Community Heritage Grants (CHG) provide cash grants up to $15,000 to assist not-for-profit organizations in preserving national significance heritage collections. Eligible projects include collection preservation and training initiatives, while ineligible projects consist of salaries, publishing, and building works. The application process requires demonstrating national significance and feasibility, with a focus on enhancing public access and engagement with the collections.

1. COMMUNITY HERITAGE GRANTS (CHG)
Presentation by Mary-Louise Weight, CHG Coordinator

2. What are Community Heritage
Grants?
• Cash grants of up to $15,000
• To assist in the preservation and
access to heritage collections of
national significance held by
community groups

3. Who can apply
• Not-for-profit, incorporated organisations that
own/manage a collection of national significant
material which is accessible to the general public
• Examples of not-for profit organisations:
Archives Indigenous groups
Art galleries Migrant community groups
Genealogical societies Professional associations
Community groups Museums
Historical societies Religious groups

4. Projects ineligible for CHG funding
The following projects are ineligible for CHG funding:
• In-house salaries and volunteer labour costs
• Publishing projects
• Exhibition research, interpretation and signage, and design
• Collecting projects
• Oral histories – recording or transcribing
• Memorials and plaques
• Building works, capital works, repairs/improvements to existing
buildings
• Family history research
• Digitisation and microfilming of newspapers or magazines
• Activities that are in progress or have been completed

5. What type of projects receive funding?
1. Collection Preservation Projects
2. Training Projects

6. Collection Preservation Projects
1. Significance Assessment
2. Preservation Needs Assessment
3. Conservation Activities & Collection
Management
– Conservation and preservation activities
– Software
– Digitisation

7. Significance Assessment
Port Macquarie Historical Society
Volunteer Anne Oud and consultant
Roslyn Russell preparing for the
significance assessment

8. Significance
Significance refers to the values and meaning that items and collections have for
people and communities.
Primary significance criteria
• Historic
• Artistic or aesthetic
• Scientific or research potential
• Social or spiritual
Why use significance?
• Access and community engagement
• Advocacy
• Making good collection management decisions
For a detailed explanation of significance, refer to Significance 2.0 - A Guide to
Assessing the Significance of Collections (2009) - 2nd rev. ed. (online version)
http://arts.gov.au/resources-publications/industry-reports/significance-20

9. National Significance of Your Collection
• A significance statement is about the
importance of your collection, or items in it
• Only tell us about the collection you are
applying for funding, e.g., do not describe the
whole collection here, if you are applying for
the photograph collection

10. Tips to answer the National
Significance question
• Make sure your answer refers to the collection material you are
seeking funding for
• Provide as much information about this material as you can
• Identify rare or unique items
• Detail items about significant Australians in the collection
• Relate your answer to the significance criteria
• Attach supporting documents
• Refer to the 2013 Assessment Report on the CHG website
www.nla.gov.au/chg

11. Preservation Needs Assessment (PNA)
A Preservation Needs Assessment will:
• Assess the physical condition of the collection
• Assess housing and storage facilities
• Make recommendations – which can be basis
for further funding applications

12. Conservation Activities & Collection
Management
• Prioritised recommendations from PNA
• Most at risk and most significant items
– Rehousing collections
– Conservation treatments
– Reformatting – including digitisation
– Cataloguing or collection management software

13. Rehousing collections

14. Digitisation & Software
Digitisation
• Preservation of original materials
• Digital copies management plan
• Outsourcing
Software
• Cataloguing or collection management
• Researched/trialled options

15. Digitisation
Page turning of a rare manuscript during digitisation
at the National Library of Australia

16. Training Projects
Examples of eligible training programs:
• Collection care and handling
• Cataloguing
• Disaster Preparedness
• Collection Management
• Assessing significance
• Partnerships with other groups

17. Collection care and handling

18. Assessment Process
1. CHG Coordinator
– Confirms eligibility
2. Significance Assessor
– National significance
3. Preservation Assessor
– Feasibility
– Value for money
4. Expert Assessment Panel
– Comments from both assessors
– Overall application

19. What are the assessors looking for?
• Evidence of national significance
• A clear description of the collection, who owns
it and how it is used
• A project that is feasible & good value for
money with a well supported budget
• Projects that will enhance access to collections
• Training projects that will reach many people
and collections

20. What do you get?
• Funding grant of up to $15,000
• Intensive preservation workshop in Canberra (for first time
grant recipients only)

21. TIPS!
• Clearly explain how you will use your grant
money
• Attach quotes for all expenditure items
• Do your research
• Submit your application online and on time
– late submissions will not be accepted
• Contact the CHG office (02) 6262 1447 for
advice

22. How to Apply
Applications should be submitted online
through our online grants management system.
Follow the links from our homepage at
www.nla.gov.au/chg
2014 grant round is now open and will close at
5pm Friday 2 May.

23. Finally…
CHG is very competitive – if you are unsuccessful
don’t take it personally!
– Call and ask for feedback
– Investigate other options
– Try again next year