Collage of various historical images" woman with car, Indigenous art, lifesavers, Victorian graphics

Images clockwise from top left: 

Mrs Fisher and Mrs Vaughan with a Red Cross float entered in the ‘Back to Brim’ parade, Easter 1983, image courtesy of the Australian Red Cross Society (Heritage Archives); Port Phillip Farmers Society Medallion awarded for Ploughing, 1859, image courtesy of Melbourne Royal; C.A. Nobelius Catalogue of Fruit Trees 1910, image courtesy of Emerald and District Museum; Members of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club in training with a surf reel, 1939, image courtesy of the Bondi Surf Bathers’ Life Saving Club; Walka Board Minyma Kutjara copyright Francine Kulitja 2020 (from the Maruku Arts Collection).

Community Heritage Grants Annual Rounds

The next Community Heritage Grants (CHG) Round will open in early March 2025.  For further information on the program, please read the 2024 Round Guidelines (PDF, 479kb). Details of the successful CHG 2024 Round projects are available on the Previous Grant Recipients page.

What are the Community Heritage Grants?

The Community Heritage Grants (CHG) program supports community organisations to look after Australian cultural heritage collections. Since 1994, this program has provided more than $8.9 million dollars in funding to over 1,650 projects across Australia.

Who can apply for a Community Heritage Grant?

CHG is open to non-profit, incorporated organisations. The program has a strong focus on supporting local groups with limited funding who would benefit from access to professional cultural heritage expertise. Applications from Indigenous and multicultural organisations are encouraged.

Organisations progress through a three-stage journey, over multiple rounds, to learn about their collection, how to care for it, and plan for its future. Projects also aim to build the knowledge and skills of paid and volunteer staff to increase their capacity to share valuable heritage collections with all Australians.

CHG is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts; National Library of Australia; the National Archives of Australia; the National Film and Sound Archive and the National Museum of Australia.

All applications are made via the SmartyGrants online platform. Please see below to view sample application forms from the 2024 Round (now closed).

Applicant type Sample application

New applicants

This includes first time applicants who have not had a CHG project in the past five years (since 2019).
2024 Round CHG New Application (174.2 KB)

Repeat recipients

Organisations who have completed a previous CHG stage in the past five years (since 2019).
2024 Round CHG Repeat Application (174.02 KB)

Training projects

Organisations may apply for training projects at any time.

What can be funded by a Community Heritage Grant?

The annual round offers cash grants of up to $20,000. The first two stages support organisations to work with heritage practitioners to:

  • Explain the meaning and value of their collections (a significance assessment)
  • Outline the condition of their collections and create a plan to manage it (a preservation needs assessment)

In the third and final stage, organisations can apply for funding to:

  • Undertake conservation and collection management activities as recommended in the preservation needs assessment

Funding is also available for:

  • Collection management training projects

Further details about eligible projects are available in the CHG Guideline(PDF, 479kb).

All allocations of grants are based on the recommendations of assessors and availability of funds. No applicant can be guaranteed funding nor can any applicant be guaranteed funding to the full amount requested. Funding varies from year to year and it is not possible to fund all worthwhile projects.

How do we learn more about the Community Heritage Grants program?

Applicants must read the CHG Guidelines (PDF, 479kb) prior to commencing their application. The following supporting documents are also available for reference:

Want to know about the Community Heritage Grants program stages and how it can support your organisation? Please watch a recording of our Q&A forum held on 11 April 2024 here, select 'Want to explore the site. Login as a guest' and go to "How to Apply". You will learn more about the program from CHG staff and hear the answers to questions from applicants about their specific projects. 

Contact the Community Heritage Grants team

For more information or to discuss your application, contact:

CHG Program Team

National Library of Australia

chg@nla.gov.au

Translating and Interpreting Service

People of non-English speaking background are welcome to apply for a grant. If you have difficulty with English, please contact the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) for assistance.

National Library of Australia logo, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts logo, National Film and Sound Archive logo, National Museum of Australia logo

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia’s First Nations Peoples – the First Australians – as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land and gives respect to the Elders – past and present – and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Cultural Notification

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive including the records of people who have passed away.

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