Grants Program FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for AMA Grants?
Grants are available to Alberta-based Institutional Members of
the Alberta Museums Association (AMA). Institutional Members must
hold one of the following designations through the Recognized Museum
Program: Recognized Museum Leader, Recognized Museum,
Conditionally Recognized Museum, Candidate or Candidate Leader in
the Recognized Museum Program.
Specific eligibility criteria and restrictions are listed in the
Guidelines for each Grant Category.
Who is eligible to apply for the AMA Knowledge Development
Bursary?
Knowledge Development Bursaries are available to Alberta-based
Individual Members of the AMA. Specific eligibility criteria and
restrictions are listed in the Knowledge
Development Bursary Guidelines.
What types of grants and bursaries does the AMA offer?
The AMA offers grants and bursaries in the following
categories:
Institutional Grant
Institutional Grants provide financial support to eligible
Institutional Members of the Alberta Museums Association (AMA) for
projects connected to areas within standards of practice identified
in the Standard Practices Handbook for Museums: Museums
and Society, Governance and Operations, Collections, Programming as
well as Disaster Recovery. A project is defined as an
activity that has a definite start and end date, specific goals,
and a plan for implementation and evaluation.
Projects undertaken must align with the AMA values of Courageous
Leadership, Service Excellence, Reciprocity, Agents of Social
Change, Compelling Communication, Intentional Inclusion, and
Collective Celebration. Linkages to the museum's long-term plans
must also be identified.
Operational Staffing Grant
Operational Staffing Grants support museums by providing
one-year funding assistance for the wages or salaries of core staff
positions. These positions help museums achieve their long-term
goals as engaged, inclusive, and thriving institutions at the heart
of our communities.
Core staff positions are those that fulfill an ongoing need
within the museum. Please see the Institutional Grant Category for
support of specialized contract and consultants engaged in
projects.
Knowledge Development Bursary
The Knowledge Development Bursary provides financial support to
eligible Individual Members as they undertake Formal and Informal
learning opportunities that will enhance the current phase of their
museum careers. Application narratives should clearly demonstrate
alignment with the AMA values of Courageous Leadership, Service
Excellence, Reciprocity, Agents of Social Change, Compelling
Communication, Intentional Inclusion, and Collective
Celebration.
How can I get help with my application?
The AMA offers Advisory Services to help applicants better
understand the Grants and Knowledge Development Bursary Programs.
The Grants Program
Lead is available to answer questions about eligibility
for funding, changes to the application process, and provide
clarification on the grants and bursary criteria.
How do I submit my grant application?
Application forms are filled out and submitted through the
online form portal, accessible on the AMA website. Progress in the
online forms can be saved; however, it is strongly recommended you
complete your responses in a separate, saveable document and paste
the responses into the application form. To aid in this process,
the questions for each grant application are available in a
separate PDF document.
Applications and attachments must be submitted using the online
form portal, accessible at museums.ab.ca, before 4:30
p.m. on the grant deadline. If the deadline falls on a weekend or
statutory holiday, applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. on
the next business day after the deadline. After an application is
submitted, an automated confirmation email acknowledging receipt of
the application will be sent. Late submissions will not be
accepted.
Each question in the application form has set character limits.
Jurors review upwards of forty applications each
grant run, and applicants need to be clear and concise in their
answers. Answers to questions in the narrative submitted as
supplementary attachments will not be considered for review by the
jury.
A guide on how to use the online form portal can be found here.
How do I submit my bursary application?
Application forms are filled out and submitted through the
online form portal, accessible on the AMA website. Progress in the
online forms can be saved; however, it is strongly recommended you
complete your responses in a separate, saveable document and paste
the responses into the application form. To aid in this process,
the questions for the Knowledge Development Bursary application are
available in a separate PDF document.
Applications and attachments may be submitted using the AMA
online form portal, accessible at museums.ab.ca, starting at
9:00 a.m. on the opening date of the bursary. The AMA online form
remains open for ten business days from the opening date of the
bursary. Applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the closing
day of the intake. After an application is submitted, an automated
confirmation email acknowledging receipt of the application will be
sent. Late submissions will not be accepted.
A guide on how to use the online form portal can be found here.
Can I submit my grant or bursary application by fax /
mail?
No. This is an online application process only; emails, faxes,
and hardcopy applications will not be accepted.
How can I check the status of my grant or bursary
application?
To check the status of your grant application, log in to the
Members Only Section of the AMA website and click the Grant
Information button at the bottom of your Dashboard. Please note,
all grant information is secure and can only be viewed by
individuals in possession of the member applicant's login
credentials.
For more details on how to access this information, please
see:
How
to Access your Individualized Grant Information Online
How long until I know the outcome of my
application?
The complete application process, from application deadline to
notification of grant or bursary status, may take up to ten weeks.
The AMA aims to process applications in a timely and efficient
manner that adheres to our accountability requirements.
How are grant applications assessed?
Operational Staffing and Institutional Grant applications are
adjudicated by a peer jury of Individual Members of the Alberta
Museums Association with knowledge of the museum sector.
Adjudication is based on a ranking system. All sections of the
application narrative are allocated points which the jury uses to
score each submission. The jury must reach a consensus when scoring
each application. AMA Staff facilitate the jury process but are not
involved in decision-making.
How is the jury selected?
Prior to grant deadlines for the year, the Grants Program Lead
puts out a Call for Jurors. From the pool of potential jurors, the
Grants Program Lead chooses Individual Members of the AMA who
represent a diversity of skill, education level, geographic
location, museum size, and experience to form a jury. Individual
Members can participate as jurors once every two years.
If you are interested in participating in a Jury, please contact
the Grants Program Lead at grants@museums.ab.ca or 780.424.2626.
How are bursaries assessed?
Applications are processed and evaluated for eligibility in the
order in which they are received. Funds are awarded to eligible
applications in the order received until the funding allocations
for the bursary run are exhausted. All fields in the application
form must be completed; incomplete applications will not be
accepted.
What is the purpose of the Institutional Profile and the
Applicant Profile?
Institutional Profile information is provided to the jury to
illustrate the overall capacity of an institution. The Applicant
Profile is used to assess bursary applicant eligibility. The AMA
has identified a need to track how museums are using Artificial
Intelligence (AI) to support their work as the AMA prepares for AI
to have a growing impact on how it operates. Information collected
on the use of AI is not used in the scoring of grant applications
and is not used to assess bursary application eligibility.
Still have questions? Please contact the Grants Program Lead at
grants@museums.ab.ca or
780.424.2626.