The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) offers a funding opportunity titled "Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections," designed to assist cultural institutions, such as libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations, in preserving humanities collections using environmentally sustainable methods. This initiative focuses on preventive care strategies aimed at reducing energy consumption, costs, and improving institutional resilience in the face of climate change. Projects funded under this opportunity may involve managing environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, pollutants, and light; enhancing storage and security systems for collections; and preparing for disasters like theft, fire, or floods.
There are three levels of funding available:
1. Planning Grants: Up to $50,000 to support the development and assessment of sustainable preservation strategies.
2. Implementation Level I: Up to $100,000 for implementing discrete projects that address specific preservation challenges identified through prior assessments.
3. Implementation Level II: Up to $350,000 for larger, multifaceted projects that involve a multidisciplinary team and address complex preservation challenges.
Institutions located in non-contiguous states or jurisdictions, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, may request additional funding to cover increased travel, shipping, and material costs.
The grant period is up to two years for Planning and Implementation Level I projects, and up to three years for Implementation Level II projects. The key deadlines for this program are:
- Application available: October 4, 2024
- Optional draft due: December 5, 2024
- Final application deadline: January 10, 2025
- Notification date: August 31, 2025
- Project start dates: October 1, 2025, or January 1, 2026
This grant program aims to support projects that improve the conditions and systems for collection storage, reduce energy usage, and enhance the sustainability of preservation environments. Interested applicants are encouraged to consult with NEH program officers for guidance and can participate in a webinar for further information on the application process. The program historically funds approximately 25% of applicants, with an average of 13 awards made per year.
For detailed instructions and submission guidelines, applications are processed through Grants.gov, and further inquiries can be directed to the NEH Division of Preservation and Access.
