Public Engagement with Historical Records | ENGAGEMENT 202010

Opportunity Information: Apply for ENGAGEMENT 202010

The Public Engagement with Historical Records grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: ENGAGEMENT 202010) is offered by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) within the National Archives and Records Administration. It supports humanities-focused projects that help the public discover, understand, and use historical records, with a clear emphasis on approaches that expand access and participation beyond a single institution or location. A central priority is creating reusable models, methods, and technologies that other archives, libraries, museums, and community organizations can adopt freely, especially tools that make it easier for people to engage with records online.

The program is designed for projects that move beyond simply digitizing or preserving collections and instead actively involve people in working with primary sources. Competitive proposals often bring together multiple perspectives and skill sets, so the NHPRC explicitly encourages collaborations among archivists, documentary editors, historians, educators, and community-based partners. Projects that demonstrate innovative ways to introduce primary source materials and teach people how to use them across different settings (schools, communities, multiple repositories, or distributed online audiences) are especially aligned with the program goals.

The opportunity highlights several example project types. One common pathway is "citizen archivist" work, where volunteers help accelerate access to online historical records by identifying items, adding tags or metadata, transcribing handwritten text, annotating materials, or otherwise enriching digitized collections so they become easier to search and interpret. Another strong fit is educational programming for K-12 students, undergraduates, and community learners that teaches participants how to work with historical records already held in repositories or gathered through the project. The program also welcomes community collection efforts where applicants gather primary source materials directly from the public through events or public forums, then share and interpret the outcomes through discussions, exhibits, or project websites. In addition, the NHPRC is open to creative and arts-based engagement, such as workshops that use historical documents as inspiration for performance, visual art, or multimedia storytelling, including projects that turn textual records into lyrics or music, or use record facsimiles in collage, sculpture, or audiovisual work. Finally, applicants can propose new or improved technologies that help people share information about historical records, reinforcing the broader goal of scalable, adoptable public-facing tools.

Awards are discretionary grants, typically running one to three years. The NHPRC expects to make up to five awards, generally ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 each, with a total program allocation of up to $400,000. Funded projects cannot start earlier than July 1, 2021. Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publications and products produced with grant assistance. The original application closing date listed for this cycle is October 8, 2020 (Creation Date: May 18, 2020), and applicants should always verify current cycles and requirements if applying in a later year.

Eligibility includes nonprofit organizations and institutions, colleges and universities (public or private), state and local government agencies, and federally recognized or state recognized Native American tribes or groups. To be considered, a project must include at least one eligible activity described in the program, and the application package must be complete, including the SF-424, a project narrative, the NHPRC budget form, and required supplemental materials. The NHPRC also points applicants to its "What we do and do not fund" guidance; proposals made up entirely of ineligible activities are rejected, so fit with program rules is essential.

A major planning factor is the required cost sharing. The NHPRC will cover no more than 50 percent of total project costs for awards in this category, meaning the applicant must provide the remaining share through a mix of direct or indirect expenses, in-kind contributions, allowable third-party non-federal contributions, or program income generated by the project. An important constraint is that NHPRC funds cannot be used to pay indirect costs; if indirect costs are part of the overall budget, they must be counted under the applicant's cost share contribution rather than charged to the grant.

Finally, there are standard federal readiness requirements. Applicant organizations must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before applying, maintain active SAM registration throughout the application and award period, and include a valid DUNS number in the application (noting that federal identifier practices can change over time, so applicants should confirm the current identifier requirements on SAM.gov). Overall, the opportunity targets projects that make historical records more participatory and usable for the public, demonstrate collaboration, and produce shareable approaches that other institutions can replicate.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Public Engagement with Historical Records" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 89.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 18, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 08, 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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for ENGAGEMENT 202010

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