OLYMPIA — State funding is now available to local governments through Washington State Archives’ Local Records Grant Program.
The Local Records Grant Program helps local government agencies upgrade their technological resources for records management and retention, and better respond to public-records requests. Since its inception in 2005, the program has awarded more than $4 million to hundreds of agencies including cities, towns, and counties; fire, school, hospital, port, and public-utility districts; transit authorities; and more.
Qualified agencies and entities can apply online. The application form has been revised and simplified to include multiple-choice and short-answer questions for a streamlined grant process. The application deadline is Friday, May 26.
During the summer, an Archives Advisory Committee of county and city officials and association representatives will review applications and send recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of State. Grant recipients will be announced in mid-August.
“The Local Records Grant Program demonstrates our commitment to helping resource-strapped local governments preserve and protect their vital, irreplaceable records,” said Washington State Archivist Heather Hirotaka. “Records management can be painstaking and challenging work, but what our local governments are able to achieve with the help of these grants is amazing. We are grateful for the opportunity to support their efforts to better manage their records.”
Washington State Archives will host a webinar Tuesday, May 16, to help local government agencies and entities prepare their grant applications. A prerecorded version is also available. Visit Washington State Archives online for more information, including eligibility requirements and previous grant recipients.
A division of the Office of the Secretary of State, Washington State Archives collects and preserves the state’s historical records and makes them available to the public, including government agencies, researchers, historians, and journalists. With branches in Bellevue, Bellingham, Cheney, Ellensburg, and Olympia, the State Archives offers access to records for research and records-management education and training for local and state agency staff.
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.