Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded $103,531.05 to the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931) on February 27, 2026, for completion by December 31, 2027. This cooperative agreement supports a youth internship initiative at Sitka National Historic Park in Alaska, wherein NCPE will recruit, train, and manage three youth interns to perform hands-on cultural resource conservation and education work. Interns will engage in research, museum object cataloging, historic structure preservation, and public education program support while receiving mentorship and stipends throughout their tenure.

The deliverables under this award include curated museum collections prepared for public research use, conservation reports, and interpretive educational materials that enhance the park's preservation capacity and visitor experience. Beyond the tangible outputs, the program provides significant professional development outcomes, preparing participating interns for careers in heritage management and cultural resource conservation while simultaneously addressing critical preservation needs across Department of Interior lands. The initiative benefits multiple stakeholder groups including the interns themselves, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and the general public through improved cultural resource stewardship and enhanced educational programming.