Local History Grants Program in Australia

Deadline: 30-Jan-23

The Public Record Office Victoria is seeking applications for Local History Grants Program (LHGP) to encourage and fosters community activities that preserve, record and share the local, social and community history of Victoria and Victorians.

The Victorian Government recognises that local and community history is an important part of Victoria’s memory.

The Program supports the efforts of the many community groups and organisations that collect and preserve materials and memories from Victoria’s past. It aims to encourage collaboration and partnerships between volunteer groups to undertake projects (e.g. oral history, digitising, and interpretation), as well as to develop skills and resources to support community collections

Funding Information

• Small grants of up to $15,000 are made for the preservation and sharing of Victorian history by a variety of local community based organisations interested in telling the stories from their own communities, preserving their collections and increasing opportunities for the public to engage with the past.

What Sort of Projects will be Considered for Funding?

• Projects that are considered for funding demonstrate strong community involvement and outcomes. For example these can include:
  • The recording of oral histories.
  • The preparation of local history e-publications.
  • Conservation of objects and records. If a conservator is engaged, they must be a Professional Member of the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM).
  • Cataloguing of objects and records.
  • The development and production of exhibitions.
  • Online projects that provide local history information or resources including exhibitions and websites.
  • Training in local history or collection management skills that are not already accessible via state government bodies.
  • The design and production of interpretation panels and signage.
  • The digitisation and online publishing of collection items and local history information (this does not include the digitisation of public records).
  • Digital storytelling including film, podcasts and augmented reality experiences.
  • Apps for mobile devices.
  • Consultancy fees for the provision of specialist skills not found within the organisation.
  • The purchase of archival materials to house collections and/or museum standard storage and display cases.
  • Newspaper digitisation projects.
  • Microfilm digitisation projects.
  • Information Technology equipment and assets (for example, scanners, hard drives or cameras for digitising projects).

Eligibility Criteria

• To apply for a grant through the LHGP your organisation will need to meet the following criteria.
  • The organisation applying must be:
    • Based in Victoria
    • Not-for-profit
    • Registered with the Office of Consumer Affairs Victoria as either an Incorporated body or Association, Co-operative, OR be auspiced by a group with this status and
    • Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) OR be auspiced by a group with an ABN (e.g. Council, Library etc).
  • Applications from organisations affiliated with, or funded through, State or Federal Government will be considered provided the project is undertaken in partnership with a community based organisation that fits the aforementioned criteria AND the project demonstrates strong community involvement and lasting benefit. Partnership organisations might include:
    • Statutory authorities
    • Local councils
    • Universities
    • Libraries
    • State Schools
    • If you are not sure about your organisation’s legal entity status, consult your Treasurer or Financial Officer.
    • Non-government organisations funded to deliver services to children by the Victorian government will be required to be:
    • Incorporated separate legal entities that can be sued in child abuse proceedings
    • Appropriately insured against child abuse.

Ineligible

• Funding will not be provided to:
  • Individuals.
  • Organisations that have an incomplete or overdue project funded in a previous round of the LHGP. This includes projects that have not formally submitted a Project Completion Report. Please be aware that this may also include any outstanding accountability reports with any State Government Department.
  • Commercial organisations or bodies established for profit making purposes.
  • State government authorities.
  • Organisations that do not meet the Eligibility Criteria outlined.
  • Organisations that have failed to abide by the terms and conditions of previously awarded Local History Grants.

For more information, visit LHGP.