enter into a Transfer Payment Agreement with the province.

Read more HERE.

Download the application form HERE. 

The Ontario Arts Council has several programs with application deadlines upcoming. Read more about the programs, their funding, and the application process HERE.

You can also review the OAC's COVID-19 Updates, FAQs and Resources.

• Community Building Fund - Operating Stream
• 2021 Reconnect Festival and Event Program
• Ontario Arts Council 2021 Funding

The Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture hosted a webinar about on the above granting programs on March 31st. The webinar covered application processes, timelines, and requirements for the programs. To watch the recording, click HERE.

The online Indigenous Collections Symposium 2021: Mashkawatgong-mamawewiziwin – strengthening our bonds, sharing our practices took place last week. This gathering brought together 250 colleagues from Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations and communities from all over the country.  Together, we explored ways of doing our work that honour Indigenous heritage and discussed current needs while proposing actionable steps to support each other in the journey towards reconciliation.

We are grateful to all speakers, moderators, and Elders for guiding our learning and to all attendees for their enthusiastic participation!

This special feature of museums will highlight both in-person and virtual experiences in Ontario museums, and provides an opportunity for museums of all sizes and Regional Museum Networks to reach out to visitors in-print and online with special rates to advertise. 

As museums plan for their re-opening dates and tourists plan their "staycations", the Explore Ontario's Museums special feature, slated for publication on Friday, May 28th, will close out May is Museum Month with all that Ontario museums have to offer!

Important Dates:

• Advertising Commitment- April 30th, 2021
• Material Deadlines- May 7th, 2021
• Print/Digital Publication Dates- Friday, May 28th, 2021

Read the Special Feature information Package HERE. 

We encourage museums to work with their Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) and / or Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) to coordinate advertising. 

To learn more and participate, reach out to your Globe and Mail advertising representative:
KEITH RYDER, Special Reports Associate
kryder@globeandmail.com

 
Since 2000, the OMA has led a campaign for May is Museum Month / Mai, Mois des Musées. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has declared the theme for International Museum Day 2021 (May 18th) to be "The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine." 

In 2021, public awareness of the safe, quality experiences that museums can offer is especially important. For MMM 2021, the OMA encourages museums to use social media and digital tools to share the offers they have for their communities and hyperlocal tourists. 

May is Museum Month is an opportunity to showcase the excellent work of museums and engage your supporters! You can download a MMM logo, and plan your upcoming communications: 

• Download the MMM 2021 logo HERE
  • en français ICI
• Plan to use hashtag #ONMuseumMonth

Look for a social media kit in early April!

The Ontario government is providing an estimated $100 million for a new one-time Ontario Tourism and Hospitality Small Business Support Grant and $100 million for a new one-time recovery program.

This significant investment is part of the 2021 Budget, Ontario's Action Plan: Protecting People's Health & Our Economy, and will support the province's tourism industry as it recovers from the impacts of COVID-19. Total support from the Ontario government for the tourism, culture, sports, recreation, and heritage industries since the start of the pandemic now totals $625 million.

Details were provided by Premier Doug Ford, Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board.

Read more HERE.

The Ontario government is investing $325,000 to support the planning and development of a new Greek-Canadian heritage museum to house a collection of artifacts in Toronto. The museum will serve as a new community hub and central repository of photos, historic newspapers, books and an archive of recorded histories.

Additionally, it will provide professionally designed educational programs for people of all ages, linking generations of Canadians to the Hellenic legacy. 

Details were provided by Premier Doug Ford and Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, during a virtual meeting with His Eminence Archbishop Sotirios. 

Read the media release HERE.

Watch a video of the announcement HERE

The Niagara Parks Power Station will open its doors to the public on Canada Day.

It’s located just south of the Horseshoe Falls and is considered to be the only fully intact, decommissioned hydroelectric power plant of its era in the world.

Phase One of the visitor experience, which opens July 1, will include daytime tours of the historic building and a nighttime immersive sound and light experience.

Read more HERE.

April 06, 2021
1:00 PM EST

This webinar will explore what inclusive leadership should look like. It also provides you with the strategies and knowledge you need to successfully implement inclusive leadership into your role.

For current Canadian Certified Inclusion Professionals (CCIP^TM), this event qualifies for continued professional development credit. Contact ccip.certification@ccdi.ca for more information.

Register as an Employer Partner

Register as a current CCDI Individual Practitioner

Register as a member of the public (A fee of $39 will be applied)

Read more HERE.

April 15, 2021
1:00 PM EST

COVID-19 has taken a toll on so many fields, but perhaps none more so than the arts and culture. Hear from the private and public sectors, government and academic experts in the field who will share thoughts on when we might return to normal...and what a new normal may look like.

Read more HERE.

The following information is provided for members of the Canadian Museums Association:

Special General Meeting
Canadian Museums Association

On March 16, 2021, spurred by resignations from the CMA Board on March 10, a group of concerned members of the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) came together to discuss critical issues facing the sector and the lack of consistent response from our professional association. The group wrote an open letter to the CMA executive, CMA members, and museum professionals across Canada expressing their concerns, and invited members to sign a petition calling for a Special General Meeting (SGM).

The petition gathered 92 signatures, including those of 54 Voting Members, as required by the Bylaws, and the notice of the result was sent to the CMA Secretariat and Board on March 19. The SGM, provisionally scheduled for April 30, will provide members and representatives of the community the opportunity to prepare a mandate letter and resolutions for the Association AGM. Notice of the SGM will be sent to all CMA members by the Secretariat.

Call for Nominations by Members
Board of the Canadian Museums Association

On March 25, 2021, the CMA announced the appointment of two new Board members, providing quorum for the Annual General Meeting, scheduled for May 3, 2021. At the same time, the CMA issued a renewed Call for Nominations. Nominations of candidates for the Board are crucial to support a renewed CMA. As a membership-driven organization, it is up to members to actively support its work.

Call for Nominations by Members
There are 11 positions on the Board, eight Directors-at-Large and three Officers (President and two Vice-Presidents). This is our opportunity to ensure that members can vote for Directors from a diverse and representative slate of candidates presented by the Members.

We are inviting you to be nominated or to nominate another candidate for the Board of the CMA. Submission guidelines are posted on the CMA website. Submissions require a short bio, proof of CMA membership and information about involvement with the CMA. The submission must also be supported by two voting members and include the concurrence of the nominee.

Nominations from Members must be sent by April 15, 2021 to elkaweinstein@gmail.com. We will prepare the Members slate to be sent in writing to the CMA by April 17, 2021.

Please reach out to us if you have questions or require further information:
Elka Weinstein
Victoria Dickenson
Naomi Grattan
Robin Inglis

Read more HERE.
en français ICI.

The OMA office will be closed from April 2 - April 5. We look forward to connecting with you again soon!

If you are already an OMA member, please renew your membership when you receive an email reminder. If you are not a member, please consider joining, either as an institution or an individual. You can find information about member categories and benefits on our website.

Please also consider making a donation to the OMA on our website or through Canada Helps.

Your support of the OMA and your participation in events like this webinar make us stronger as a sector, and we appreciate each and everyone one of you.

An OMA membership connects you with our network of over 1000 members, representing 700 museums, galleries, and heritage sites across the province. In addition, an OMA membership provides you with the latest news via the ONmuseums newsletter, eNews alerts, and COVID-19 resources to mitigate impact for Ontario museums, galleries and heritage sites.

The OMA has prepared a dedicated webpage of COVID-19 communications and resources, updated as new information and resources become available.
Read more HERE.

For all questions or inquiries please contact the OMA: community@museumsontario.ca or call 416-348-8672 / 1-866-662-8672.

Marie G. Lalonde
Executive Director
mlalonde@museumsontario.ca