HCF Funding Available for Fundy Shore Lighthouses

Ottawa, ON, April 24, 2012 – The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) is pleased to announce the availability of heritage grant funding for the repair and conservation of historic lighthouses along Nova Scotia’s Fundy Shore, in the counties of Digby, Annapolis and Kings. Funding will come from HCF’s Runciman Endowment Fund for Heritage Conservation, created with the assistance of a generous bequest.

HCF will consider funding requests from community groups and organizations seeking one-time financial support for repair and heritage conservation work at historic lighthouses in the three named counties. Among other considerations, priority will be given to:

• Proposals to preserve lighthouses that are included on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans surplus lists.
• Proposals for lighthouse preservation that include pledges of financial support from the community and/or other funding partners.

It is HCF’s hope that this new source of funding will encourage groups in the region to come forward with petitions nominating surplus lighthouses for designation. The Government of Canada owns hundreds of iconic lighthouses, and has declared almost all of them to be “surplus.” Canadians have until May 29, 2012 to nominate lighthouses that matter to them for designation under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act. Almost all of them will require a proposal from an organization or group willing to acquire and invest in them. Financial support from the Runciman Fund can be part of a viable business plan to sustain historic lighthouses over the long term.

All applications will be reviewed by a committee with representation from the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, the Nova Scotia Heritage Trust, the Annapolis Heritage Society and the Heritage Canada Foundation.

For more information, see the Terms and Conditions.

Donors who would like to contribute to the Runciman Fund for Heritage Conservation or help create additional lighthouse preservation funds are encouraged to contact the Heritage Canada Foundation.

The Heritage Canada Foundation is a national membership-based registered charity dedicated to the preservation of Canada’s historic places. Your support is vital to our work. Please join or make a tax-deductible donation today.

For further information:

Carolyn Quinn, Director of Communications, cquinn@heritagecanada.org

Telephone: 613-237-1066 ext. 229; Cell: 613-797-7206