Donate An Object
How to Donate an Object to the Museum
We have great interest in acquiring objects that will help us promote our mission. If you have an item that you believe would enhance the collections, and you would like to donate it to the museum, please take the time to read this guide. Understanding our acquisition policies and following our guidelines for proposed donations will help make the donation process as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Thank you for your time and attention.
Please Understand That We Can’t Accept Everything
The museum’s collections deserve the best care we can give them, and yet our resources are limited. We must beware of accepting more objects than we can properly care for. Therefore, we will be most likely to accept your donation for the collection if:
- it has a clear connection to the museum’s mission;
- it doesn’t duplicate objects already in the collection; and
- it is sufficiently well documented that we can interpret it usefully for the public.
Furthermore, not everything we do accept will necessarily go on permanent exhibit. Our collections include items used for research and for public education programs, as well as those displayed in the galleries. All of these uses help promote our mission of preservation and education.
Tell Us About It Before You Bring It In To Us
To help us better assess your proposed donation and how it can contribute to our mission, we ask you to complete and return to us a Donor Information Form, available at the Museum. (Photographs of the object(s) are also appreciated.) Please wait until you hear from us before you bring the item to the museum. The more accurate information you can give us about an item you wish to donate, the better we’ll be able to understand its significance and interpret it for the education of the public.
Have It Appraised If You Want A Tax Deduction
Your artifact donation may be tax-deductible. However, to ensure the appropriate value of your deduction, the piece must be properly appraised. A qualified museum staff member can issue income tax receipts for fair market value of non-cash gifts valued at less than $1000. You can obtain references to qualified appraisers through the Canadian Personal Property Appraisers Group (http://www.cppag.com/).
We greatly appreciate your interest in our museum and your desire to help build our collections.
If you have questions or you think that you do have something for us, please contact the Museum.