Grants & Awards: DHP: FAQs:

Documentary Heritage Program FAQs

Application Guidelines

1. Does the seven-page maximum for the Application Narrative include attachments?
2. Is a consultant's travel an additional expense, or is it included in the consultant daily
   rate?
3. Can an Arrangement & Description grant support work on more than one collection?
4. What is a MARC record? Will we need to budget for training, software or equipment to create MARC records?
5. What eligibility restrictions are applied to CUNYs and SUNYs?
6. Can I use DHP funds to digitize formats such as photographs or oral history audiotapes?
7. Can we apply the time we spend writing our DHP grant application to Cost Sharing?
8. Do I need to identify project staff in my application?
9. As yet my organization has not arranged and described any of our collections. What should we do about providing the sample finding aid which the DHP grant guidelines require?

1. Does the seven-page maximum for the Application Narrative include attachments?

No, attachments such as letters of justification, job descriptions, resumes, and sample pages from current finding aids are not counted in the seven-page maximum.

2. Is a consultant's travel an additional expense, or is it included in the consultant’s daily rate?

The consultant's travel is an additional expense and should be listed and justified on the
Travel Form (Code 46).

3. Can an Arrangement & Description grant support work on more than one collection?

Yes, Arrangement & Description projects can focus on one collection or on multiple collections.

4. What is a MARC record? Will we need to budget for training, software or equipment to create MARC records?

A MARC (machine-readable) record is a catalog record which is designed to make information about a specific collection accessible online or via a repository's networked catalog. The record should describe the whole collection, not individual items in the collection. The DHP office can supply you with a sample MARC record. MARC records are not difficult to write and do not require special software or equipment. Your project archivist should easily be able to create them.

5. What eligibility restrictions are applied to CUNYs and SUNYs?

According to the State Education Law 140, CUNYs and SUNYs "may apply for historical records project grants with regard to records other than internal records generated by the institution after July 1, 1948 if it is a component of the SUNY or after July 1, 1979 if it is a component of the CUNY or after the subsequent date on which the institution became a component of such university."

6. Can I use DHP funds to digitize formats such as photographs or oral history audiotapes?

DHP does not support projects to create digital records in any media. However, documentation and arrangement & description projects that involve existing digital material are eligible for funding.

7. Can we apply the time we spend writing our DHP grant application to Cost Sharing?

No.

8. Do I need to identify project staff in my application?

The project director and members of the advisory committee should be chosen and named in the application. Additional project staff need not be chosen at the time of application. Instead, you should attach job descriptions for these positions. If additional project staff has been chosen at the time of application, name them and attach their resumes.

9. As yet my organization has not arranged and described any of our collections. What should we do about providing the sample finding aid which the DHP grant guidelines require?

You can submit a sample finding aid created by the Project Archivist you intend to hire. Otherwise, if you have not selected a Project Archivist at the time of application, you will be required to submit a sample finding aid created by your intended Project Archivist to the DHP for review once your application is funded.