Public Acknowledgment of Financial Assistance

Creating Canada Together

Canadian Heritage aims to help Canadians:

• express and share their diverse cultural experiences with each other and the world; and
• live in an inclusive society built on inter-cultural understanding and citizen participation.

Guidelines for acknowledging funding

These guidelines are designed to assist you in publicly acknowledging financial assistance received from the Department of Canadian Heritage. Their purpose is to ensure that acknowledgment and recognition of Government of Canada funding is communicated in an effective, coherent and consistent manner.

Why

As stated in your Grant or Contribution Agreement, public acknowledgment is a condition when receiving financial assistance from the Government of Canada. This applies even when the funding received has been contributed indirectly (i.e., through a third-party organization).

Public acknowledgment shows how public funds are being spent, and raises public understanding of the cultural, social and economic benefits of agreements such as yours. When funded initiatives are successful, acknowledgment of government assistance can provide us with a valuable rationale to continue to support community organizations in a tangible way.

When

Once funding has been approved, there are numerous opportunities for acknowledging your federal contribution, for example:

• during project launch
• at opening or unveiling ceremonies
• in media interviews or announcements
• upon successful project completion

Even if a Minister (or other departmental representative) has publicly announced your project, you still need to acknowledge the federal funding in your own promotional activities and events. You should notify your departmental representative at least 14 days prior to any planned recognition activity.

Where

In general, you will report the assistance in your financial, educational or publicity materials/activities, such as: news releases, speeches, workshops, audio-visuals, annual reports, event programs, posters, brochures and other publications.

How

With public activities such as performances and exhibitions, audio-visual productions, or print and electronic publications, the contribution in most instances should be acknowledged through proper use of the 'Canada' wordmark.

A message should accompany the wordmark, or may be used instead where placement is not possible (e.g., a radio broadcast). Messages should be in both official languages. Depending on the circumstances, here is a bilingual lay out for use in printed materials and suggested wording for verbal announcements.

• Project partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (name of program may be added if space permits).
  
  

Where space is very limited, the following short clause with the ‘Canada' wordmark may be used with prior approval.

• With the participation of the Government of Canada.

Where Canadian Heritage is the only federal contributor and there is insufficient space for a message, the departmental signature should accompany the wordmark, if space allows.

If more than one federal department has contributed, instead use the Government of Canada signature with the Wordmark.

Note: Government signatures may not be altered in any way, must be given equal prominence to those of similar contributors, and must appear as distinct elements in a reasonable amount of white space. Their use and placement must not convey the impression of government ownership.

Copies of government signatures can be found on our Web site at: www.pch.gc.ca/signatures.

Ministerial messages

Festivals and other major events normally publish a program in which free space is reserved for a message from Canadian Heritage. The Department prepares these messages on request and provides them in camera-ready format. To arrange a message, please contact your representative or the office of the Minister well in advance of your publishing deadline.

For more guidance

For some programs, additional acknowledgment information and guidelines can be found in the relevant program section of our Web site: www.pch.gc.ca. Contact your departmental representative through the local office of Canadian Heritage for additional direction on how to acknowledge the financial assistance you have received.

To learn more about our programs

The Department of Canadian Heritage is responsible for the delivery of more than 60 federal programs. We publish an annual Guide to Canadian Heritage Financial Support Programs, which can be found on our Web site at this address: www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/lst/index-eng.cfm.

Contact information for our national, regional and district offices across Canada is included in the guide. For general information, please contact the departmental office nearest you, or call Canadian Heritage's toll free number: 1-866-811-0055.