Museums & Galleries of NSW - 2023 Stipend Program

PURPOSE OF PROGRAM

The NSW museum sector, particularly the volunteer-led sector, has been particularly hard hit by major events over the last four years. Bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic have compounded an already struggling sector, with many organisations forced to supplement diminished incomes by fundraising. The effort poured into fundraising can often detract from the effort required to maintain high standards of museum best practice.

This stipend is designed to alleviate the pressures felt by volunteer-led museums and Aboriginal cultural spaces in NSW by providing an amount of money to pay for essentials to keep ‘lights on and doors open’ (e.g. rent, electricity bills, etc.) without turning to fundraising. In turn, this will allow organisations to focus more attention on collections, maintenance and best-practice.

AMOUNT AVAILABLE

A total of $226,000 is available.

All stipend applications are for $2,000 (GST exclusive).

All Volunteer Museum Grants are awarded free of GST. If the applicant is registered for GST M&G NSW will pay that component. 

TIMEFRAME

Applications Open Wednesday, 9 August 2023

Applications close when funds expended.

STAFF CONTACT

Staff are available to provide advice on writing grant applications, developing a project, budgeting and sourcing appropriate consultants. First-time applicants and those unfamiliar with grant-writing are encouraged to get in contact for detailed and ongoing assistance.

Enquiries can be directed to: 

Emily Cullen   Sector Development Manager 

Phone:            0407 263 463

Free Call:        1800 114 311 (regional only)                       

Email:              emilyc@mgnsw.org.au

Please ensure you read the Guidelines before proceeding. 

To apply for the Lights On, Doors Open Stipend, an organisation must:

• Be incorporated (or provide the details of an auspicing body that is incorporated, such as a local council) OR provide evidence of appropriate alternative governance structures (eg. S355 Committee, Trust, Company limited by guarantee, Local government authority, etc.)
• Be not-for-profit
• Be an established museum or Aboriginal cultural space with a physical collection (not an archive, library or historical society without a museum function)
• Be regularly open to the public at advertised times (i.e. not open by appointment only)
• Be a museum run entirely by volunteers with no paid staff or an Aboriginal cultural space with no more than two full-time paid positions responsible for the cultural facility
• Agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the stipend
• Have a collection policy