ARCHIVES COLLABORATIVES | COLLABORATIVES 202405

Opportunity Information: Apply for COLLABORATIVES 202405

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), part of the National Archives and Records Administration, is offering the Archives Collaboratives grant opportunity to support groups of three or more archives or records repositories that want to work together to make historical collections easier for the public to discover and use. The central idea is collaboration: instead of a single institution improving access on its own, the program backs coordinated efforts where multiple partners share knowledge and infrastructure, align workflows, and build approaches that can last beyond the grant period. The NHPRC is especially interested in collaboratives that strengthen small, underserved, and locally based archives, including those that preserve and interpret the histories and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

Funded projects are expected to focus on practical, capacity-building outcomes. Examples of supported activities include sharing best practices, tools, and techniques across partner institutions; assessing each organization s strengths, gaps, and growth opportunities; developing digital platforms that are both replicable (so others can adopt them) and sustainable (so they can be maintained long-term); and creating ways to virtually unify records held across multiple repositories so that users can find related materials in one place even when they are physically dispersed. The program also emphasizes governance and management structures that help collaboratives keep operating and expanding after the award ends. Collaboratives can be place-based (in the same community, state, or region) or fully virtual, and they may be connected by subject matter, mission, or the communities they serve.

Applicants can choose between two grant types: Planning Grants and Implementation Grants. Planning Grants are designed for groups that need time and support to form a durable collaborative and map out a shared approach. These are one-year awards of up to $25,000 total, shared across the consortium, and require partners to have their commitments in place at the time of application. During the planning period, the group is expected to define a mission, develop a concrete work plan and timeline, and outline a shared project or shared practice that will improve public access to historical records. NHPRC expects to make up to four Planning Grant awards, totaling up to $100,000 in this category. Even if an organization has not received an NHPRC planning award before, it may still apply directly for an Implementation Grant.

Implementation Grants support collaboratives that are ready to put plans into action, whether those plans were developed through an earlier NHPRC Planning Grant or through another internal planning process. These awards can be one or two years and can total up to $100,000, shared by the consortium. Competitive applications will show strong commitments from member organizations, along with a clear work plan and timeline tied to the collaborative s action items. NHPRC expects to make up to four Implementation Grant awards, totaling up to $400,000 in this category. For both Planning and Implementation Grants, the application deadline is May 8, 2024, and funded projects are expected to start January 1, 2025. Grant recipients must also acknowledge NHPRC support in any publications or products that result from the project.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations and institutions, colleges and universities (public or private), state or local government agencies, and federally acknowledged or state recognized Native American tribes or groups. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant in the humanities area (CFDA 89.003). Applicants are advised to review NHPRC funding limitations and the rules governing how NHPRC grants must be administered, since proposals made up entirely of ineligible activities will not be considered.

Cost sharing is required, and NHPRC will fund no more than 75 percent of total project costs for either grant type. That means the applicant or consortium must cover at least 25 percent through allowable cost share, which can include direct or indirect expenses, in-kind contributions, qualifying third-party non-federal support, and project-generated income. A key budgeting constraint is that NHPRC funds cannot be used to pay indirect costs; indirect costs may only appear as part of the applicant s cost share contribution, consistent with federal requirements (including 2 CFR 2600.101).

Finally, applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before applying, must keep that registration active through the submission and award process, and must include a valid Unique Entity ID in the application. Because SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration or reactivation can take up to a month, applicants are expected to confirm their registrations and credentials well before the deadline, as NHPRC will not extend deadlines due to registration issues.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "ARCHIVES COLLABORATIVES" 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 2023-11-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-08. (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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 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 COLLABORATIVES 202405

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