Applications for Community Heritage Grants are now open

The Nationals’ Federal Member for Riverina and Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack is encouraging not-for-profit community organisations to apply for funding through the Community Heritage Grants Program.

Grants of up to $15,000 are available for community organisations such as public libraries, museums, historical societies, indigenous and multicultural groups to help preserve and protect nationally significant collections.

“These grants help local communities to preserve and display culturally important material such as artefacts, letters, diaries and photographs,” Mr McCormack said.

“The grants can make all the difference to keep these items intact and available to the wider community to enjoy and experience and I encourage any groups in the Riverina and Central West who look after a collection to apply.  

“I’ve travelled to every corner of the electorate and almost every time I stop in a town or a village I stumble across a historical treasure. Whether they’re in a park, community hall, school or museum, there are plenty of historical significant pieces and collections around.

The Community Heritage Grants Program helps small community groups manage natural, historical and Indigenous heritage collections and enables collaboration with national cultural institutions such as the National Library of Australia. 

The program also offers collection management training workshops in the regions to assist staff and volunteers preserve significant items.

“As a history buff, I’m pleased the Coalition Government is committed to preserving Australia’s unique history, artefacts and stories and this program is an important way of protecting culturally significant items in our regions. The program also helps to connect community groups with our national institutions to share their knowledge and expertise.

Since the program started more than 20 years ago, it has provided over $6 million to more than 1,200 groups and communities.

The Community Heritage Grants Program is administered by the National Library of Australia, with support provided by the Department of Communications and the Arts, the National Archives of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive and the National Museum of Australia.

Applications opened on Monday 6 March and will close on Monday, 8 May 2017.

Guidelines and the application form are available at: www.nla.gov.au/awards-and-grants/chg or by contacting Mr McCormack’s Wagga Wagga electorate office.

Cristy Houghton