Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections - Applications due January 13, 2022

Announcing NEH Division of Preservation and Access,  Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Grant Program 

The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Division of Preservation and Access is pleased to announce the release of the 2022 guidelines for its Sustaining Cultural Heritage grant program: https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections 

The deadline for submission is January 13, 2022 for a project start date of October 1, 2022.  Applicants may request up to $50,000 in outright funds for Planning projects for a period of performance of up to two years, and up to $350,000 in outright funds for Implementation projects for a period of performance of up to three years. Drafts are being accepted for review until December 9, 2022.  

The Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program helps cultural institutions -- libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations -- meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting sustainable conservation measures that mitigate deterioration, prolong the useful life of collections, and support institutional resilience. 

To ensure the preservation of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art, and historical objects, cultural institutions must implement preventive conservation measures, which may include -- managing relative humidity, temperature, light, and pollutants in collection spaces; providing protective storage enclosures and systems for collections; and safeguarding collections from theft, fire, floods, and other disasters. 

As collecting institutions strive to be effective stewards of humanities collections, they must find ways to implement preventive conservation measures that are sustainable. This program helps cultural repositories plan and implement preservation strategies that pragmatically balance effectiveness, cost, and environmental impact.  Sustainable approaches to preservation can contribute to an institution’s financial health, reduce its use of fossil fuels, and benefit its green initiatives, while ensuring that collections are well cared for and available for use in humanities programming, education, and research.   

A pre-recorded webinar is available for prospective applicants. Click here to view  

For more information, please visit: https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections.   Program staff are available to read drafts.  For inquiries, please contact: preservation@neh.gov.