NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections CFDA 45.149

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting preventive conservation measures that mitigate deterioration and prolong the useful life of collections. Libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country are responsible for collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art, and historical objects that facilitate research, strengthen teaching, and provide opportunities for life-long learning in the humanities. Applications are due by December 1, 2010.


To preserve and ensure continued access to such collections, institutions must implement preventive conservation measures, which encompass managing relative humidity, temperature, light, and pollutants in collection spaces, providing protective storage enclosures and systems for collections, and safeguarding collections from theft and from natural and man-made disasters. As they strive to be effective stewards of humanities collections, cultural repositories are increasingly interested in sustainable preservation strategies.

NEH therefore invites proposals that explore and implement energy-efficient and cost-effective preventive conservation measures designed to mitigate the greatest risks to collections. To help institutions develop sound preventive conservation projects, NEH encourages collaborative and interdisciplinary planning, which may be especially helpful for identifying sustainable strategies. Such planning would include consideration of the following factors: the nature of the materials in a collection; the performance of the building, its envelope, and its systems in moderating internal environmental conditions; the capabilities of the institution; the nature of the local climate and the effects of climate change; the cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency of various approaches to preventive conservation; and the project’s impact on the environment.

The maximum award for planning and evaluation grants is $40,000, for up to two years. Grants can be made for up to five years for implementation projects, with a maximum award of $400,000. Successful applicants will be awarded a grant in outright funds, federal matching funds, or a combination of the two, depending on the applicant’s preference and the availability of NEH funds.

Cost sharing consists of the cash contributions made to the project by the applicant, third parties, and other federal agencies, as well as third party in-kind contributions, such as donated services and goods. Cost sharing also includes gift money raised to release federal matching funds.

Although cost sharing is not required, NEH is rarely able to support the full costs of projects approved for funding. In most cases, NEH Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grants cover no more than 80 percent of project costs for planning and evaluation projects and 50 percent of project costs for implementation projects.

Document Type: Modification to Previous Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: 20101116-PF
Opportunity Category: Discretionary
Posted Date: July 28, 2010
Creation Date: Sept 15, 2010
Original Closing Date for Applications: Nov. 16, 2010
Current Closing Date for Applications: Dec. 01, 2010
Archive Date: Dec. 31, 2010
Funding Instrument Type: Grant
Category of Funding Activity: Humanities (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)
Category Explanation:
Expected Number of Awards: 40
Estimated Total Program Funding:
Award Ceiling: $400,000
Award Floor: $0
CFDA Number(s): 45.149 -- Promotion of the Humanities_Division of Preservation and Access
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SCHC.html