State Board Programming Grants | STATE 202106

Opportunity Information: Apply for STATE 202106

State Board Programming Grants are offered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), part of the National Archives and Records Administration, to strengthen the nations archival network through work led by state historical records advisory boards. The program is aimed at improving how historical records are preserved, managed, and made accessible, with a strong emphasis on making primary sources easier for the public to discover and use both locally and online. A highlighted priority is supporting projects that help commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by using archival collections to explore the founding ideals of the United States and the ways those ideals have been interpreted, debated, and reshaped over the past 250 years. Projects that expand civic education, encourage public engagement, and deepen understanding of US history, democracy, and culture from the founding era to today are particularly encouraged.

The grant supports a practical set of state-level archival services and capacity-building activities. Funded projects can include operating state regrant programs that help repositories preserve historically valuable records and improve online access; running traveling archivist programs that provide on-site, hands-on assistance to local repositories along with follow-up guidance; and delivering education and outreach such as workshops and public programs that increase citizen and student engagement with historical records. The program also allows boards to offer scholarships and other training opportunities to build institutional capacity, especially among repositories in underserved communities. In addition, boards may collaborate with other organizations to tackle shared statewide or multi-state archival challenges, and they may convene or participate in meetings and public forums on key archival issues. NHPRC welcomes both established, proven program models and well-designed experimental approaches, as long as they are grounded in real needs and lead to measurable improvements.

A major expectation is that applicants build evaluation and feedback into the project design. Proposals should clearly describe how the state board will contact program participants (such as regrant recipients, scholarship recipients, and workshop attendees) to learn what benefits they received, and how the board will evaluate program effectiveness and adjust its approach over time. Applicants also need to stay within NHPRC eligibility rules and funding limitations; proposals made up entirely of ineligible activities are not reviewed. The notice also points state boards toward NHPRCs separate Archival Collaboratives Planning and Implementation Grants as a complementary option for building sustainable collaboratives that help small and underrepresented archives adopt best practices, share infrastructure, and grow toward future funding eligibility.

Funding is offered in two tiers. Level I awards provide up to $12,000 for one year. Level II awards can be up to $40,000 for one year or up to $80,000 for two years, and an applicant must choose one level or the other. NHPRC anticipated making up to 30 awards in this category, with up to $800,000 total available, and project start dates no earlier than January 1, 2022. Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publicity, publications, and project products.

Eligibility is tightly focused on state historical records advisory boards (or the state agency that houses or administers the board, typically the state archives). In some cases another state agency, or a nonprofit or university acting on behalf of the designated state agency, may apply. Eligibility extends to US states as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and US territories. Projects must include at least one of the programs eligible activity types described in the announcement, and applications must include required components such as the SF-424, a narrative, the NHPRC budget form, and supplemental materials; incomplete submissions are not considered.

Cost sharing is required. NHPRC will cover no more than 75 percent of total project costs, meaning the applicant must provide at least 25 percent through allowable match sources such as direct costs, indirect costs, in-kind support, third-party contributions, or project income. A key budgeting rule is that NHPRC funds cannot be used for indirect costs; any indirect costs must be counted as part of the applicants cost share. For example, requesting $40,000 from NHPRC requires at least $13,334 in matching share to reach a total project cost that keeps NHPRC at or below 75 percent. Applicants must also meet federal registration requirements, including active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) throughout the application and award process and inclusion of a valid DUNS number in the application.

Key opportunity details from the posting include Funding Opportunity Number STATE 202106, CFDA 89.003, discretionary grant funding in the humanities/cultural affairs space, an original closing date of June 9, 2021, and an award ceiling of $80,000 (the two-year Level II maximum).

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "State Board Programming Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 89.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 01, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 09, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $80,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for STATE 202106

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