Community Heritage Grants

2012

Presentation by CHG Coordinator, Dianne Dahlitz

Show me the money!Access to fundingMuseums & Galleries NSW

Batemans Bay NSW 16 March 2012

What are Community Heritage Grants?

• Aim to preserve and provide access to heritage collections of national significance held by community groups

• Grants of up to $15,000

Who can apply?

• A not-for-profit organisation;• That owns or manages a collection of national

significant material;• That is accessible to the general public

2011 NSW RECIPIENTS• Australian Golf Heritage Society Inc • Australian Turf Club (Australian Jockey Club Heritage

Society)• Campbelltown City Council Library • Coonamble Heritage and Historical Museum • Deaf Society of New South Wales• Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd • Goulburn and District Historical Society Inc• Lady Denman Heritage Complex• Leichhardt Women's Community Health Centre Inc • Macleay River Historical Society Incorporated• Marrickville Council

NSW 2011 RECIPIENTS cont.• Mosman Regional Art Gallery and Cultural Centre • National Trust of Australia (NSW)• New England Regional Art Museum Ltd • Newcastle Maritime Museum Society In• Singleton Public Library• Sulphide Street Railway and Historical Museum • Sydney Legacy• Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church (Diocese of

Wagga Wagga) • Tumut and District Historical Society Incorporated • Veech Library, Catholic Institute of Sydney

What types of projects receive funding?

• 2 Types of Project

– 1. Collection Preservation Projects

– 2. Training

1. Collection Preservation Projects

• 1. Significance Assessment• 2. Preservation Needs Assessment• 3. Conservation Activities & Collection

Management– Conservation and preservation activities– Software– Digitisation

SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENTPort Macquarie Historical Society – Volunteer Anne Oud and consultant Roslyn Russell – preparing for the significance assessment

Significance Criteria

• Historic, Aesthetic, Scientific/ Research, Social/Spiritual

• Provenance, Rarity/Representative, Condition/Completeness, Interpretative capacity.

• Significance 2.0 - A Guide to Assessing the Significance of Collections (2009) - 2nd revised edition (online version) which can be found at: http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/significance2-0/

• Significance - A Guide to Assessing the Significance of Cultural Heritage Objects and Collections (2001) which can be found at: http://www.collectionsaustralia.net/sector_info_item/5

National Significance

National Significance- Section 4 of the Application Form

• 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 for, e.g. do not describe the whole collection here, if you are applying for the photograph collection

Tips for answering Section 4 – National Significance

• 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• Relate your answer to the significance criteria• Attach supporting documents• Refer to the 2011 Assessment Report on the website

Preservation Needs Assessment

• Stage 2 of the 3 stage process• Assesses physical condition• Assesses housing and storage facilities• Makes recommendations – basis for further

funding applications

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

Rehousing Collections

Digitisation & Software

Digitisation• Preservation of original materials• Digital copies management plan• OutsourcingSoftware • Cataloguing or collection management• Researched/trialled options

Digitisation

• Page turning of rare manuscript during digitisation

2.Training

• Collection care and handling• Cataloguing• Disaster Preparedness• Collection Management• Assessing significance

• Partnerships with other groups

Care and Handling Training

• Care and handling training workshop

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

BUDGET (Section 7.5)• Important to get this right – just include in the

budget table items relevant to the project for which you are applying for a grant.

• Standard fees for SA and PNA - $4,000 (plus travel and accommodation)

• Quotes…if not applying for standard fee, for purchasing equipment , treatments or training workshops

• Applicant’s contribution – Cash or Inkind?• GST – Registered/Not Registered?

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

What do you get?• Grant of up to $15,000• Opportunity to undertake projects that will

help preserve your collections• Intensive Preservation workshop in

Canberra (first grant)

2011 AWARDS CEREMONY

TIPS!

• Type your application• Describe your collection, but be concise – dot

points and lists are good• Answer all relevant questions• Attach supporting documents e.g. previous

assessments, photographs, letters of support • Sign your application and submit it on time

How to apply

• Applications can be downloaded from the website and posted to: – CHG Coordinator, NLA, Canberra ACT 2600

• or emailed: chg@nla.gov.au• or complete online at www.nla.gov.au/chg• Ph: 02 6262 1147