Moveable heritage grants
Australian Museums On Line (AMOL) web page
http://amol.org.au/ has links
to various sites relevant to museums and moveable heritage. AMOL
produces various resources and maintains several services for
people working in the heritage sector. These include a database
of products and services called ResourceFinder, a database of
touring exhibitions, a database of venues that host touring exhibitions,
an online course in collection digitisation and resources for
small and regional institutions. Visit their web page http://amol.org.au/craft/craft_index.asp
which has a number of stand alone resources developed for those
managing small collections. Click on Conservation resources for
excellent information. AMOL is a Heritage Collections Council
(HCC) project. The HCC is a joint initiative of the Commonwealth,
State and Territory Governments in partnership with the Australian
museum sector. For more information write to AMOL Co-ordination
Unit, Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007, or
phone (02) 9217-0346.(1)
A very useful grants database is maintained
by the Culture
and recreation portal at http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/grants/.
To use this browser to search for all applicable information:
choose your cultural Sector/Area
of interest such as Historical heritage
then Type of assistance such as
grant or financial
then Region and click on Search.
In Australia, the national organisation for conservators and people interested in the preservation of moveable cultural material is the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM). This organisation is involved with conservation including the related activities of preservation and restoration. To AICCM, the term "Cultural Material" refers to all types of objects, ranging from the purely functional through to the purely decorative. It encompasses all items of historic, aesthetic, sentimental and monetary value. Information about organisations, sources of information and grants funding information for AICCM is located at http://www.aiccm.org.au/aiccm/inform/. The address for further information is Australian Institute for Conservation of Cultural Materials, The Secretary, GPO Box 1638, Canberra ACT 2601.
The Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS) offers grants up to $5,000 to small regional museums, local historical societies and larger cultural institutions throughout Australia to preserve, identify and promote maritime history. MMAPSS web address is http://www.anmm.gov.au/mmapss.htm and the postal address is Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme, Australian National Maritime Museum, GPO Box 5131, Sydney NSW 2001 and telephone number (02) 9298 3777.
The range of these grants includes:
· conservation of individual items
· organising a computerised database for a collection
or special collection
· action plan for a proposed heritage trail
· conservation plan for a museum or major moveable
object within the museum
· restoration of a heritage display unit
· management and storage of a heritage collection
· research history of a museum’s historic
item
· producing education kit for a museum
· design and construct interpretive displays.(2)
Documentary/archive heritage
grants
The National Library of Australia
in partnership with the Department of Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts and the National Archives of Australia
currently administers the largest documentation preservation grants
scheme. This is the Community
Heritage Grants with funding offered to Australian community
organisations such as libraries, historical societies, museums,
ethnic and indigenous groups who provide public access to
their documentary heritage collections to
preserve these collections. For more information visit http://www.nla.gov.au/chg/
or ring (02) 6262 1147. Or write to The Coordinator, Heritage
Grants Public Programs Division, National Library of Australia,
Canberra ACT 2600 or e-mail chg@nla.gov.au.
Other grants
The Cultural Heritage Projects Program (CHPP) are administered
by Environment Australia for the Federal Government. These heritage
grants apply to private owners, local government authorities and
not-for-profit incorporated organisations that own a place on
a state/territory register, Trust list or the Register of the
National Estate (RNE). Such owners are eligible to apply for funds
for conservation of a listed historic or indigenous place or,
to identify indigenous place(s) for listing.
Small sums of money are available for projects of Commemoration of Historic Events and Famous Persons. Under this scheme funding is available for monuments, exhibitions, surveys of historical sites that are of national significance. (3)
Environment Australia’s Toll free number is 1800 653 004 and grant programs web page is http://www.ea.gov.au/heritage/programs/index.html.
Some useful web pages for advice on heritage
grants Australia wide are:
http://www.statelibrary.tas.gov.au/Heritage/grants.htm
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/02_subnav_02.htm
http://mgfnsw.org.au/resources/resources.php,
for information about funding sources for museums. To use this
one click on Grants, then Grants and Funding sources available
to Museums and Galleries. This web page has an annotated list
of funding sources in NSW and Australia wide. This downloadable
listing includes contact details, eligibility and closing dates.
A Commonwealth government community grants web page is http://www.grantslink.gov.au/, if you click on Links to other sites, or using Search type in Heritage for a listing of various state and federal grants and you can locate grants relative to your state or territory. This web page also includes tips on how to complete an application and links to other programs and government departments. You can phone Grants Link on 1800 062 222.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission coordinates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, provides funding, and advises Indigenous organisations. There are Offices in all states and the Northern Territory. For more information visit http://www.atsic.gov.au/ or telephone either (02) 6121 4139 or (02) 6121 4138
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies through its Research Grants Program funds and supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies, and can support applications for heritage conservation research. The Institute maintains an extensive library and publications program. For more information visit http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/ or telephone (02) 6246 1111.
Regional Solutions Programme may be a source of funding, if lateral thinking is used. The web address is http://www.dotars.gov.au/regional/index.htm. Under this scheme funding is available for community planning and development projects that address local issues and problems. Regional Solutions has funded a number of projects related to heritage. It could be argued that a planning or development project that identifies heritage places or objects would assist with the economics of the rural or remote community. Rural book, is a comprehensive guide to Government services, and CALP (Commonwealth Assistance for Local Projects) a book on grants, and both can be obtained by calling the Commonwealth Regional Information Service on the toll free number 1800 026 222. Regional Solutions Programme is due to cease on 30 June 2004.
Visions of Australia aims to make exhibitions of cultural material accessible to a wider Australian audience. It provides grants to cultural and community organisations to develop and tour exhibitions of historical and scientific material, visual arts and craft, multimedia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture throughout Australia. Exhibitions should have a predominantly Australian source or theme. There are two grant rounds each year and Historical Societies are encouraged to apply. For more information go to http://www.dcita.gov.au/graphics_welcome.html click on V, then Visions of Australia or write to Project Officer, Visions of Australia, GPO Box 2154, Canberra ACT 2601, the Toll free number is 1800 819 461.
The National Australia Bank has awards that reward volunteer organisations for programs or projects that they have conducted, in whole or in part, during the previous financial year. Of the six categories three may be pertinent: Art and culture; Community service; Environment, conservation and heritage. Category 4: Environment, conservation and heritage is for funding to community organisations that have contributed to the protection and preservation of Australia’s environment and heritage. Activities include public advocacy, education, training and preservation programs.(4) For more information visit http://www.national.com.au/Community then the National’s Community Link Volunteer Awards. Or contact your local National Australia Bank or ring 1800 807 121.
The Macquarie Bank Foundation funds programs that benefit the communities of which Macquarie is a part. Funding categories include the areas of education, the arts and the environment. Visit Macquarie Bank grants http://www.macquarie.com.au/aboutus/community/mac_community.htm for more information. The funding criteria are flexible and open. To make a submission, check out the application process. Each application is assessed on its individual merit and the Foundation welcomes applications for funding from a diverse range of community-based initiatives that are working in innovative ways to provide long-term benefits. All applications are formally reviewed quarterly. Thinking laterally the application could argue that by identifying and researching places of heritage value this could promote cultural tourism thus benefiting the community. (5) For more information either visit the web page, write to Macquarie Bank Foundation, Government and Public Affairs, Level 22, 20 Bond St Sydney, NSW 2000 or phone (02) 9237 4092.
The Myer Foundation disperses approximately $2 million each year to support innovation and social development in the community. As the arts and humanities are a measure of our civilisation and act as a vehicle for social change, the Foundation provides support to projects that contribute to defining a distinct Australian identity. Priority interests include conservation, environment and heritage and cultural development. For more information visit http://www.myerfoundation.org.au/. Or write to the Myer Foundation, 44th Floor, 55 Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000, or telephone (03) 9207 3040. (6)
The Ian Potter Foundation makes grants available to organisations and institutions in the humanities area. One aim of the foundation is to encourage the recognition of Australia’s cultural heritage as an important component of education and community development. Preservation of the built environment is a further area of support which includes restoration work on numerous important churches and other heritage buildings. For guidelines contact the Foundation at Level 3, 111 Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000 or phone (03) 9650 3188 or use their web page http://www.ianpotter.org.au/interest.htm. (7)
Australia’s Cultural Network is a worthwhile site as it has topics by category and state, and links to over 2,000 web sites and 850,000 pages about Australia’s culture and recreation. This web address is http://www.acn.net.au/.
Don’t forget to check your own local government authority for community grants and other relevant funding. http://www.alga.com.au/sta.htm is a listing of various state local government associations. Many of the larger local government authorities have published information on heritage and conservation to assists owners, planners, developers and/or school children. Some of these publications may be relevant to your organisation.
1 Lee Adendorff,
Paul McInnes and AMOL on-line.
2 http://www.anmm.gov.au/mmapss2.htm
3 http://www.ea.gov.au/heritage/programs/index.html
4 http://www.national.com.au/Community
5 http://www.macquarie.com.au/aboutus/community/mac_community.htm
6 http://www.myerfoundation.org.au
7 http://www.ianpotter.org.au/