Memory-making: A review of the community heritage grant program 1994–2018

Abstract

The Community Heritage Grant Program (CHG) run by the National Library of Australia is an institution in the Australian cultural heritage landscape, providing foundational support to many small organisations who work in community memory-making. In this paper, the author presents the findings of her research into who and what is being funded by the CHG Program, and what the program highlights about community memory-making needs. Drawing from 23 years of public data, this research raises questions about the CHG Program model and its validity and purpose in a changing social and technological environment. Ultimately, the lesson from this study is that more research is required to identify and better understand Australian perspectives of community archives and memory-making.