Generally speaking, at the federal government level, the agencies that are most likely to support historic sites are:
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
These agencies have regular rounds of grant-making that are designed specifically to support cultural, educational, preservation, and conservation activities. You should make it a regular part of your routine to review these agencies’ upcoming deadlines.
CLICK HERE FOR A MONTH-BY-MONTH LOOK AT FFEDERAL GRANT DEADLINES FOR HISTORIC-SITES-RELATED FUNDING
Several words of caution are in order, however:
• Federal Grants are time-consuming to prepare. Give yourself ample time to write and collect the voluminous materials that are required. If you are new to this, start planning several months in advance. Many projects require collaboration with other agencies. It can take time to develop these partnerships and coordinate the development of a proposal, and secure letters of commitment. Once you are familiar with the process and requirements of a grant program, you might find they require less lead time; but don’t count on it.
You must use a federal government web portal, http://www.grants.gov/, to submit nearly all federal grant proposals. This system allows you to submit your grant application and all required attachments in a systematic and secure manner. In order to use this service, you must register your site or organization. Once again, do this well in advance of your first federal grant deadline. The Grants.gov website cautions, “[t]he registration process for an Organization or an Individual can take between three to five business days or as long as four weeks if all steps are not completed in a timely manner. So please register early!”
PLEASE NOTE: The National Trust is registered at Grants.gov. Historic sites that are owned and operated by the National Trust (“stewardship sites”) may use the Trust’s registration.
