Archives Collaboratives

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks Archives Collaboratives of three or more repositories working together to make their collections more readily available for public discovery and use. The grant program will fund Archives Collaboratives to share best practices, tools, and techniques; assess institutional strengths and opportunities; create replicable and sustainable digital platforms for historical collections; virtually unify records from multiple repositories; and promote management structures for long-term sustainability and growth.
The Commission welcomes collaborations that target institutional advancement for small and underserved local archives and repositories, especially those with collections that focus on the voices and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Archives Collaboratives must consist of three or more organizations. They may:
? be located in the same community, state, or geographic region
? be “virtual” or online collaboratives
? share affinities among the scope and subject matter of their collections
? have similar organizational missions
? serve similar types of user communities
Award Information
Applicants may apply for either a Planning Grant or an Implementation Grant. You need not have previously received an NHPRC Planning Grant in order to apply for an Implementation Grant.
Planning Grants are available to plan and develop a working collaborative of three or more partners designed to enhance the capacity of small and diverse organizations with historical records collections. Commitments to the Archives Collaborative should be secured from partners at the time that the application is submitted. Together, the partners would develop a mission, work plan, and timeline to carry out a shared project or develop a shared best practice, tool, or technique that will increase public access to historical records. Applicants are eligible to receive one-year grants up to $25,000, shared by the consortia, to carry out the project. The NHPRC expects to make up to four grants in this category for up to $100,000. Applications are due on May 3, 2023, with a start date for implementation of January 1, 2024.
Implementation Grants are available for Archives Collaboratives to put into practice the action items identified during their planning process, whether done independently or through a Planning Grant from the NHPRC. Projects that demonstrate commitments by member organizations to the Archives Collaborative, a work plan, and timeline are eligible to receive one- or two-year grants up to $100,000, shared by the consortia, to carry out the project. The NHPRC expects to make up to four grants in this category for up to $400,000. Applications are due on May 3, 2023, with a start date for implementation of January 1, 2024.
The Commission requires that grant recipients acknowledge NHPRC grant assistance in all publications and other products that result from its support.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants:
Nonprofit organizations or institutions
Colleges, universities, and other academic institutions
State or local government agencies
Federally-acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups
For a comprehensive list of the Commission’s limitations on funding, please see “What we do and do not fund” (http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/apply/eligibility.html). Applications that consist entirely of ineligible activities will not be considered.
In order to ensure eligibility, applicants should first review the rules and regulations governing NHPRC grants under the Administering an NHPRC Grant section.
Cost Sharing
The total costs of a project are shared between the NHPRC and the applicant organization.
Cost sharing is required. The applicant’s financial contribution may include both direct and indirect expenses, in-kind contributions, non-Federal third-party contributions, and any income earned directly by the project. Indirect costs must be listed under the applicant’s cost sharing contribution. NHPRC grant recipients are not permitted to use grant funds for indirect costs (as indicated in 2 CFR 2600.101). Indirect costs must be listed under the applicant’s cost sharing contribution.
The Commission provides no more than 75 percent of total project costs for the Planning and Implementation Grants. For example, a request of $75,000 in NHPRC grant funds means the applicant institution must provide at least $25,000 in cost share.
Other Requirements
Applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application, maintain SAM registration throughout the application and award process, and include a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number in their application. Details on SAM registration and requesting a UEI number can be found at the System for Award Management website at www.sam.gov.
Ensure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations and passwords are current. It may take up to one month to register or reactivate your registration with SAM.gov and Grants.gov. NHPRC will not grant deadline extensions for lack of registration.