Preservation Assistance Grants help small and mid-sized institutions—such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities—improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. These may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine art objects, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, historical objects, and digital materials.

 Applicants must draw on the knowledge of consultants whose preservation skills and experience are related to the types of collections and the nature of the activities on which their projects focus. Within the conservation field, for example, conservators usually specialize in the care of specific types of collections, such as objects, paper, or paintings. Applicants should therefore choose a conservator whose specialty is appropriate for the nature of their collections. Similarly, when assessing the preservation needs of library, museum, or archival holdings, applicants should seek a consultant specifically knowledgeable about the preservation of collections in these types of institutions.

 The program encourages applications from the following sorts of institutions with significant humanities collections:

• small and mid-sized institutions that have never received an NEH grant;
• community colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal Colleges and Universities; and
• Native American tribes and Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian organizations.

 The program also encourages applications for the following activities:

• consultants working as mentors with advanced students or recent graduates from preservation programs to provide emerging preservation professionals with practical experience. Advanced students and recent graduates may assist in conducting preservation assessments, addressing specific preservation issues, and/or training staff at the applicant institution.
• the development of disaster plans and collaborative work with local institutions for training in disaster preparedness and emergency response to address the risk to cultural heritage materials from natural disasters, theft, and other types of damage.
• disaster planning, response, recovery, and mitigation; preservation assessments; conservation treatments; temporary relocation and storage of collections; purchase of supplies; education and training related to disaster planning and response; and reformatting of collections as a preservation methodology for institutions in federally declared disaster areas.

 What’s New for 2019

Americans will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation in 2026. The anniversary of American independence provides an important opportunity to look back at the nation’s founding and the past two and a half centuries of American history. What began as a conflict between the thirteen colonies and Great Britain culminated in the creation of what would become the world’s oldest constitutional democracy. As we approach the 250th anniversary, NEH is offering a special encouragement to applicants in the PAG program to consider the impact—both immediate and long term—of the momentous events of 1776.

 We especially invite applications that explore the role of the Declaration of Independence and other foundational documents in the making of U.S. history. In addition, we would welcome applications that explore the experiences of states and communities beyond the original colonies in joining the nation, since they have their own stories of becoming part of the United States. We also invite applications examining the stories and contributions of under-represented communities in our nation’s history.

 In support of these themes, applications to the PAG program for up to $15,000 may be submitted for consultations and planning with one or more humanities professionals (for example, American historians, archivists, librarians, preservation specialists, and/or curators) that would position smaller institutions to undertake, at a later stage, any of the following activities:

• cataloging and/or arranging and describing collections of publications, documents, artifacts, photographs, audiovisual materials, and other original sources pertaining to American history;
• digitizing American history collections;
• providing conservation treatment for original items or groups of items relating to American history; and
• partnering with cultural organizations, educational institutions, or other community groups for the purpose of making primary sources in American history broadly available to the public.
  The program also supports consultants who would offer education and training in staff professional development geared to capacity-building and leadership that would help the institution improve its care of American history collections.

Applications to support consultations and planning for these activities may also request funds to pursue regular PAG activities (assessments, consultations, purchase of supplies/equipment, and education and training), up to a total of $15,000 for all activities.