REPORT TO GENERAL COMMITTEE – FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
TO:	Mayor and Members of Council
FROM:	Barbara M. Roth, Director, Recreation and Culture Services
PREPARED BY:	George Phillips, Manager, Museum
DATE OF MEETING:	2006-Feb-06
SUBJECT:	Receipt of Canadian Arts & Heritage Sustainability Program Grant

RECOMMENDATION:

That the report titled Receipt of Canadian Arts & Heritage Sustainability Program Grant (CAHSP) be received;

And that Council approve the objectives for the project, as outlined in this report;

And that the Museum be authorized to allocate portions of its proposed 2006 operating budget to support the work outlined in this report;

And that the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign the contribution agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage in order to initiate the funding in the amount of $29,000, and any other documents to give effect thereto, in a form satisfactory to the Town Solicitor;

And further that staff be authorized to apply for future grants, and that the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute future grant contribution agreements and any other documents to give affect thereto, in a form satisfactory to the Town Solicitor.

PURPOSE:

To inform Council of the Museum’s proposal to develop a marketing plan; to obtain Council approval to direct portions of its proposed 2006 operating budget allocations and approved grant funding to support the work outlined in this report; and to obtain authority to enter into a Contribution Agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage to enable the project to be funded.

BACKGROUND:

In July, 2005, an application for a grant was submitted to the Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability (CAHSP) a granting program of the Federal Department of Canadian Heritage. A grant in the amount of $14,500 has been tentatively approved by Minister of Canadian Heritage, in support of a project to improve the effectiveness of the Museums marketing and product development activities. The purpose for the project is to leverage the Museum’s basic operating funding to implement a pilot project to extend the Museum’s marketing to new audiences.

Funding of the project includes allocating salaries, marketing and promotions funds that were included as part of the Museum’s proposed 2006 operating budget.

The Markham Museum Master Plan concept was received by Council in 2004 followed by a implementation business case in 2005. One of the key recommendations in the Markham Museum Master Plan is the development of effective marketing for the Museum’s new and existing programming. Further, the Master Plan recommends development of programs that are interactive and provide experiences that are not duplicated in other local Museums or heritage village facilities.

The Master Plan has already led to the development of new programs including an interactive Children’s Gallery and public programming focused on science and technology from a historical perspective that have been well received. The full implementation of the recommended facilities and exhibits will be incremental over the next 15 years. It is our goal to generate interest and enthusiasm in the community for each new step in the Museum’s revitalization to aid in audience development and fundraising.

Staff planning the Museum’s 2006 budget recognized that in order to develop the Museum’s first professional marketing strategy additional funding was required. Concurrently the Museum Manager attended a workshop offered by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability Program to promote the recent expansion of the program’s mandate.

The CAHSP change in focus has been expanded to include projects that seek to implement recommendations contained in documents like the Museum Master Plan.

Building on the recommendations and research in the Master Plan the Museum has requested funding to address the following issues.

• An analysis of the Museum’s primary target audience – young families with children in the Markham and Greater Toronto area
• A comparative analysis of family oriented, low cost, non sports related recreational and entertainment experiences in the Markham market
• An analysis of pricing and competitive product offerings
• Identifying gaps in Markham Museum’s product offerings
• Based on the recommendations of the Master Plan and the market research findings, develop a branding and promotional strategy to define the revitalized Markham Museum
• Implementation of new advertisements and brochures
• The development of the museum website as a more effective marketing tool
• Determining enhancements to current product offerings

OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:

If Council does not approve the receipt of the federal funding, the Museum will inform the minister and the Contribution Agreement will be returned to the government.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

The total project budget as presented in the Contribution Agreement is $29,000.

As described above, project funding from the Federal government will be matched entirely by funds that have been budgeted in the Museum’s proposed 2006 operating budget for consultants fees, full and part-time salaries and travel expenses.

The assumptions for allocation of wages from the Program Coordinator’s annual salary are based on an estimate of the time required to advise and supervise the pilot project in addition to the time required for grant administration.

The Museum proposes to allocate the grant revenue to account 520 521 8401 and fund project expenses through existing Museum Department Support and Visitor Experience operating accounts.

As the chart below indicates all project expenses are directly offset by planned expenditures in 2006.

The following chart indicates the allocation of 2006 operating account accounts to provide matching support for this project.

	Town’s Contribution	CAHSP Grant	2006 Museum Budget
Administrative Expenses	Accounts 520-998-4002 – office supplies;520 998 4020 – Internal printing; 520 998 5110 & 5111 – Courier and postage		$775
Project Staff	Portion of Program Coordinator salary Account 520-998-3006		$2,500
Consultant Fees	Account 520-521-5801		$10,475
Project Travel	Site Visits Account 520-998-3500		$500
Admissions	Admissions to GTA area Museums and other attractions Account 520-998-4299		$250
Grant		$14,500
Town’s Total			$14,500
Grand Total			$29,000

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Finance

Legal

ATTACHMENTS:

Appendix “A” – Letter Informing the Museum of the Award – Department of Canadian Heritage

Appendix “B” – Contribution Agreement and Cover Letter

Barbara M. Roth, R.D.M.R. Director, Recreation and Culture Services

Jim Sales Commissioner of Community and Fire Services

Q:\Recreation\SITES\SIT010\Reports\2006\CAHSP Marketing Grant.doc