April 17, 2008

State heritage grant workshop held in Ritzville

Journal photo by Jennifer Larsen

Money matters. Garry Schalliol (left, speaking), director of the Outreach Services Division at the Washington State Historical Society, leads a workshop on the Heritage Capital Projects Fund grant application at the Ritzville Library on April 10.

Representatives of several agencies gathered at the Ritzville Library on April 10 for one of six workshops on the Heritage Capital Projects Fund (HCPF) grant application for the upcoming biennium. A prior workshop was cancelled due to weather and relocated to Ritzville.

Leading the workshop was Garry Schalliol (shall-eo), director of the Outreach Services Division at the Washington State Historical Society.

The director of the Heritage Resource Center, which is an office of the state historical society, administers the capital projects fund.

An advisory panel of representatives of the Washington Museum Association, the Office of the Secretary of State, Eastern Washington State Historical Society, Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation as well as citizen members at-large determines grant guidelines.

The panel’s list of ranked projects is sent to the state Office of Financial Management to be included in the governor’s proposed capital budget.

After the legislature approves the state capital budget and the governor signs it, funds are allotted to the WSHS for distribution to the requesting entities.

According to the Heritage Resource Center’s Web site, “These workshops are meant to assist representatives of non-profit heritage organizations, tribal governments, public development authorities, port districts and city and county governments as they prepare their applications.”

Since 1995, the HCPF grant program has assisted various projects that preserve history and heritage across the state.

Project guidelines at the HRC Web site (www.wshs.org/wshs/hrc/grants.htm) state that “Projects need to have a minimum total budget of $25,000; request a grant of not more than $1,000,000; involve property that will be held a minimum of 13 years; and provide a $2 match for each $1 of HCPF grant funds.”

Application deadline is May 14, 2008, for the 2009-2011 biennium.