Grants of up to $15,000 are available for community organisations such as museums and historical societies to help preserve and protect their nationally significant collections.

Society spokesman Brian James said the society would look to apply for a grant to install air conditioning and solar panels at the Museum.

"Our collections are subjected to extreme heat in the summer and extreme cold in the winter so providing temperature control would help to preserve our collection," he said.

"We have significant artefacts from the Chinese riots of 1861 and the first and second world war's plus a diverse collection of other historical items such as textiles and books

"The solar panels would be installed on our roof to supply electricity for the air con at the Lambing Flat Folk Museum."

Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said the Community Heritage Grants Program helps to keep items intact and available to the wider community to enjoy and experience.

“These grants help local communities to preserve and display culturally important material such as artefacts, letters, diaries and photographs,” Mr McCormack said.

“The grants can make all the difference to keep these items intact and available to the wider community to enjoy and experience and I encourage any groups in the Riverina and Central West who look after a collection to apply.  

“I’ve travelled to every corner of the electorate and almost every time I stop in a town or a village I stumble across a historical treasure. Whether they’re in a park, community hall, school or museum, there are plenty of historically significant pieces and collections around."

The program also enables collaboration with national cultural institutions such as the National Library of Australia. Applications will close on Monday, May 8, 2017 at www.nla.gov.au/awards-and-grants/chg