Community Museum Operating and Pay Equity Grants

This ministry provides annual operating grants to eligible community museums across Ontario. These museums contribute to their communities' economic well-being as employers and tourist attractions, attracting over 3,000,000 visitors per year. This support strengthens their role in their communities as custodians and interpreters of the province's irreplaceable heritage collections. Museums that receive this support are required to meet the criteria established in Regulation 877, "Grants for Museums" under the Ontario Heritage Act and this ministry's Standards for Community Museums in Ontario.

The application period for 2018-19 is now closed.

Only museums that received funding through CMOG in 2017-18 are eligible to submit an application.

Museums that operate a year-round or seasonal museum in accordance with Regulation 877, “Grants for Museums” under the Ontario Heritage Act and ministry’s Standards for Community Museums in Ontario.

Please refer to the 2018-19 Program and Application Guidelines for more details.

Standards Requirements for 2018-19

The ministry will focus on two Standards: Governance and Collections.

1. Governance Standard, section 5:

The museum's operations and activities must be directed by short and long-term written plans (e.g. business plan, strategic plan, visioning plan or master plan) that are:

• Approved by the governing body.

• Contain goals and objectives relevant to the museum's statement of purpose.

2 Collections Standard, sections 4 & 6:

A Community museum must: use an effective collection documentation system, which may be paper-based, electronic, or a combination and includes:

• A standardized numbering system.

• An accession register.

• A master catalogue file.

• Signed donor and loan forms.

All mandatory documents must be submitted with your application and attach in Grants Ontario.

Please review the CMOG Program and Application Guidelines for details.

Electronic Funds Transfer Application Form and Guide

Revenue and Expenses Form

Museums Standards Enquiries contact:
Shannon Todd
Museum and Heritage Programs Advisor
Shannon.Todd@ontario.ca, 416-212-8050

Program Enquiries contact:
Shannon Khan
Culture Programs Advisor
CMOG-SFMC@ontario.ca,416-314-5186

Grants Ontario Technical Support
If you’re experiencing difficulty accessing the application, please contact Grants Ontario Customer Service at:
416-325-6691 or 1-855-216-3090, or email GrantsOntariocs@ontario.ca

Last updated: July 3, 2018