State Library of Victoria
To honour the 70th anniversary of the Trust, grants totalling $1.4m were committed to three organisations supporting representation and voices of women and girls.
- Project: Women Writer's Fund
- Amount: $1,000,000
- Year(s) Funded: 2022
Celebrating women writers
The commitment of $1 million to the State Library of Victoria sees the continuation of a long-standing relationship between the Trust and the Library. The grant supports the Women Writer’s Fund, securing acquisitions by women writers for the State Collection, alongside public programming including an annual marquee oration featuring an internationally recognised speaker. The acquisition of works by women writers seeks to grow the representation of women’s writing in the State Collection, and associated public programming will amplify its reach to new generations.
The State Library grant continues the relationship established by the Trust’s former Chairman, Darvell Hutchinson AM over 35 years ago, and by former Trustee Fran Awcock, who was Chief Executive Officer and State Librarian at the State Library from 1997 to 2002.
This $1 million donation is an inspiring gift to Victoria and a real milestone in our 35-year relationship with Helen Macpherson Smith Trust. It means that the Library’s beautiful spaces can be enjoyed by more people to seek, share and celebrate women’s literature in new ways.
CHRISTINE CHRISTIAN AO, PRESIDENT OF THE LIBRARY BOARD OF VICTORIA
”