The Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council (HCC) announces funding is available through the Natural & Cultural Heritage Grant program.
Donor Name: Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council
State: Kansas
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/07/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Natural and Cultural Heritage Grant Program is considered for approval annually by the Board of County Commissioners to assist with the development and implementation of natural and cultural heritage conservation projects in Douglas County. The Natural and Cultural Heritage Grant Program is designed to protect, conserve, and share Douglas County’s heritage resources.
With administrative assistance from the Heritage Conservation Coordinator, grant applications are reviewed by the Heritage Conservation Council (HCC). Through the review process, HCC recommends projects for funding that are then considered for approval by the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners.
Projects must fall into at least one of the following categories:
- Cultural Heritage
- Natural Heritage
- Historic Preservation
- Open Space
Priority Themes
The Heritage Conservation Council’s Strategic Planning for 2023-2026 determined the following specific themes to be priority areas for funding recommendations:
- Inclusive and Creative Storytelling of Heritage
- Elevate under-told stories or narratives of BIPOC, immigrants or refugees, LGBTQIA2s+ or other marginalized communities. Projects led by people with lived experience and marginalized identities will be prioritized.
- Celebrate living heritage through culturally significant celebrations or events.
- Record and share oral histories.
- Give visibility to little known places, people, or stories.
- Conservation and Restoration of Native Ecosystem
- Conserve or restore prairie, woodlands, wetlands, waterways, and other ecosystem types
- Assess existing conservation efforts with a lens of diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion.
- Enhancement of Agricultural Heritage
- Preserve and promote the viability of working farms
- Conserve high quality agricultural soils.
- Promote agritourism or public access to heritage farms.
- Accessibility and Visibility of Important Natural and Cultural Sites
- Protect, build, or maintain recreational and/or historic trails
- As appropriate, provide increased access to and/or education about historic sites, including cemeteries.
- Strategic Preservation of Historic Resources
- Promote the listing of significant historic structures and districts to National or Kansas Register of Historic Place
- Promote the adaptive reuse of historic structures.
- Promote the conservation of designated structures, districts, and landscapes.
- Promote the listing of significant historic structures and districts to National or Kansas Register of Historic Place
Funding Information
Grant awards may be up to $75,000 and projects must be completed on a two-year timeline.
The three award categories are listed below:
- Major Grants – $40,000-$75,000
- Target Grants – $5,001- $39,999
- Seed Grants- Up to $5,000
Eligibility Criteria
The following types of organizations are eligible to apply and receive funding:
- Non-profit organizations (All 501(c)(3) non-profit applicants must be in current good standing with the IRS regarding their Form 990 filing requirements.)
- Accredited post-secondary institutions, K-12 schools, and libraries
- For-profit businesses, including agricultural businesses
- Cemetery Associations
- Any unit of local government or adjacent agencies within Douglas County, Kansas.
For mor information, visit HCC.
