Senator Michael A. L. Balboni (R-Mineola) has announced that the Hicksville Union Free School District has received a grant of $14,947, as part of a statewide program of grants administered by the New York State Archives.

Both the Documentary Heritage Program Grants and the Local Government Records Grants involve records. These records can consist of paper ledgers that are hundreds of years old or electronic files generated by the latest generation of office computers and stored on DVDs. Local governments use these grants to improve records management systems to better serve the public. Other grants ensure that the rich and diverse history of New York State is preserved, while still others provide a hands-on history experience for school children.

According to Senator Balboni, competition for both categories of grants was intense. There were 570 applications for Local Government Records grants requesting approximately $12 million. Of these, 518 local government awards were made totaling nearly $9 million. Also, there were 33 Documentary Heritage Program grant applications requesting a total of $396, 656. Ultimately, 14 community organization awards were made totaling $144, 396.

Both the Documentary Heritage Program grants and the Local Government Records grants derive their funding from the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund. The Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund was established by the Legislature in 1989 and renewed in 1995 and 1999.

The fund derives its money from a small portion of the fees paid when people file or record documents with county clerks and the Register of the City of New York. Under terms of the legislation, all of the resources fund the competitive grants, except for a limited amount that is for technical and advisory service and administration of the grants program.

Awards under this program are subject to the allocation of funds by the Directory of the Division of the Budget following submission of spending plans for the LGRMIF and Documentary Heritage Program by the Commissioner of Education.