$14.5 Million Awarded in Federal "Save America's Treasures" Grants
Grants for eight of the new projects to be administered by NEH
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will administer eight of the 60 new Save America's Treasures (SAT) grants that will receive up to $14,500,000 in federal funds to help protect and preserve our nation's irreplaceable cultural heritage. The new grants, announced jointly in Dallas, Texas, by representatives of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), the National Park Service (NPS), and a partnership of federal agencies, will provide funding for urgently needed repairs, conservation, and restoration.
Laura Bush, Honorary Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, said, "Our historic buildings, art and writings are the storehouse of America's memory and values. The grants provided by Save America's Treasures will help preserve these so that we can pass on this critical legacy and teach our young people the story of this nation."
NEH Chairman Bruce Cole said, "NEH is proud to contribute to the preservation of America's cultural treasures. Our nation's future depends on our ability to safeguard the ideas, ideals, and institutions of the past. These projects tell the unique story of America, from preserving early Revolutionary War documents to the history of Rosenwald rural schools to the influence of early American languages."
This year's grants administered by NEH reflect a diversity of subject matter and American themes. Several projects help to secure for future generations records of the nation's Founding period, including New Jersey and New York documents from the Revolutionary War and historic Philadelphia land records beginning with the Quaker settlers in 1683. Other awards preserve collections relating to the history of the book in American culture, the photographic archives of the Rosenwald Negro Rural Schools, documents and films on the history of science and linguistics, the manuscript papers of American poet and author Carl Sandburg, and audio and video tapes that document speaking engagements of designer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller.
The SAT federal grants program is administered by the Department of the Interior's National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute of Museum and Library Services. In addition to these awards, Congress also designates projects for SAT funds, and in 2004 $17.9 million was awarded to 99 projects in 39 states.
Save America's Treasures received 390 grant applications from eligible federal agencies; state, local, and tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations in 2004. A panel of experts representing preservation and conservation disciplines reviewed the applications and made final recommendations to the Secretary of Interior. Each award encourages private sector investment through its requirement for a 1:1 match with nonfederal funds. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Save America's Treasures' private sector partner, assists many of the federal SAT grantees in raising required matching funds.
To be successful each applicant project must be of national significance, demonstrate an urgent preservation need, have an educational or other public benefit, and demonstrate the likely availability of non-federal matching funds.
Since FY 1999, 660 grants totaling $154 million have been awarded to preserve nationally significant and endangered historic buildings, structures, places, collections, artifacts, and artistic works. To date, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Midway Island have received grants.
Additional information on the Save America's Treasures program can be found on the PCAH Web site at www.pcah.gov, the NPS Web site at www2.cr.nps.gov/treasures/index.htm, or by contacting the NPS at 202-513-7270, ext. 6.