The Honourable Minister of Canadian Heritage, Mélanie Joly, and the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, Dr. Guy Berthiaume, yesterday announced the results of the first funding cycle of the Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP).
This new Library and Archives Canada (LAC) program will provide $1.5 million in funding to 65 projects led by archives, libraries and heritage institutions across Canada.
Dr. Berthiaume said, “Library and Archives Canada has been impressed with the quality of the projects selected for funding under the DHCP and by the passion of documentary heritage practitioners. This initial $1.5-million funding cycle is only the beginning, and we believe that the coming years will also yield many other exciting projects that will allow Canadians to learn more about their country and themselves.”
Genealogical societies received funding
Among those who received funding were the British Columbia Genealogical Society for the BCGS Pedigree Chart Project ($4,609) and the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society for Preserving Your Roots Through Digital Storytelling ($8,943).
The DHCP was created this year to provide financial assistance for activities that augment the visibility of and access to materials held by Canada’s local documentary heritage institutions. It will provide $7.5 million in contributions over the next five years to eligible applicants across Canada for a variety of projects that will also allow citizens to access and engage with their nation’s history.
Funding objectives
To be eligible for funding, you must meet one of two objectives:
- Increase access to and awareness of Canada’s local documentary heritage institutions and their holdings.
- Increase the capacity of local documentary heritage institutions to better sustain and preserve Canada’s documentary heritage.
Recipients
Here are some of the organizations who received funding this year, their projects, and amount of funding.
Bulkley Valley Historical and Museum Society (BC)
Bulkley Vallen Museum Collections Accessibility Project – $15,000
Vancouver Police Historical Society
Building Archival Foundations – $12,986
Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia
Seidelman Family Fonds Digitization Project – $6,003
La Société historique de Saint-Boniface (Manitoba)
Digitization of 28 architectural projects by Étienne Gaboury – $44,192
Trinity Historical Society (Newfoundland)
Remember the Fallen at Beaumont Hamel – honouring Our Own – 1916-2016 – $14,500
Oshawa Historical Society (Ontario)
Oshawa Newspaper Digitization Project – $6,296
Jewish Federation of Ottawa
Ottawa Jewish Archives Online – $6,490
Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society (Ontario)
Library Catalogue Conversion – $14,980
Musée de la Gaspésie (Quebec)
Robin Company’s Archives Development – $29,320
Centre d’étude des noirs (Quebec)
Processing of the English-speaking Black Community Archives – $22,816
Eastern Townships Resource Centre (Quebec)
Creation of a Regional Online Database for the Eastern Townships – $43,828
Saskatchewan Genealogical Society
Preserving Your Roots Through Digital Storytelling – $8,943
The complete list of this year’s recipients is on the LAC website.
Application info
Information about how to apply for DHCP funding is available here. The deadline to apply for the next funding cycle is February 26, 2016.
