Our heritage grant program helps cover the costs of conserving our cultural heritage resources. Maintaining our history can be expensive, so we hope to make it more affordable for property owners.
On this page:
About the grant program
If you own property individually designated under the Ontario Heritage Act or in one of our heritage districts, you may be eligible to receive grants towards the conservation of your property.
Grants range between $500 and $3,000 and can cover 50% of the cost of eligible projects.
Pre-consultation
If you want to apply for heritage funding, consult with our heritage planning staff as early as possible. This pre-consultation will help:
- avoid ineligible proposals
- avoid delays in the processing of your application
- determine if you need a heritage permit
Application
Download our application form and send the completed form to our heritage planning team.
Please include as much detail as possible, including the materials, methods, dimensions and more. You must include written estimates of the cost of the work.
While reviewing your application, we may ask for:
- more plans
- specifications
- documentary evidence
- drawings or photos
We give priority to work that addresses the structural needs of the property. Applications are considered on a first come, first served basis.
Eligibility
Projects that are eligible to receive heritage grant funding fall into these categories:
- repair of original property elements, such as doors and windows, masonry, roofing materials (excluding asphalt shingle roofs) and other features
- accurate restoration of original building features using precise materials, sizes and detail
- restoration of significant, documented architectural features that have been lost
For documented features, sources must relate directly to the subject property. The documentation must be either historic drawings, photographs or other sources that clearly show or describe the feature(s) to be restored.
Ineligible projects include, but are not limited to:
- projects of a non-historic nature, such as the introduction of new features (e.g. a building addition or storm windows)
- work on existing features that are either not specifically identified in the heritage attributes, or are determined to not have heritage significance
- work where the quality is deemed unsatisfactory, poor or defective, with minor and/or major problems
- short-term, routine maintenance, such as minor repairs (e.g. repairing a broken step or a broken window), most paint jobs, or the repair of non-original siding or roofing materials
- landscaping
- repair, replacement or installation of asphalt shingles
Please review our administrative procedures and operating guidelines for a full list of eligible and ineligible projects.
Heritage tax refunds
If you own a property designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, you may be eligible for a property tax refund of up to 40%.
Call us at 519-741-2200, ext. 7839 if your designated property is subject to a:
- heritage conservation easement agreement, OR
- preservation and maintenance agreement on a built heritage resource