Daly House seeks boost in grant funding

The president of Brandon’s Daly House Museum has asked city council to increase its annual grant funding by 129 per cent in next year’s budget.

Alex Essery said the not-for-profit museum needs an increase in funding because of rising costs. It asked council for $80,000, up from its current grant of $35,000.

Essery said he and the board would have asked for a smaller increase had it known the accurate funding model of another Brandon museum, which it based its request off.

“We don’t come here asking for an increase lightly,” Essery told council last week. “It is precisely that things are more expensive, that makes it harder to operate, we are feeling the pressure — as most are — with the rising cost of pretty much everything.”

He said the costs of utilities, along with wanting to pay its curator a fair wage and hire another employee, are reasons behind the request.

“Additional funds give us the flexibility to cover for illness, burnout, and ensure the museum will exist for decades to come.”

Essery said the grant hasn’t increased in the last decade, and had changed very little before then. He said the $80,000 total would put the museum on par with the Brandon General Museum and Archives (BGMA).

Coun. Shaun Cameron (Ward 4) told Essery the reason BGMA receives $80,000 is because half of that total is for rent. The Daly House Museum doesn’t have that cost incurred, Cameron said.

Cameron also said he is “definitely supportive” of looking at the funding when it comes to budget time.

On Wednesday, Essery said while he wouldn’t have asked for such a large increase had he known about the rent aspect of the BGMA, he will keep the request in place as he already told council about it.

“I think we would have asked for a smaller number had I understood,” Essery told the Sun.

Essery said he doesn’t think the museum will get its full $80,000 ask, but “we might get an increase.”

Museums are an important part of the community, Essery said. It’s important to fund museums, he added, because once you lose one, it’s hard to get it back.

“Museums like this are important to help the community engage with its history,” he said.

While the museum’s finances aren’t anywhere near being dire, the current funding along with rising costs “limits” the museum’s ability to function, Essery said.

“I just wanted to go out and try and to make a case through the councillors, and just ensure that they sort of remember that we exist and we’re not just a line on a budget sheet,” he said.

“We’ve been a pillar of the Brandon community for 48 years,” Essery told council.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett on Tuesday said council will “look at the request thoroughly” at budget time.

“The museum’s really valuable, and it’s extremely well run, and they run it on a really tight budget,” Fawcett said.

“It does have a lot of value to the city. Piles of people go through it. Piles of people use the green space for all kinds of different events, photos, all sorts of things.”

Budget deliberations are set for Jan. 30 and 31.

» alambert@brandonsun.com