Archives Collaboratives | COLLABORATIVES 202006

Opportunity Information: Apply for COLLABORATIVES 202006

The Archives Collaboratives grant opportunity, offered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) within the National Archives and Records Administration, supports projects designed to make collections held by small and under-represented archives easier for the public to discover and use. The program is built around the idea that archives can accomplish more by working together, so it funds collaboratives that share practical best practices, tools, and techniques; take a clear-eyed look at each partner's strengths and gaps; and put management and governance structures in place that help the partnership remain sustainable and grow over time. The overall focus is on improving access and visibility for archival materials that may otherwise remain hard to find, under-described, or underused.

To qualify, an Archives Collaborative must include three or more organizations. These partners can be based in the same city, state, or region, but they do not have to be; the collaborative can also be virtual or primarily online. Collaboratives can be organized in different ways, including partners who share similar subject matter or collecting areas, partners with comparable institutional missions, or partners that serve similar user communities. In other words, the program is flexible about what brings a collaborative together, as long as the partnership is real and the project is structured to improve long-term access and capacity across the group rather than only benefiting a single institution.

The funding described here is for Implementation Grants, meaning the money is intended to carry out projects developed during an earlier planning phase. Implementation proposals need to show concrete commitments from the member organizations and present a clear work plan and timeline. The maximum award is up to $100,000 total, shared by the consortium rather than per organization. The opportunity listing indicates an application due date of January 16, 2020, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2020, and an award ceiling of $100,000, with approximately six awards expected.

Eligibility is broad across common archival stewards. Applicants may include nonprofit organizations and institutions (including 501(c)(3) organizations), colleges and universities (public or private), state or local government agencies, and federally acknowledged or state recognized Native American tribes or groups. The activity area is listed under Humanities (with Cultural Affairs referenced in CFDA), and the CFDA number associated with the program is 89.003. The opportunity is a discretionary grant competition.

Cost sharing is required. NHPRC will cover no more than 75 percent of total project costs for Implementation Grants, so the collaborative and its members must provide the remaining share. The applicant contribution can include direct costs, allowable indirect expenses counted as part of the match, in-kind support, non-federal third-party contributions, and any program income earned directly by the project. A key restriction is that NHPRC funds cannot be used for indirect costs; if indirect costs are part of the overall project budget, they must be included on the applicant side of the cost share. Applicants are also expected to consult NHPRC's published guidance on what it does and does not fund; proposals made up entirely of ineligible activities will not be considered.

Administratively, the lead applicant must be properly registered to apply for federal funding. This includes being registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting the application, keeping that registration active through the review and award process, and including a valid DUNS number in the application (as required at the time of this opportunity). A complete application package must include Standard Form 424 (Application for Federal Assistance), Standard Form 424B (Assurances - Non-Construction Programs), a project narrative, a summary, supplementary materials, and a budget. Applications missing required components are not reviewed, and recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in any publications or other products that result from the grant.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Archives Collaboratives" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 89.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 09, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 10, 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 $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township 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 COLLABORATIVES 202006

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