Competition

* Unless explicitly noted, all times indicated for deadlines are for the appropriate NL timezone (NST or NDT)

Funding is provided for Canadian museums, and heritage, cultural or Indigenous organizations who are seeking to develop a Community Stories project using DMC’s website-building platform.

Note: Organizations seeking to create an online project from the ground up, with the support of a web development agency are invited to consider the Digital Projects investment stream.

DMC is centered on digital storytelling. Proposed projects should be developed around telling a story to a specific target audience with a tailored user experience. The story should be structured according to key messages, audience take-aways or themes. Content and collections should be selected to reinforce the chosen narrative.

As such, proposed projects cannot simply be a searchable collections database or archive without a curated focus or story to tell. Institutional or corporate websites and digitization projects are not eligible.

Eligible projects must be presented in both English and French but may also incorporate other languages. Projects must meet digital accessibility standards, allowing users to access the content anywhere in the world, at no cost, and without purchased equipment (such as AR headsets).

Investment Amount

DMC invests $25,000 CAD in each Community Story that is produced in both English and French. Review the DMC-eligible expenses, in Proposal Questions and Tips.

If the Community Story will be produced in a third language:

• Since translation costs can vary depending on the language, the investment amount provided from DMC is $25,000 plus the actual costs of the third language translation (provide estimate) and a $2,000 stipend provided to the organization.

• DMC reserves the right to set a maximum investment for the third language version based on available funding. Organizations may be asked to adjust their word counts.  As a general guideline, Community Stories typically range between 10,000 and 20,000 words to support an engaging and accessible digital storytelling experience.

DMC is an investment program rather than a grant. Organizations receive support and guidance from the DMC team throughout the development and launch of their projects. Funds are released over phases, upon review and approval of deliverables.

Key Dates

• Call for Proposals opens: June 15

• Application Assistance: September to November

• Call for Proposals closes: December 1

Following year

• Notice of award or regret: by end of April 2026

• Signature of DMC Agreement: by June 30, 2026, or sooner

• Project schedule start date (i.e., project kick-off and beginning of Phase 1): no earlier than mid-June 2026

• Signature of DMC Amendment and close of Phase 1: by January 31, 2027, or sooner

• Launch date for bilingual projects: at maximum, DMC requires projects to launch within 2 years, (i.e., June 30, 2028), but projects can be completed in approximately 18 months

• Launch date for trilingual projects: at maximum, DMC requires projects to launch within 2.5 years, (i.e., December 31, 2028), but projects can be completed in approximately 24 months

In addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, this opportunity must also be submitted for Departmental, HSS Faculty, and Research Initiatives and Services (RIS) institutional reviews and approvals via Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP). In order to facilitate the HSS Faculty’s administrative review, please ensure "Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Facilitator)" and “Matthew Milner (Grants Facilitator)” are added as "Team Members" on your RP file. 

In accordance with University-wide approval protocols, all tabs of the RP file must be completed, the completed application must be uploaded to the “Attachments” tab, all supporting documentation including support for cash and in-kind commitments and/or letters of support must also be uploaded, and “Submit” must be pressed prior to the HSS internal deadline listed below. HSS cannot guarantee completion of an administrative review for application files that are incomplete and/or are submitted after the HSS deadline. For more detailed submission instructions and information, please consult the HSS Research Support Services website.

If you plan to apply to this competition or other research funding opportunities (as either PI or CI), e-mail an HSS Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien (HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or 864-8603) or Matthew Milner (HSSResearchGrants@mun.ca or 864-8050), to notify the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of your intent to apply. E-mailing the intent to apply as early as possible will help to facilitate an efficient review. A Grants Facilitator can answer any questions you may have about internal or external submission procedures and may also be able to help with proposal development.