Sustaining Cultural Heritage Programs 2024 20240111-PF.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections

Funding Opportunity Number: 20240111-PF

Funding Opportunity Type: New

Federal Assistance Listing Number: 45.149

Application Deadline: January 12, 2024

Ensure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations and passwords are current.

It may take several weeks to register with SAM.gov and Grants.gov.

NEH will not grant deadline extensions for lack of registration.

Division of Preservation and Access Telephone: 202-606-8570 Email: preservation@neh.gov Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1

OMB control number 3136-0134, expiration date October 31, 2024 mailto:preservation@neh.gov

20240111-PF i

Executive Summary The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Preservation and Access is accepting applications for the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program. This program helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting environmentally sustainable preventive care measures that mitigate deterioration, prolong the useful life of collections, reduce energy consumption, and strengthen institutions’ ability to anticipate and respond to disasters. Contact a program officer at preservation@neh.gov with questions or to request a consultation.

Funding Opportunity Title Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Funding Opportunity Number 20240111-PF Federal Assistance Listing Number 45.149 Optional Draft Deadline December 7, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Application Deadline January 12, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time Anticipated Award Announcement August 2024 Anticipated FY 2024 Funding Approximately $2,000,000 Estimated Number and Type of Awards Approximately 15 grants per deadline (including all levels of funding) Award Amounts Planning: up to $50,000

Implementation, Level I: up to $100,000 Implementation, Level II: up to $350,000

Cost Sharing/Match Required No Period of Performance Planning: up to two years

Implementation, Level I: up to two years Implementation, Level II: up to three years

Projects must start between October 1, 2024, and January 31, 2025.

Eligible Applicants • nonprofit organizations recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code

• accredited institutions of higher education (public or nonprofit)

• state and local governments and their agencies

• federally recognized Native American Tribal governments

See C. Eligibility Information for additional information.

Program Resource Page https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections

Pre-Application Webinar A pre-recorded webinar will be published on the program resource page by December 1, 2023.

Published October 30, 2023 mailto:preservation@neh.gov https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections

20240111-PF ii

Table of Contents

A. Program Description

1. Purpose

2. Background

B. Federal Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award

2. Summary of Funding

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing

3. Other Eligibility Information

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management

4. Submission Dates and Times

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

E. Application Review Information

1. Review Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities

4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

G. Agency Contacts

H. Other Information

20240111-PF 1

A. Program Description

1. Purpose This notice solicits applications for the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections (SCHC) program.

The SCHC program helps cultural heritage institutions with humanities collections (libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations) meet the complex challenge of preserving diverse holdings of humanities materials (books and manuscripts, photographs, sound records and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic objects, art, and historical objects) for future generations. The SCHC program supports environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies to reduce energy consumption and costs and strengthen institutional resiliency in the face of a changing climate.

The 2023 report Held in Trust: Transforming Cultural Heritage Conservation for a More Resilient Future, funded by NEH, identified extreme climate-related disasters as an existential and immediate threat to cultural heritage and its preservation. Cultural heritage faces increased risks of loss and damage associated with fire, flood, tornadoes, hurricanes, sea level rise, and high temperatures. Maintaining preservation environments for cultural heritage collections often results in high energy usage, contributing to climate change and the very risks that threaten collections. Collecting institutions face a dual responsibility, to reduce impacts that contribute to climate change and adapt to changing environmental conditions.

The SCHC program supports environmentally sustainable preventive care, also referred to as preventive conservation or preservation, which includes measures and actions aimed at avoiding, minimizing, and slowing future deterioration or loss of cultural heritage collections, thereby sustaining them for future generations. Cultural heritage institutions may use SCHC awards to manage collections’ environment, including aspects such as temperature, relative humidity, pollutants, and light; provide protective storage enclosures and systems for collections; and safeguard collections from theft, fire, floods, and other disasters. Recipients should use environmentally sustainable methods that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and improve institutional resiliency from current and future disasters.

Best practices for planning and implementing environmentally sustainable preventive care include understanding the local climate, the collection materials and associated risks and vulnerabilities, the current and desired environmental conditions of the collection storage and/or display spaces, the building envelope housing the collection, the environmental impact of maintaining a preservation environment for collections, passive methods to improve the preservation environment of collections, and current and future disaster risks to the collection.

Funding categories The SCHC program offers three levels of funding: Planning, Implementation Level I, and Implementation Level II.

You should choose the level appropriate to the scope and maturity of the proposed project. You are not required to obtain a Planning award prior to applying for a Level I or Level II award, nor are you required to have received a Level I award prior to applying for a Level II award. An award from NEH for one stage of a project does not commit the agency to continued support.

NEH evaluates applications for each stage of a project independently.

https://www.culturalheritage.org/docs/default-source/publications/reports/held-in-trust/held-in-trust-report.pdf https://www.culturalheritage.org/docs/default-source/publications/reports/held-in-trust/held-in-trust-report.pdf

20240111-PF 2

Before applying to any level of this program, you should have established an environmental monitoring program (collecting temperature and relative humidity data) and completed a basic preservation assessment or conservation assessment that has identified preservation challenges, risks and priorities. You may consider completing additional basic planning before applying, such as developing a collection management plan, a preservation plan, an emergency plan, and/or a climate action plan. Using priorities established through initial assessments and planning, you should consider how to address long-term collection care needs in an environmentally sustainable manner.

If you have not yet completed this preparatory work, you may wish to consider other NEH programs, such as Climate Smart Humanities Organizations or Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions. See also Related funding opportunities.

Implementation projects, both Level I and Level II, may cover costs associated with minor building alterations and renovations necessary to implement environmentally sustainable preventive care measures for collection spaces. Because the SCHC program does not support new construction, you may not use grant funds to install climate control, security, storage equipment, or fire protection systems in a building under construction. Awards may support the rehousing and movement of collections into a new building if the primary purpose of the move advances institutional environmental sustainability and/or resilience. Implementation Level I and II projects must be at a stage of schematic design when you submit the application. See D6.

Funding Restrictions for more information.

Planning The Planning category provides funding for institutions of any size to develop and assess environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies in collection spaces. These awards are up to $50,000 for a two-year period of performance.

You might use a Planning award to:

• reevaluate environmental parameters for collections and establish realistic and achievable targets based on current recommendations and standards of dynamic control rather than strict set points

• study the performance characteristics of buildings and building envelopes to understand how they could better moderate collection environments

• evaluate improvements to the building envelope for better climate control efficiency

• examine passive (nonmechanical) and low-energy alternatives to conventional energy sources and energy-intensive mechanized systems for managing environmental conditions, such as preservation microclimates like retrofitting existing storage furniture or using enclosures to buffer against unsafe relative humidity fluctuations

• evaluate the feasibility of and develop installation plans for on-site renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal, and heat pumps

• analyze and optimize existing climate control systems to enable improved operation, effectiveness, and energy efficiency

• explore the potential of actively managed mechanical systems to achieve desired conditions along with energy and cost savings, such as planned shutdowns, setbacks, seasonal setpoints, reducing outside air, and adjusting fan speeds

• conduct a risk assessment to improve institutional resilience in the face of disasters resulting from current and future effects of climate change or other disaster https://www.neh.gov/program/climate-smart-humanities-organizations-0 https://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/preservation-assistance-grants-smaller-institutions

20240111-PF 3

• examine options and develop strategies for lighting collection spaces that protect collections while improving energy efficiency and reducing heat load

• evaluate the effectiveness of previously implemented preventive care strategies, including energy-efficient upgrades to existing systems and performance upgrades to buildings and building envelopes

You may also use a Planning award to perform testing, modeling, or project-specific research to better understand conditions and formulate environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies. Testing, modeling, or project-specific research might include:

• measuring energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

• thermal imaging of buildings

• testing building performance during extended power outages or other emergency situations

• testing building performance during purposeful, planned, mechanical system shutdowns, setbacks, and changing seasonal set points

• reducing outside air, or reducing fan speeds to reduce energy use

• using blower door tests to identify air leaks in buildings

• creating mock-ups of lighting options

• testing natural ventilation methods

• testing the effect of storage enclosures on moderating fluctuating environmental conditions

• recommissioning or tuning small-scale climate control systems

• adjusting the operating protocols for climate control systems

Planning projects require a professional team appropriate to the goals of the project, working in collaboration. The team should consist of consultants knowledgeable in environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies or disaster preparedness and members of the institution’s staff. Team members might include architects, building engineers, conservation scientists, conservators, curators, and facilities managers, among others. You must include a preservation/conservation professional who works with collections on the planning team. You must identify all members of the team in the application, and they should work collaboratively throughout the planning process.

The outcomes of a successful Planning award may include, but are not limited to:

• plans and specifications to reduce energy consumption and costs

• energy reduction test data

• environmentally sustainable collections environmental management and preventive care plans

• assessments, reports, and/or modification plans for the building envelope

• assessments, reports, and/or modification and installation plans for climate control, lighting, security, and other building systems

• plans to improve resiliency against disaster

Implementation Level I The Implementation Level I category provides funding for small to mid-sized institutions to implement environmentally sustainable preventive care projects that address specific, discrete preservation challenges that have been identified through an assessment. These awards are up to $100,000 for a period of performance of up to two years.

You might use an Implementation Level I award to:

20240111-PF 4

• manage interior relative humidity, temperature, and light by passive methods, such as controlling moisture at its sources, or improving the thermal and moisture performance of a building envelope by installing film, UV blocking window filters or shades, sealing windows and doors, sealing ducts, weatherproofing, insulation, or vapor barriers

• install renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal, or heat pumps

• reorganize collections by material type, locating more vulnerable collections in spaces that are more naturally stable

• install storage systems and rehouse vulnerable collections to reduce risk and/or improve energy efficiency and allow for greater temperature and relative humidity fluctuations in building-wide spaces

• create preservation microclimates for vulnerable collections, such as retrofitting existing storage furniture or using enclosures to buffer against unsafe relative humidity fluctuations

• improve security

• protect collections from fire, floods, pollutants, and other disasters

• upgrade lighting systems and controls such as installation of LED lighting, to achieve energy efficiency and light levels suitable for collections

Level I awards support projects that derive from a general preservation needs assessment, risk assessment, or other targeted collections assessment conducted by internal or consulting professionals who have identified preservation challenges and priorities and prepared an assessment report or summary. You should apply for this level of funding if you are ready to implement small-scale improvements to environmental conditions in collection spaces and other environmentally sustainable preventive care measures as a result of such assessments.

You must include a preservation/conservation professional who works with collections on your implementation project team.

The outcomes of a successful Implementation Level I award may include, but are not limited to:

• improved collections storage or display environment

• effective microclimates for vulnerable collections objects

• reduced energy consumption and costs

• improved lighting systems

• improved security

• reduced risk to disasters

If you are requesting funding for preservation activities, supplies, or equipment of a total cost of $10,000 or less, consider applying to the Preservation Assistance Grant program. You may email preservation@neh.gov to consult with a program officer about which award is best for your project.

Implementation Level II The Implementation Level II category provides funding for institutions of any size to implement environmentally sustainable preventive care projects that address large or multifaceted preservation challenges that have been identified through assessments and planning conducted by a multidisciplinary collaborative professional team appropriate to the goals of the project.

These awards are up to $350,000 for a period of performance of up to three years.

You might use an Implementation Level II award to:

20240111-PF 5

• manage interior relative humidity, temperature, and light by passive methods, such as controlling moisture at its sources, or improving the thermal and moisture performance of a building envelope by installing film, UV blocking window filters or shades, sealing windows and doors, sealing ducts weatherproofing, insulation, or vapor barriers

• upgrade a building automation system to enable more active management of a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system to improve energy efficiency

• recommission or install heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems to improve energy efficiency

• install on-site renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal, or heat pumps

• reorganize collections by material type, locating more vulnerable collections in spaces that are more naturally stable

• install storage systems or rehouse vulnerable collections to reduce risk and/or improve energy efficiency and allow for greater temperature and RH fluctuations in building-wide spaces

• create preservation microclimates for vulnerable collections, such as retrofitting existing storage furniture or using enclosures to buffer against unsafe relative humidity fluctuations

• improve security

• protect collections from fire, floods, pollutants and other disasters

• upgrade lighting systems and controls, such as installation of LED lighting, to achieve energy efficiency, reduce heat load, and provide light levels suitable for collections

The planning team that informs the proposed project and the implementation team for Level II projects should consist of professionals from various disciplines appropriate to the goals of the project, working in collaboration. The team should consist of consultants knowledgeable in environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies or disaster preparedness and members of the institution’s staff. Team members might include architects, building engineers, conservation scientists, conservators, curators, and facilities managers, among others. You must include a preservation/conservation professional who works with collections on the planning and implementation team. You must identify all members of the implementation team in the application, and they should work collaboratively throughout the project.

The primary differences between Implementation Level I and Implementation Level II are:

1) The scope and size of the project. Level I projects are typically smaller, distinct projects while Level II projects can be large and/or multifaceted.

2) The planning pre-requisites. Both levels require a preservation needs assessment or other focused assessment that informs the project. For Level II projects, that assessment should be performed by a multidisciplinary collaborative team appropriate to the project.

The outcomes of a successful Implementation Level II award may include, but are not limited to:

• improved collections storage or display environment

• effective microclimates for vulnerable collections objects

• reduced energy consumption and costs

• improved lighting systems

• improved security

• reduced risk to disasters

20240111-PF 6

If your project involves planning or implementing any modifications or changes to your building’s interior, exterior, or mechanical systems such as construction or expansion (including demolition), alteration, renovation, repair, rehabilitation, or ground disturbance, or if you seek to modify building envelopes for better climate control, install or modify HVAC systems, install alternate energy sources, install lighting systems, or install storage furniture you must comply with the following laws, as applicable:

• National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. § 4321, et seq.)

• Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. §

306108)

• Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. § 3141, et seq.)

• Build America, Buy America Act (Pub. L. 117-58 § 70901, et seq.)

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.)

You should build sufficient time into your project plans to account for a potentially lengthy review period if NEH decides to fund your application. See section F2.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements for additional details.

See D6. Funding Restrictions for unallowable activities.

See E1. Review Criteria for the standards NEH will use to evaluate applications under this notice.

2. Background NEH offers this funding opportunity under the authority of 20 U.S.C. § 956. Awards are subject to 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, and the General Terms and Conditions for Awards to Organizations (for grants and cooperative agreements issued January 1, 2022 or later).

Under Section 3(a) of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, “The term ‘humanities’ includes, but is not limited to, the study of the following:

language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy;

archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of the social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods;

and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.”

Use the Funded Projects Query Form to find examples of NEH-supported projects.

Learn more about NEH.

NEH Areas of Interest NEH is especially interested in supporting projects that advance humanities-related work in the following areas. NEH will give all applications equal consideration in accordance with the program’s review criteria.

NEH encourages projects that include Native American organizations and communities as applicants and project partners.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title42/chapter55&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title42/chapter55&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=54+U.S.C.+%A7306108&f=treesort&fq=true&num=18&hl=true&edition=prelim&granuleId=USC-prelim-title54-section306108 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=54+U.S.C.+%A7306108&f=treesort&fq=true&num=18&hl=true&edition=prelim&granuleId=USC-prelim-title54-section306108 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml;jsessionid=01381062F632D4668F5E03EB3B4CFCF0?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title40-chapter31-subchapter4&saved=%7CKHRpdGxlOjQwIHNlY3Rpb246MzE0MSBlZGl0aW9uOnByZWxpbSk%3D%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim&edition=prelim https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/s1303/BILLS-117s1303is.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2018-title42/pdf/USCODE-2018-title42-chap126-sec12101.pdf https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title20-section956 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=236bb02f01d2e050f7a5b60c88a67066&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.neh.gov/general-terms-and-conditions-awards-organizations-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-issued-january-2022 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1998-title20/pdf/USCODE-1998-title20-chap26-subchapI-sec952.pdf https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx https://www.neh.gov/about

20240111-PF 7

American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future American Tapestry: Weaving Together Past, Present, and Future is a wide-ranging special initiative at NEH that leverages the humanities to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time: strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate. The initiative encourages humanities projects that elevate the role of civics in schools and public programs, advance knowledge of the country’s history and political institutions, and examine threats to its democratic principles. The initiative also encourages projects that explore the untold stories of historically underrepresented groups and build capacity at cultural and educational institutions to benefit underserved communities. Finally, the initiative welcomes projects that promote research into the historical roots and cultural effects of climate change and support the cultural and educational sectors in building climate resilience. By supporting humanities projects that align with these three themes – strengthening our democracy, advancing equity for all, and addressing our changing climate – the American Tapestry initiative seeks to tell our country’s history in all its complexity and diversity.

United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture Hate must have no safe harbor in America – especially when that hate fuels the kind of violence we’ve seen from Oak Creek to Pittsburgh, from El Paso to Poway, and from Atlanta to Buffalo.

When ordinary Americans cannot participate in the basic activities of everyday life – such as shopping at the grocery store or praying at their house of worship – without the fear of being targeted and killed for who they are, our security as well as democracy are at risk. In coordination with the White House “United We Stand” Summit in September 2022, NEH launched a new initiative titled United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture that uses the humanities to combat hate-motivated violence and promote civic engagement, social cohesion, and cross-cultural understanding. As a part of this initiative, NEH encourages humanities projects that further our understanding of the nation’s racial, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity; examine the sources of hate and intolerance in the United States; and explore progress towards greater inclusiveness.

NEH’s Support for the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative As a part of NEH’s partnership with the Department of the Interior on the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, NEH encourages projects that further public understanding and knowledge of the Federal Indian boarding school system. From 1819 through the 1970s the government of the United States operated a system of schools for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children premised on a policy of coerced cultural assimilation.

Native children were forcibly separated from their families and sent to attend federal Indian boarding schools, where they were frequently subject to harsh treatment and abuse. A number of these students died, and others never returned to their families and communities. Many were also deprived of their cultural inheritance. NEH encourages projects that document and explore the history of the federal Indian boarding schools as well as projects that contribute to Native and Indigenous cultural and language revitalization.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award NEH seeks new applications in response to this notice.

NEH will provide funding in the form of grants.

https://www.neh.gov/news/american-tapestry-weaving-together-past-present-and-future https://www.neh.gov/unitedwestand https://www.neh.gov/bsi https://www.neh.gov/bsi

20240111-PF 8

2. Summary of Funding

Award amounts If you are applying for a Planning award, you may request up to $50,000.

If you are applying for a Level I Implementation award, you may request up to $100,000.

If you are applying for a Level II Implementation award, you may request up to $350,000.

These totals include the sum of direct and indirect costs.

NEH anticipates awarding approximately $2,000,000 among an estimated 15 recipients.

NEH will award successful applicants outright funds, which are not contingent on additional funding from other sources.

NEH will not determine the exact amount available for funding until Congress makes appropriations official for FY 2024. NEH will issue awards subject to the availability of appropriated funds. NEH is publishing this notice as a contingency to ensure that NEH can process applications and issue awards in a timely manner, should sufficient funds become available.

Period of performance If you are applying for a Planning award or an Implementation Level I award, you may request a period of performance up to two years.

If you are applying for an Implementation Level II award, you may request a period of performance up to three years.

You may request a period of performance start date between October 1, 2024, and January 31, 2025.

The period of performance is the time during which you may incur expenses to carry out the work under the award. It must start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of a month.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants To be eligible to apply, your organization must be established in the United States or its jurisdictions as one of the following:

• a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code

• an accredited institution of higher education (public or nonprofit)

• a state or local government or one of their agencies

• a federally recognized Native American Tribal government https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/28/2022-01789/indian-entities-recognized-by-and-eligible-to-receive-services-from-the-united-states-bureau-of

20240111-PF 9

Individuals and other organizations, including foreign and for-profit entities, are ineligible.

If your organization is eligible, you may apply on behalf of a consortium of collaborating organizations. If NEH selects your proposal for funding, you will be programmatically, legally, and fiscally responsible for the award.

The recipient may not function solely as a fiscal agent but should make substantive contributions to the success of the project.

2. Cost Sharing NEH does not require cost sharing in this program unless you request federal matching funds.

Cost sharing or matching is the portion of the project costs you pay for with non-NEH funds.

Peer reviewers will not consider cost sharing in their evaluation of applications.

If you request federal matching funds, you must raise third-party non-federal gifts dollar-for-dollar. NEH will certify the allowability of these gifts before releasing federal matching funds.

Typically, NEH distributes federal matching funds on an annual basis over the period of performance. See the NEH Federal Matching Funds Guidelines.

Include required third-party non-federal gifts on your Research and Related Budget and identify them in your budget justification.

You may contribute voluntary cost share to your project if the total costs exceed the amount awarded by NEH. Voluntary cost share includes:

• cash contributions made to the project by you or a third party

• your unrecovered indirect costs

• in-kind contributions (non-cash contributions, such as property or services, that benefit the project and are contributed without charge) by you or a third party

While you may describe voluntary cost share in your budget justification, you should not include it on your Research and Related Budget.

You must maintain auditable records of the source and use of cost share. See 2 CFR § 200.306.

Learn about types of funds NEH offers.

3. Other Eligibility Information You may submit multiple applications for separate and distinct projects under this notice. An individual may serve as project director for multiple proposed projects under this notice. If an individual will serve as project director on multiple applications, you should explain in the narratives how the project director would allocate their time between the awards.

You may revise and resubmit previously rejected applications. Submissions are subject to the application requirements and review criteria of the current competition.

If NEH has previously made an award in support of your project, you may apply for a new or subsequent stage of the project, which NEH will assess using the review criteria of the current competition.

https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/federal-matching-funds-guidelines https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=3aeab4e3a836f5b6807999701e518c94&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1306 https://www.neh.gov/grants/manage/types-funding

20240111-PF 10

Per 2 CFR § 200.403(f), you must not include the same project costs in more than one application for federal funding and/or approved federal award budget. However, you may submit multiple proposals for complementary aspects of the same overall project. NEH may disallow costs or reject applications that include overlapping project costs. An individual’s level of effort cannot exceed 100% across multiple active federally funded awards.

NEH does not issue awards to other federal entities. If your project is so closely intertwined with a federal entity that the project takes on characteristics of the federal entity’s own authorized activities, it is ineligible. Proposals for the construction of permanent improvements to lands or facilities that belong to another federal agency are typically ineligible for NEH support. You may use funds from, or sites and materials controlled by, other federal entities in your project, but you may not use them as gifts to release federal matching funds.

NEH does not provide financial assistance to foreign institutions or organizations. If you are an eligible domestic entity, you may apply for collaborative projects involving foreign organizations provided you do not use NEH funds for the purpose of issuing subawards to any foreign organization, as defined in 2 CFR §§ 200.1 and .331(a). You may obtain the services of foreign individuals and consultants to carry out programmatic activities on a fee-for-service basis, as specified in 2 CFR § 200.459. You may obtain goods and services from foreign vendors, such as in-country transportation services, in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.331(b). If you plan to submit an application involving international collaboration, contact program staff at preservation@neh.gov.

Except for the rare cases covered by its late submission policy, NEH will not consider applications submitted after the deadline.

NEH will not consider incomplete, nonresponsive, or ineligible applications for funding.

NEH will not consider applications that exceed mandatory page limits or deviate from formatting instructions. See the Application Components Table.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Package You must apply using Grants.gov Workspace or a Grants.gov system-to-system solution. You can find this funding opportunity in Grants.gov under number 20240111-PF. There is also a link on the program resource page.

Once you have located the funding opportunity in Grants.gov, you will find the application package under the “Package” tab. It includes a series of required and conditionally required forms. You will upload additional application components using the Attachments Form.

You must complete a multistep registration process prior to submitting your application. See D3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management.

Contact preservation@neh.gov to request a paper copy of this notice.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRea20080eff2ea53/section-200.403 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=35fcd29238edd42c8b1f8b1628e39d47&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_11 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b76712a585433486e57dafcd521c952e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1331 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=35fcd29238edd42c8b1f8b1628e39d47&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1459 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b76712a585433486e57dafcd521c952e&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1331 mailto:preservation@neh.gov https://www.neh.gov/grants/policy-on-late-submissions

20240111-PF 11

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission Your application will include a narrative, budget, and other forms and attachments. You will complete the forms within Grants.gov Workspace and upload other components into the Attachments Form. See the Application Component Table.

NEH has assigned each application component one of the following designations:

• Required: You must submit this component.

• Conditionally Required: You must submit this component if your proposal meets the specified conditions.

• Recommended: NEH encourages, but does not require you to submit this component

• Required for recipients: You are encouraged but not required to submit this component when you apply. You must submit it if you receive an award.

You must submit all required components and conditionally required components relevant to your proposal. NEH will not review applications missing any required documents or relevant conditionally required documents.

In addition, NEH has established page limits for some application components:

• Mandatory: You must not exceed the page limit.

• Suggested: NEH encourages, but does not require, you to abide by the page limit.

Note page limits and formatting instructions in this notice. NEH will not review applications that exceed mandatory page limits or deviate from formatting instructions.

Your application components must conform to the following formatting requirements, unless otherwise indicated:

• pages no larger than standard letter (8 ½" x 11”)

• at least one-inch margins on all sides for all pages

• a font no smaller than 11 points

In addition, NEH encourages you to format your components consistent with the following:

• single-spacing

• a readable font such as Arial, Georgia, Helvetica, or Times New Roman

• any standard citation style (include citations in page counts) https://nehemail.sharepoint.com/teams/nofo/Shared%20Documents/NOFOs/Preservation%20&%20Access/Sustaining%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Collections/2024/Disclosure#_Standard_Form-LLL,_

20240111-PF 12

Application Components Table

Application Component

File Name Designation Page limit

Attachments 1: Narrative narrative.pdf Required 10 pages for Planning and Implementation, Level I projects; 12 pages for Implementation, Level II projects (see narrative instructions) (mandatory)

2: Work plan workplan.pdf Required 2 pages (suggested) 3: List of personnel personnel.pdf Required 4: Résumés and job descriptions letters.pdf Required 2 pages each (suggested)

5: History of awards history.pdf Recommended 1 page (suggested) 6: Assessments and studies assessments.pdf Recommended

7: Technical specifications specifications.pdf Recommended

8: Letters of commitment and support letters.pdf Recommended

9: Site conditions site.pdf Recommended (Conditionally required for recipients – see description)

10: Build America, Buy America assurance assurance.pdf Recommended (Conditionally required for recipients – see description)

11: Subrecipient budget(s) subrecipient.pdf Conditionally required

12: Federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement agreement.pdf Conditionally

13: Explanation of delinquent federal debt delinquentdebt.pdf Conditionally

Grants.gov forms

20240111-PF 13

Application Components: Attachments Each attachment must be a single PDF file. See the Attachments Form instructions for further guidance about file requirements. Read this section carefully, as Grants.gov will not accept files that do not meet the requirements.

Attachment 1: Narrative (required) Compose a comprehensive description of your proposed project. Your narrative should be succinct, well organized, and free of technical terms and jargon so that peer reviewers can understand the proposed project.

You must limit the narrative to ten single-spaced pages for Planning projects and Implementation Level I projects or twelve single-spaced pages for Implementation Level II projects. Do not include a cover sheet, executive summary, or a table of contents. You may include images, charts, diagrams, footnotes, and endnotes if they fit within the page limit.

Organize your narrative using the following section headings. Each section aligns with one or more review criteria NEH will use to evaluate your proposal.

Introduction (aligns with criterial 1 and 2) Provide an overview of your proposed project and request to NEH and explain how they fit into your institution’s preservation priorities and environmental sustainability goals.

Provide a brief profile of your organization, including its collections, institutional history and mission, facilities, number of staff, and operating budget. Specify whether your organization owns or leases the facilities. Describe your institution’s size and capacity, and the appropriateness of engaging in activities at the requested level of funding.

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance - Short Organizational

Required

Supplementary Cover Sheet for NEH Grant Programs

Required

Project/Performance Site(s) Location Form

Required

Research and Related Budget and Budget Justification

Required

Attachments Form Required Certification Regarding Lobbying

Required for recipients

Standard Form-LLL “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities”

Required for recipients https://nehemail.sharepoint.com/teams/nofo/Shared%20Documents/General/Templates/Disclosure#_Standard_Form-LLL,_ https://nehemail.sharepoint.com/teams/nofo/Shared%20Documents/General/Templates/Disclosure#_Standard_Form-LLL,_ https://nehemail.sharepoint.com/teams/nofo/Shared%20Documents/General/Templates/Disclosure#_Standard_Form-LLL,_

20240111-PF 14

Discuss the collections’ relevance to the institution’s mission. Identify plans or policies that guide the collections’ development. Briefly explain how your project addresses environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies and/or resiliency to disasters as a result of climate change or human activity.

Significance of collections (aligns with review criterion 1) Describe in detail the nature, size, and intellectual content of the collections that are the focus of the project. Discuss their current, past, or potential use in support of the humanities, and describe the audiences that your institution serves. Provide examples of exhibitions, educational programs, research projects, and publications to illustrate how the collections have been used to examine humanistic themes and ideas. Discuss the relation of the collections to similar holdings in other repositories.

History of the project (aligns with review criteria 2 and 4) Discuss previous preservation actions and the findings of research, assessments, planning, or specialized studies that are directly relevant and that lay a foundation for the proposed project.

This may include general preservation or conservation assessments, risk assessments, environmental monitoring, energy assessments, specialized consultations, and results of multidisciplinary collaborative professional team planning. Include reports or any relevant summaries in Attachment 6. Explain how the proposed project relates to any environmental sustainability initiatives at your institution and to your strategic plan, climate action plan, preservation plan, or other long-range planning efforts.

Current conditions and preservation challenges (aligns with review criterion 2) Describe the collections’ present condition and define the preservation challenges and risks that the project would address.

Provide a brief overview of preventive care practices and policies at your institution. For example, identify policies, practices, and systems to manage environmental conditions, to provide appropriate storage, and to protect collections from fire, pollutants, theft, pests, and other disasters. You may include visual documentation in Attachment 6: Assessments and studies to illustrate the preservation problems you identify in this section.

Describe the current level of administrative and intellectual control of the collections. If the project involves the movement or relocation of collections, explain how the current levels of control prepare the institution for successful implementation of the project.

Provide the rationale for the proposed planning or implementation activities, including expected outcomes.

Methods and standards, sustainability and resiliency (aligns with review criteria 2 and 3) For both Planning and Implementation projects, explain and justify the proposed methods and procedures. Discuss how you will explore or employ environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies and what research, standards, and practices provide a basis for the project.

Describe how you will collect data to assess the effectiveness of the environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies implemented (i.e., conditions, energy use, cost). Describe how the project will improve the preservation environment of the collection, reduce energy usage, energy costs, and/or improve resiliency against disasters.

bookmark://_1.__Review/

20240111-PF 15

For Planning projects Discuss the knowledge and skills that the collaborative multidisciplinary planning team needs and explain how you have assembled the team. Show how the project’s framework and methods relate to the expected outcomes. Describe any planned testing, modeling, or project-specific research, and explain how such activities could help you identify environmentally sustainable preventive care strategies.

If you are not following or are modifying the recommendations of assessors and specialists, explain why. Discuss any measures that you will take to ensure that the collections are professionally maintained and protected during the project.

For Implementation projects to rehouse and improve collections storage Describe the methods and materials you will use to rehouse the collections and discuss the development of the storage plan. Explain how the proposed work plan will support institutional environmental sustainability and/or long-term institutional resilience in the face of emergencies. As applicable, refer to institutional, regional, and/or national disaster plans and/or networks.

For Implementation projects to improve and manage collection environmental conditions Describe the steps you will take to improve environmental conditions for humanities collections and define expected conditions (i.e., temperature and RH ranges). As relevant, describe the primary design features of proposed passive measures, mechanized systems, and equipment to manage or control conditions. Discuss how the proposed work plan supports institutional environmental sustainability initiatives. Discuss your institution’s capacity for operating and maintaining systems that manage environmental conditions, including policies, procedures, and staffing. Discuss plans for ongoing monitoring of environmental conditions for collections, energy consumption, and system performance.

For Implementation projects to install or improve security, fire protection, or lighting Describe the primary design features and explain how the proposed equipment would work in conjunction with institutional policies, procedures, and staffing to protect collections. Explain how the proposed work plan will support institutional environmental sustainability and/or long-term institutional resilience in the face of emergencies.

Work plan (aligns with criterion 3) Provide a brief summary of your work plan, including key dates and activities, in the narrative.

You will provide a detailed work plan, including the steps of the project, who is responsible for each activity, project deliverables, and a timeline, in Attachment 2. Include sufficient time in your work plan of at least four months for a review period for potential or anticipated adherence to laws that may pertain to your project (National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Davis-Bacon Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Build America, Buy America Act). This applies to implementation and planning projects that seek to modify or alter your building or mechanical systems in any way.

Project team (aligns with criterion 4) Provide the names, qualifications, and expected contributions of each member of the project team, including consultants.

20240111-PF 16

Project results and dissemination (aligns with criterion 6) Summarize the project’s expected outcomes. For Planning projects, describe expected next steps. For Implementation projects, explain how the preservation improvements could strengthen your institution’s work in the humanities and reach institutional goals of reducing energy usage, energy costs, and/or resiliency against disaster.

Discuss ways in which you plan to share your experiences, the sustainable preventive care approaches you used, and your project steps and procedures with local, regional, or national audiences as appropriate to your level of funding, project, and institutional goals and capacity.

Sustainable preventive care and resiliency methodologies are often informed by regional climate; therefore, local and regional…