Donating objects and/or archival material

If requested, the Canadian Museum of History will issue a tax receipt for the total value of a donation if it is over $100.00. A tax receipt may take several months to be issued. Please clearly indicate if you would like a tax receipt at the beginning of the acquisition process.

No. We are very interested in hearing more about your objects and/or archival material, but unfortunately — for reasons of security and public accountability — Museum employees including security officers, gallery assistants, hosts, and Library staff are not allowed to accept donations “over the counter.” Unsolicited donations will not be accepted.

The purpose of the Offer of Donation form is to gather more information about the offer, and for the donor to confirm that they are the legal owner of the objects and/or archival material on offer. A team of Museum experts will review the information provided to reach a decision or ask more questions if needed. The accuracy and completeness of the information provided will help speed up the review.

Yes. Please post your physical copy of the Offer of Donation form (docx file) to:

Supervisor, Collections Information
Canadian Museum of History
100 Laurier St.
Gatineau QC K1A 0M8
Canada

No. The completion of the Offer of Donation form is the mandatory first step in the acquisition process. The Museum cannot evaluate an offer without a completed form.

Unfortunately, the Museum is not able to accept every donation that is offered. Decisions to acquire objects and/or archival material are based on several factors, including the Museum’s collections criteria and mandate, whether the objects and/or archival material fill a gap in our collection or are sufficiently represented, the availability of space and resources for appropriate care, and whether the current ownership is unknown or might be disputed.

It may take several months to review and process your offer after we receive the Offer of Donation form and supporting images and documentation. Providing accurate and complete information helps to speed up the decision-making process. All offers are reviewed by Collections staff and must go through multiple stages before the process is complete. We consider each offer in turn and strive to keep the process as smooth and straightforward as possible.

If the Museum is not able to accept your offer, we will try to recommend other institutions that may have an interest in the objects and/or archival material you wish to donate.

Depending on how far into the process you are when discovering additional material, you need to contact whomever you are consulting with at the time to assess the new content. Any additional material that is sent without prior approval will be returned without consideration and will prolong the acquisition process. It’s always best to let us know beforehand.

Acquisition does not guarantee public exhibition, and the Canadian Museum of History does not accept donations offered with conditions. While objects are rotated in and out of exhibition, only a small percentage of the Museum’s collection is on display at any one time. The remainder of the collection is held in storage designed for long-term preservation.

The objects in storage are available for consultation on site to Museum staff, researchers, genealogists, students, writers, artists, media and many others. Objects may also be loaned to other qualifying museums, and many of the artifact records can be accessed or viewed through various online resources. The collection helps Canadians discover, understand and share stories, and is preserved for future generations to do the same.

We always make our best effort to accommodate requests to see objects. Please send us advance notice of your visit so that we can retrieve the objects from storage or inform you if they are on display or in conservation, or if special scheduling is required.

Once ownership has been signed over, the objects are the property of the Crown and cannot be returned. If you have concerns, please discuss them with us prior to signing over ownership.