Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions | 20200115 PG

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20200115 PG

The Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions opportunity is a discretionary grant program offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), specifically through its Division of Preservation and Access. It is designed to strengthen the preservation and collections-care capacity of small to mid-sized organizations that hold humanities collections of significance. In practical terms, the program supports efforts that help an institution better protect, manage, and sustain materials such as historical documents, archival records, photographs, audiovisual items, rare books, or other culturally and historically important resources that communities, researchers, and the public rely on.

A central goal of this program is to help smaller organizations take concrete, achievable steps toward better stewardship, often by improving basic preservation practices and planning. The opportunity is especially welcoming to small and mid-sized institutions that have never received an NEH grant before, signaling an intent to broaden access to federal preservation support beyond organizations that already have extensive grant experience or large internal preservation departments. The emphasis is on building or improving an institution's ability to care for its collections, which can include assessing current conditions, identifying risks, and implementing targeted improvements that make long-term preservation more realistic and sustainable.

The program is administered under the humanities funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 45.149. Eligible applicants cover a wide range of public and private entities that commonly serve as stewards of humanities collections. This includes state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that nonprofit category). This breadth reflects the reality that important humanities collections are held across many types of institutions, from local historical societies and small museums to municipal archives, tribal cultural centers, and smaller colleges and universities.

In the specific announcement provided, the funding opportunity is titled "Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions" and is identified by funding opportunity number 20200115 PG. The opportunity was created on November 20, 2019, with an original application closing date of January 15, 2020. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $15,000, and NEH anticipated making about 42 awards. These figures suggest a program structured to provide relatively modest but meaningful grants to a significant number of organizations, allowing many institutions to address immediate preservation needs, strengthen foundational practices, and position themselves for future preservation work.

• The National Endowment for the Humanities in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.149.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 20, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 15, 2020. (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 $15,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 42 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district 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 20200115 PG

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: