Washington, DC…Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero has awarded 30 grants totaling $2.62 million for historical records projects in 18 states and the District of Columbia. The National Archives grants program is carried out through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. A complete list of new grants is available online at http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/awards/awards-5-14.html

Grants totaling $1.1 million were recommended for 14 documentary editing projects to publish the papers of key American figures including Andrew Jackson, Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, and the Presidential Recordings project.

Grants totaling $1.5 million were recommended for 15 archival projects, including: projects to process the records of Oklahoma City; state government archives in South Dakota; the gubernatorial records of three Pennsylvania governors and former Arkansas Governor Jim “Guy” Tucker; labor records at the Reuther Library Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs at Wayne State University; emancipation records in Maryland; and records from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. An Innovation grant was awarded to George Washington University to explore innovative methods to facilitate the preservation and use of social media collections by developing viable preservation tools.

Pictured here is a copy of a manumission record from the Maryland State Archives.

A reminder that there will be a webinar on the grant announcement for the NHPRC Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions on Tuesday, May 20, 3:00 PM EDT.

You do not need to reserve a spot.

Simply click on this link: https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?ExEventID=86503625

Lots of big changes here at the NHPRC over the past few months. You can read all about our new grant programs, meet our new Commission Member, and check out stories about some ongoing projects at http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/newsletter/2014/april/.

I would like to bring to your attention two upcoming webinars regarding the NHPRC’s proposed new grant program for State Board Programming Grants. This program replaces the former State and National Archival Partnership (SNAP) grant program. The webinar schedule and instructions appear at the end of this message.

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals that strengthen the nation’s archival network through activities undertaken by state historical records advisory boards (SHRABs). The purpose of this grant program is to assist state boards to enhance access to historical records, increase citizen engagement with records, and provide learning and development opportunities for students, citizens and professional archivists. The Commission will award grants to State Historical Records Advisory Boards to:

– Provide educational and outreach programs, workshops, and other activities that enhance citizen and student engagement with historical records

– Operate state-based regrant and scholarship programs that advance access to historical records.

– Collaborate on projects with other organizations to address common problems or shared opportunities within a state or among a consortium of state archives.

– Hold or participate in meetings and public forums on statewide or national archival issues.

Applicants may apply for grants of up to $40,000 for 12-month projects or up to $80,000 for 24-month projects. A portion of the funding may be used for costs to administer and operate proposed board activities.

The NHPRC expects to award approximately 30 grants in this program. The total amount allocated for this program is up to $700,000. Grants begin no earlier than March 1, 2015.

Application deadlines: DRAFT June 16, 2014; FINAL August 27, 2014.

Webinars will be held on the following dates and times:

Wednesday, May 7 @ 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Tuesday, June 24 @ 4:00 p.m. Eastern

Webinar attendees will need to click on the following link:

https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?ExEventID=84603403

and enter their name and email address.

I’m pleased to host two webinars to discuss the grant announcement for Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions.

Changes in the grant announcement mean that current recipients and new applicants are encouraged to attend.

The first is Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 3:00 pm EDT

The second is Thursday, May 29, 2014 at 2:00 pm EDT

To join either, you use the same link: https://connect16.uc.att.com/gsa1/meet/?ExEventID=86503625

If you have questions you wish me to address, please email me at lucy.barber@nara.gov

Lucy Barber

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals to publish documentary editions of historical records of national significance. Projects may focus on the papers of major figures from American life or cover broad historical movements in politics, military, business, social reform, the arts, and other aspects of the national experience. The historical value of the records and their expected usefulness to broad audiences must justify the costs of the project.

The goal of this program is to provide access to and editorial context for the historical documents and records that tell the American story. The NHPRC encourages projects, whenever possible and appropriate, to provide access to these materials in a free and open online environment, without precluding other forms of publication.

Grants are awarded for collecting, describing, preserving, compiling, editing, and publishing documentary source materials in print and online. Because of the focus on documentary sources, grants do not support preparation of critical editions of published works unless such works are just a small portion of the larger project.

All applicants should be aware that the application process is highly competitive. Applicants from ongoing project must demonstrate that they have successfully achieved the performance objectives associated with previous NHPRC awards, provide updated, current information, including a description of the new activities, progress towards preparing the edition, and a justification of the new budget.

If a currently-funded project is preparing only a print edition, they must either complete the project by 2018 or make plans to prepare an online edition by 2018. In the latter instance, projects may also prepare print editions as part of their overall publishing plan. Print-only editions should contact the NHPRC staff for technical assistance in preparing an application.

New projects and projects that have never received an NHPRC grant must include plans for an online edition and apply at the second deadline (December 4, 2014). Such projects may also prepare print editions as part of their overall publishing plan.

Applicants may apply for funding for one year. Award amounts may range from $30,000 to $200,000. Depending on the availability of funding, the Commission expects to make as many as 25 grants in this category, for a total of up to $2,500,000. Grants begin no earlier than March 1, 2015.

There are two deadlines:

Any currently funded NHPRC documentary edition project

Draft (optional): June 16, 2014

Final Deadline: August 27, 2014

NHPRC support begins no earlier than March 1, 2015.

Any currently funded NHPRC documentary edition project and any project seeking first time support

Draft (optional): October 1, 2014

Final Deadline: December 4, 2014

NHPRC support begins no earlier than July 1, 2015.

Today you will find the NHPRC grant programs for FY2015 posted on our website with links to the grant application forms that appear on Grants.gov. The link to our grant announcements page is located at the following URL: http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/announcement/

The NHPRC programs are as follows:

Access to Historical Records

State Board Programming Grants

Literacy and Engagement with Historical Records

State Government Electronic Records

Digital Dissemination of Archival Collections

Publishing Historical Records in Documentary Editions

The many comments we received over the past several weeks assisted the Commission in developing these programs, so thanks again to all of those blog followers who shared their thoughts.

The staff will be scheduling a series of webinars for each grant program in the near future, so please watch this blog, the professional listservs and the NHPRC website and facebook page for the webinar schedule as we get it developed. And in the meantime, if you have questions, PLEASE contact the grant officer listed for the program(s) you are interested in. S/he will be very happy to answer your questions and, in addition, your questions will help us develop effective FAQs and webinar content.

A heartfelt thank you to those who commented on the draft NHPRC grant programs over the past several weeks. We received close to 75 comments via this blog, emails, listservs, and letters, and the Commission members have seen all of them. The thoughtfulness and passion found in many of your comments ensures that the Commission can have a robust discussion and thorough consideration of the matters before it. In terms of process, the Commission will hold a working meeting in April via teleconference and its regular biannual meeting on Tuesday, May 13 at the National Archives in Washington, DC. So stay tuned as the 2015 grant programs are finalized in the coming weeks.

Be assured that we truly value the work of ALL NHPRC grantees whether based at the nation’s archives, historical documentary editing projects, or in the states. The projects we fund broaden and deepen public access to America’s records – both intellectual and physical access. We are constantly looking for ways to take advantage of the tools and technologies available that will facilitate the discovery and use of historical records and ensure a deeper understanding of our national heritage, and I am grateful that so many of you registered your commitment to these efforts through your comments

Given the extensive changes being proposed and in response to requests, the NHPRC has extended the comment period on the proposed DRAFT grant guidelines in all six categories.

The new deadline to submit comments is Monday, March 31, 2014.  We ask that you share your thoughts by posting them on the NHPRC blog.  As always, we welcome comments from individuals and organizations who are interested in these NHPRC programs. The NHPRC staff will share your comments with the Commission members as they consider program changes in the coming weeks.

Given the extensive changes being proposed and in response to requests from the historical and documentary editing communities, the NHPRC has extended the comment period for the Online Publishing of Historical Records and Publishing Historical Records Online: Transition Support grant program drafts.

The new deadline to submit comments is Monday, March 31, 2014.  We ask that you share your thoughts by posting them on the NHPRC blog.  As always, we welcome comments from individuals and organizations who are interested in these NHPRC programs. The NHPRC staff will share your comments with the Commission members as they consider program changes in the coming weeks.