National Historical Publications and Records Commission Archives Collaboratives Grant

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks projects that will make collections from small and under-represented archives more readily available for public discovery and use. The grant program will fund Archives Collaboratives to share best practices, tools, and techniques among member organizations; assess institutional strengths and opportunities; and develop plans and management structures for long-term sustainability and growth.

Archives Collaboratives must consist of three or more organizations. They may:

be located in the same community, state, or geographic region

• be “virtual” or online collaboratives

• share affinities among the scope and subject matter of their collections

• have similar organizational missions

• serve similar types of user communities

Planning Grants – The first phase of the project would be for the grantee to reach out to potential partners and secure commitments to the Archives Collaborative. Together, the member organizations would develop a mission, workplan, and timeline to carry out a shared project or develop a shared best practice, tool, or technique. 

Implementation Grants – Tied to the planning funds would be grants to implement the projects outlined in the Planning Grant. Projects that demonstrate commitment by member organizations, a workplan, and timeline would be eligible to receive grants up to $100,000, shared by the consortia, to carry out the project. Applications would be due in December 2019, with a start date for implementation of July 1, 2020.

A successful Planning Grant does not automatically result in an Implementation Grant, which will undergo additional Commission review and funding recommendations.

For a comprehensive list of the Commission’s limitations on funding, please see “What we do and do not fund” (http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/apply/eligibility.html). Applications that consist entirely of ineligible activities will not be considered.

The Commission expects to make up to six Planning grants up to $25,000 each. The total amount allocated for this program is up to $125,000. Grants begin no earlier than July 1, 2019.

Successful Archives Collaboratives which have completed the Planning Phase will be eligible to apply for an Implementation Grant of up to $100,000, shared by the consortia.

The Commission requires that grant recipients acknowledge NHPRC grant assistance in all publications and other products that result from its support.

• Nonprofit organizations or institutions

• Colleges, universities, and other academic institutions

• State or local government agencies

• Federally-acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups

The total costs of a project are shared between the NHPRC and the applicant organization.

No cost sharing is required for the Planning phase.

The Commission provides no more than 75 per cent of total project costs for the Implementation Grants. NHPRC grant recipients are not permitted to use grant funds for indirect costs (as indicated in 2 CFR 2600.101).

Applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application, maintain SAM registration throughout the application and award process, and include a valid DUNS number in their application. Details on SAM registration and requesting a DUNS number can be found at the System for Award Management website at www.sam.gov. Please refer to the User Guides section and the Grants Registrations PDF.

A complete application includes the Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424), Assurances — Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B), a Project Narrative, Summary, Supplementary Materials, and Budget. Applications lacking these items will not be considered.

Ineligible applications will not be reviewed.