intro:: The National Park Service’s (NPS) History of Equal Rights Grant Program (HER) will preserve sites related to the struggle of all Americans to gain equal rights.
Donor Name: National Park Service
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/11/2023
Size of the Grant: $750,000
Details:
HER grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), administered by the NPS, and will fund a broad range of preservation projects for historic sites including: architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and physical preservation to structures.
Preservation Projects
- Preservation projects must range from $75,000 to $750,000 in federal share, of which no more than 20% may go toward pre-preservation costs such as architectural or engineering services.
- Grant applications that solely involve pre-preservation work must range from $15,000 to $75,000.
- Grants fund physical preservation of historic sites to include historic districts, buildings, sites, structures, and objects. Projects must comply with applicable laws, such as Section 106, 110, and NEPA, and execute a preservation covenant/easement.
- Eligible costs include pre-preservation studies, architectural plans and specifications, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and the repair and rehabilitation of historic properties according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation.
- Properties must be listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or designated a National Historic Landmark, either individually or as contributing to a district, whose significance is associated with History of Equal Rights. Projects not listed in the National Register or not listed in association with History of Equal Rights must submit a new nomination or amendment to an existing nomination as part of the grant project.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $5,000,000
- Maximum Award: $750,000
- Minimum Award: $15,000
Program Requirements
- Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are not eligible. Each application must be for a separate phase if it is a part of a multi-phase project, and significant progress must be demonstrated on prior phases to warrant additional funding. Applicants may be excluded if progress has not been demonstrated.
- Projects funded under this program constitute “undertakings” as defined by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (54 U.S.C. 306108). Accordingly, after the grant is awarded, the National Park Service will work with the grantee to complete the consultation process prior to drawing construction funds from their grant account. Depending on the project, additional federal reviews may be required under other laws such as, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
- If the project is doing preservation work to or preparing a National Register nomination for a property and the owner is different than the applicant, then the applicant must include written permission from the owner to proceed with the project, including agreeing to any required easements or covenants. The Letter of Owner Consent must be submitted with the application, signed no earlier than 60 days before the application due date, and pertain to the proposed project with this particular application. Previous letters of owner consent will not be accepted.
- For archaeological surveys, provide plans for curating any artifacts recovered incidentally, including any strategies for outreach and the sharing of survey reports, research, results, etc. These will also require NEPA and NPS review prior to surveying.
- For properties not National Register listed for association with the struggle to obtain equal rights, before a grant will be considered complete, an amendment to an existing National Register or National Historic Landmark nomination to include association with the struggle to obtain equal rights must be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office and approved by the NPS.
- Administration costs plus indirect costs necessary to complete and administer the program cannot exceed 25% of total cost (admin and indirect combined). This limitation for the Historic Preservation Fund is by statute, 54 U.S.C. 302902.
- All projects from application through close out must follow all requirements set out in 2 CFR 200 including procurement requirements.
- Preparation of architectural/engineering plans and specifications not to exceed 20% of the total project cost.
- Historic Preservation Fund Easement Requirement: Section 54 USC 302902 (b)(1)(c) of the National Historic Preservation Act requires that Historic Preservation Fund grantees agree to assume, after the completion of the project, the total cost of continued maintenance, repair and administration of the grant-assisted property in a manner satisfactory to the Secretary of the Interior. Accordingly, recipients awarded funds for the physical preservation of a historic site shall sign a Preservation
- Covenant/Easement with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) in which the site is located or with a nonprofit preservation organization acceptable and approved in writing by the NPS.
Eligible Applicants
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
Additional Information on Eligibility
- Eligible applicants are State governments, local governments, nonprofits, educational institutions, and Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiian Organizations as defined by 54 USC 300300. Grants are not available for sites or collections owned by the NPS.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
