Submission Deadline: December 15th, 2026

 

Direct any questions to:

Amber Hanover, Community Engagement Lead
community@saskmuseums.org
306-780-9451

OR

Sarah Durham, Museums Advisor
advisor@saskmuseums.org
306-780-9266

 

Guidelines:

Please see the full guidelines here, including evaluation metrics and examples of evidence and support material.

Applications will be adjudicated by MAS staff against the evaluation criteria and support material submitted. Evidence for evaluation must be attached to the online form; these attachments can include documents, video, photos, social media, direct links to websites, or any other documentation that supports the criteria.

Applicants will be notified by MAS via email once the application(s) have been processed.

 

• Reconciliation
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Management
• Collections: Collections Management
• Collections: Conservation and Storage
• Collections: Research
• Communication: Exhibits
• Communication: Programs

 

The guidelines for each area of evaluation can be found here.

Museums must understand their role and obligations when it comes to reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) defines reconciliation as an ongoing process of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships. A critical part of this process involves repairing damaged trust by making apologies, providing individual and collective reparations, and following through with concrete actions that demonstrate real societal change.

Please refer to the Reconciliation section of the guidelines for evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (5):

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):

Land Acknowledgments:

Exhibits:

Programming:

Indigenous Involvement:

Examples of evaluation include:

• Video walk-through of exhibitions;
• Thorough writeup of exhibitions;
• Breakdown of the percentage of exhibition space dedicated, permanent and/or temporary;
• Letters of support;
• Testimonials;
• Policies and Bylaws;
• Contracts

Diversity and inclusion are two interconnected concepts—but they are far from interchangeable. Diversity is about representation or the make-up of an entity. Inclusion is about how well the contributions, presence and perspectives of different groups of people are valued and integrated into an environment. (Matt Bush, "Why Is Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace important," 02 December 2022)

Please refer to the Diversity and Inclusion section of the guidelines for evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (5):

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Statement(s):

Adopted MAS Safer Spaces Statement:

Community Relevance:

Accessibility:

Representation:

Examples of evaluation include:

• Video or photographs of building(s) and exhibition spaces;
• Policies and Equity Statements;
• Testimonials;
• Letters of support;
• Contracts of partnerships;
• Staff and Board list

A key role of management is assisting the museum, regardless of its size or organizational structure, in achieving consistent results so the museum’s mission can be articulated and fulfilled.

Effective museum management is a responsibility that embraces all the resources and activities of the museum and involves all the staff and volunteers. It is a necessary element in the development and advancement of a museum. 

Management encompasses General Museum Management, Financial Management, Human Resources Management, and Risk Management. Each practice supports the museum’s mission statement and its sustainability.

Please refer to the Management section of the guidelines for evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (10):

Museum Management:

Financial Management:

Human Resources Management:

Risk Management:

Examples of evaluation include:

• Video or photographs of building(s) and exhibition spaces;
• Policies and Equity Statements;
• Mission Statement;
• Financial statements, Annual Report;
• Job Descriptions;
• Fundraising initiatives;
• Professional Development attendance, certificates of completion;

Museums fulfil obligations of public trust in collections management by preserving their collections. This includes: documentation, acquisition and accession, loans, cataloguing, location control, and de-accession and disposal, etc. These policies, including repatriation policies, should be made available for community access.

Please refer to the Collections Management section of the guidelines for evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (5):

Collections Mandate:

Collections Management Policy:

Collections Management System (digital/paper):

Transparency, Public Communication, and Community Awareness:

Relationship with Originating Communities:

Examples of evaluation include:

• Collections Management Policy (Acquisition, Loan, De-accession/Disposal, Repatriation/Rematriation, etc.);
• Collections Mandate/Collections Strategy;
• Collections assessment;
• Inventory;
• Care and Handling Policy (eg.traditional knowledge, spiritual care, etc.);
• Acquisition paperwork and/or provenance questionnaire;
• Minutes noting policy updates and/or revisions;
• Temporary receipts, object exit forms, loan paperwork, de-accession forms;
• Condition report forms;
• Cataloguing worksheet;
• Policies publicly available (website, notice to contact for more information, etc.)

Conservation strives to prevent or minimize the effects of the agents of deterioration that can affect collections during handling, research, exhibit, and storage.

Preventative conservation is achieved through policies, procedures and guidelines that help to implement acceptable standards for all aspects of collections care. This includes storage, handling, exhibit, access, environmental conditions, transportation, interpretation, pest control, disaster management and security.

Please refer to the Conservation and Storage section of the guidelines for evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (5):

Exhibition and Storage Environment:

Collections Storage Security:

Considerations for Culturally Sensitive and Sacred Belongings:

Organization and Management:

Seasonally Operated Considerations:
(if answered "yes" to open year round in profile, please select 1 as N/A)

Examples of evaluation include:

• Collections and Storage policies
• Video or photographs of building(s),storage, and exhibition spaces;
• HOBO printouts, photos of dehumidifiers, monitors, equipment related to environmental monitoring
• Policies surrounding access, ceremony, and general care and storage of Indigenous materials;
• Protocols outlining restricted and authorized access to collection storage area;
• Procedure and training documents;
• Communication, MOU’s, letters of support;
• Location mapping evidence;
• Opening and closing procedures

As public institutions, museums have a responsibility to create and advance knowledge and understanding about their collections. Equally important is ensuring this knowledge is made available to the communities the museum serves.

Research activities can be undertaken by museum staff and volunteers as well as outside researchers. Regardless of how it is conducted, research must be grounded in best practices and adhere to ethical guidelines.

Please refer to the Research section of the full guidelines for evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (4):

Research Policy:

Oral History and Fieldwork Policy:

Collections Research:

Community Access for Research:

Examples of evaluation include:

• Policies;
• Publications (academic journals, newspaper articles, blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, interviews with artists, documentaries, etc.);
• Exhibition catalogues;
• Curatorial essays;
• Community programs (lecture series, workshops, demonstrations, etc.)
• Exhibitions (interpretive panels, timelines, etc.)

Exhibits are a fundamental feature of a museum, and the museum’s main communication tool with its audience. When developing exhibits, considerations should include current and new approaches to exhibit design, and incorporate a variety of learning approaches. Exhibition themes should incorporate multiple perspectives and address the issues and interests of the community.

Please reger to the Exhibits section of the guidelines for the evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (4):

Accessibility:

Interpretation:

Reconciliation:

Community Relevance:

Examples of evaluation include:

• Exhibition Policy;
• Website links to virtual exhibitions, including links to any apps used onsite;
• Video or photographs (e.g., exhibition spaces, interpretive panels, etc.);
• Curatorial essays;
• Land Acknowledgments;
• Percentage of dedicated exhibition space for Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+,
• Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, and Newcomers;
• Community support documents;
• Diverse communication approaches (text, audio, interactives, audio guides, etc.)
• Percentage of permanent vs temporary exhibition space

Public programs reflect the museum’s mission and mandate and are expressed through a wide range of activities. They involve the community in museum activities and provide opportunities to share information and create meaning.

Public programming should be educational and engaging. It provides opportunities for the sharing of information. Public programming can also extend outside of the museum’s walls. It can include being part of community sponsored activities (such as parades or festivals), citizen science activities (such as public bird counts or school groups collecting data from their community), in-class school workshops (where museum personnel go to schools to deliver programming), and activities lead by the museum (such as nature or historical walks of the area).

Please refer to the Programs section of the guidelines for evaluation criteria, here.

Evaluation metrics: Grading scale

1(Poor) - 5(Excellent) for each point of evaluation (5):

Programming Policy:

Variety of Delivery Formats:

Diversity of Target Audience:

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA)/ Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI):

Supports Exhibitions and Missions Statements:

Examples of evaluation include:

• Program Policy;
• Samples of programs run in past year (online, in-person, onsite, offsite, etc.);
• Links to website, social media posts, downloadable resources;
• Clear statement on audience these programs serve;
• Overview and outcomes of courses proposed/offered;
• MOUs/Letters of Support from partner organisations/community groups;
• Evaluations;

Thank you for your application.

You should receive an acknowledgement by email for your application. If you do not receive an auto reply, please contact community@saskmuseums.org or advisor@saskmuseums.org to confirm your application has been received. 

A decision will be made by an adjudication jury, and you will be notified if your application was successful.