Latest News

Application Deadline Extended for the LIFT Fundraising Accelerator Program

The deadline to apply is now November 25, 2025. Elevate your fundraising efforts with the LIFT Fundraising Accelerator Program, presented in partnership with the New School of Fundraising. This eight-week program is designed to provide a solid foundation in fundraising knowledge while equipping you with practical tools to take actionable steps forward. It is an excellent opportunity for those new to fundraising and those working in mid-sized museums. See the full program details  here.

Our 2025 Award Recipients

The Alberta Museums Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Leadership Awards and Robert R. Janes Award for Social Responsibility.  The AMA Awards Program recognizes leadership, exceptional work, and innovative thinking contributing to the social, cultural, and educational fabric of Alberta. The Awards Program is grounded in the belief that excellence, innovation, and creativity form the foundation of outstanding museums.

2025 Leadership Award - Education:  Lac La Biche Museum 
2025 Leadership Award - Engagement:  National Music Centre 
2025 Robert R. Janes Award for Social Responsibility:  Millet and District Museum and Archives 

                                               AMA Awards Program

Grants Program Changes

In the 2024 - 2025 fiscal year, the Alberta Museums Association (AMA) conducted a review of the Grants Program to help us better meet the needs of our members. We hired a consultant to provide independent feedback and recommendations on how to improve the program. We held direct consultations with Individual and Institutional Members, collected feedback from a broad AMA membership survey, and researched best practices and emerging trends in grant programs offered Canada-wide. We looked at where the program had succeeded, and the challenges and needs of AMA Members. Our goal was to update the AMA Grants Program to support continuous and sustainable funding that is diversified and reliable to meet the needs of our members.

The AMA is pleased to announce the launch of the revised Grants Program, and the creation of the new Knowledge Development Bursary Program in the 2025 - 2026 granting year.

To read more about the revised grants and bursary programs, click the button below.

                                               AMA Grants and Bursary Programs

AMA's Advocacy Policy

This spring, the AMA Board of Directors approved the External Advocacy Policy for the Association. This policy serves as a guide for how the AMA will manage advocacy that addresses community or social issues beyond the direct needs of the AMA and our members.

The AMA is committed to being adaptable, responsive, and innovative in an environment of constant change, and this necessitates that the Association is responsive to issues affecting the museum sector and the broader community. As part of its commitment to organizational adaptability, the AMA is working to implement best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion; accessibility; environmental sustainability; and reconciliation.

This policy outlines the AMA's commitment to non-partisan dialogue that addresses issues in a collaborative way, and our ability to act as support for affected communities in their advocacy work around social issues impacting the museum sector.

                                               AMA's External Advocacy Policy

Concern Regarding the Auction of Hudson's Bay Company Artifacts and Call for Federal Leadership on Repatriation

In response to the proposed auction of culturally significant materials from the Hudson's Bay Company collection, and in support of the Canadian Museums Association's April 2025 statement, the Alberta Museums Association has prepared a letter template that members and citizens can send to The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, to express their concern. This action aligns with the AMA's ongoing commitment to ethical collections care, repatriation, and reconciliation. 

The AMA encourages Alberta's museum professionals and partners to strengthen policies and practices to support repatriation, shared authority, and thoughtful collections care. Together, we must ensure that decisions about cultural heritage reflect the values of respect, inclusion, and ethical accountability. During National Indigenous History Month-and beyond-we stand with others across the country in calling for systems that uphold respect, transparency, and reconciliation in the stewardship of cultural heritage. We ask our members to take this opportunity to advocate for stronger federal leadership on repatriation and the protection of heritage that holds deep cultural meaning for Indigenous communities. 

How to reach out: 

                                              Letter Template