National Aviation Heritage Area- AVIA | NPS NOIP20AC00173

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP20AC00173

The National Aviation Heritage Area (AVIA) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NPS NOIP20AC00173) is a discretionary National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement intended to fund the ongoing management and operation of the National Aviation Heritage Area in and around Dayton and southwestern Ohio. Congress created AVIA to preserve, protect, and interpret nationally significant stories in United States aviation history, while also improving public access to the region's natural, historic, and recreational resources through the National Heritage Area designation. Beyond preservation and education, the program is also framed as an economic stimulus for the Dayton and southwestern Ohio region by supporting heritage tourism, partner collaboration, and long-term stewardship of key aviation-related places.

The award is structured as a multi-year cooperative agreement with close NPS involvement in planning, oversight, and accountability. The NPS will provide $330,000 per year in federal funds over a five-year period, and those federal dollars must be matched one-for-one with non-federal funds. Across the full term, the total federal support can reach up to $1,681,940 (award ceiling), with the opportunity anticipating a single award. As a cooperative agreement, the relationship is collaborative rather than hands-off: the recipient and the NPS are expected to jointly develop annual work plan objectives and action items, the NPS will review and approve the annual work plan and budget justification, monitor the proper use of federal funds, and approve the AVIA annual report.

Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The description specifically identifies Aviation Heritage Foundation Inc. as the intended entity to receive annual funding to manage and operate AVIA, reflecting the designated local coordinating role that heritage areas typically rely on to convene partners and implement plans on the ground. The funding activity aligns with community development and regional development, but it also explicitly touches education, environment, humanities/cultural affairs, and related public programming, reflecting the mix of preservation, interpretation, and visitor engagement that heritage areas are meant to deliver.

Programmatically, the work funded under this agreement centers on implementing AVIA's approved general management plan and using the AVIA strategic plan to guide longer-term initiatives. Each year, the recipient is expected to create and carry out an annual work plan that advances both the strategic plan and the general management plan, and to define measurable performance goals so progress can be tracked and reported. The opportunity highlights four core goal areas that annual plans should address: preserving and developing AVIA heritage assets; promoting AVIA assets to the public; preserving and redeveloping the Wright Company Factory Site as a major historic resource; and building a sustainable organization capable of maintaining momentum beyond any single funding cycle. A key operational requirement is securing the required non-federal match, which reinforces the intent that federal funds leverage local, state, philanthropic, and private support rather than replacing it.

In practical terms, this grant supports the backbone functions needed to keep a large, partnership-driven heritage area functioning: coordinating with designated aviation heritage partners and communities, organizing and funding priority projects, maintaining planning discipline through annual work plans, and documenting results through annual reporting that is reviewed and approved by the NPS. The posting references an attached 2020 Annual Work Plan, indicating that the program expects detailed, year-by-year deliverables tied to AVIA's long-term objectives and the federal mandate for national heritage areas. Key dates in the notice show it was created February 4, 2020, with an original closing date of February 24, 2020, and it is administered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service under CFDA 15.939.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the community development, education, energy, environment, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Aviation Heritage Area- AVIA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.939.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 04, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 24, 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 $1,681,940.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for NPS NOIP20AC00173

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: