Local History Grants Program - 2026

The Local History Grant Program is a Create NSW funded program, administered by the RAHS on behalf of the NSW Government. This program was formerly known as the Cultural Grants.

Projects should be relevant to understanding the history of New South Wales and its people and places. Grants of up to $6,000 ex GST support the work of historical research and publications undertaken by local historical societies and similar bodies across New South Wales. Please ensure that the project has the support of your organisation before submitting an application. Projects should generally be able to be completed by December 2027. We aim to notify the successful applicants by September 2026.

Eligibility

This program aims to encourage involvement in and completion of historical projects that are of significance to the community.

Who is eligible to apply for the Create NSW Local History Grant Program?

• RAHS Affiliated Societies
• Local community or regional groups of New South Wales
• Organisations incorporated on a non-profit basis, with a commitment to one or more aspects of history
• Individuals working alone are not eligible to apply and personal ABNs are not accepted. However, individuals may partner with eligible community organisations to apply.
• Local government bodies or tertiary institutions partnering with community groups to produce community-based projects may apply.
• Culturally and linguistically diverse groups or researchers working in these fields are encouraged to apply for support for projects leading to the publication of community history.

What sort of projects may be funded?

• Prepublication Research
• Publication of Books: Books or e-books of historical research on an aspect of local history or specialist historical interest
• Publication of education kits/resources
• Publication of tourist brochure/walking maps
• Oral history – interviews
• Oral history – transcriptions/making oral histories publicly accessible by print or online
• Conservation of historical resources
• Management plans for collections of historical research
• Digitisation of records