The Maritime Museum of BC (MMBC) is calling on the people of Greater Victoria to help them “Float the Boat” in their annual fundraiser to keep the museum alive.
According to MMBC, 2025 was a tough year for heritage non-profits in BC, such as themselves. Budgets shrank, grant funding was stretched thin and the ongoing inflated cost of living has put pressure on many museums.
Despite navigating these challenges, the MMBC says they will not be deterred from increasing access to history and learning through school programs and investing in new exhibits.
As a non-profit museum, the MMBC relies heavily on donations from supporters to be able to do all they do.
Their annual Float the Boat campaign is just one part of how they garner donations throughout the year.
“With a goal of $30,000 to focus on building core operations during this transition year,” Brittany Vis, executive director at the MMBC.
“We’re building resilient and sustainable exhibit processes, collections care and digitization capacity, and core programming for school visits. These are what make a museum, a museum in 2026.”
In addition to the everyday financial pressures the MMBC faces, they are also seeking to negotiate a lease agreement to move into the CPR Steamship Terminal building with help from the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.
Vis says that by investing in the MMBC now, people are actively helping them reach the capacity to help see their vision come to fruition.
To help show their progress in this fundraiser, the MMBC has put a miniature boat in a tank with marked milestones on their way to the $30,000 goal.
The MMBC has been around in Victoria for 70 years, displaying exhibits, hosting programs and preserving over 35,000 objects in their archives on behalf of all Canadians. They also have over 554 linear feet of archival content, including 12,000 archival images and work to continue expanding upon this every day.
“It’s about maximizing the impact of activities we already do really well. Take our exhibits: many small museums in BC don’t have our capacity to research, write, and launch new exhibits consistently,” said Wendy Moreton, board president of the MMBC.
“With our in-house staff and volunteer team, we rotate a brand new exhibit into our gallery at least twice a year. Travelling exhibits, loaned from the MMBC, are a sustainable opportunity for communities everywhere.”
Moreton added that whether people are able to donate $15 or $1,500, every bit will help to “Float the Boat” and preserve BC’s rich maritime history.
Those who wish to donate can do so online via the MMBC website.
