Programs in New York State Relating to Historical Records

Documentary Heritage Program (DHP)

Contact Information:

Archival Services, New York State Archives
Administration
9C35 Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
Phone: 518-474-6926

Programs and Funding Categories:

Arrangement and Description projects
Documentation Surveys projects
Archival Needs Assessment projects

Application Deadline:
February 1, postmark

The Documentary Heritage Program (DHP) is a statewide program established by law to provide financial support and guidance to not-for-profit organizations including, but not limited to, archives, libraries, historical societies, museums, and other organizations that hold, collect and make available historical records. DHP Grants are designed to encourage more comprehensive documentation of New York State’s history and culture by supporting projects that identify, survey, collect, and make available important records relating to groups and topics traditionally under-represented in the historical record. DHP is administered by the New York State Archives, a unit of the New York State Education Department.

Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF)

Contact Information:

New York State Archives
Grants Administration and Program Support
9A81 Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
Phone: 518-474-6926
Email: archgrants@mail.nysed.gov

Programs and Funding Categories:

Identifying, protecting, administering and providing access to local government records.

Application Deadline:
February 1, postmark

The Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund supports grants-in-aid to local governments for individual and cooperative projects to improve the management of their records. Local governments, including but not limited to boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES), cities, counties, fire districts, school districts, towns, and villages can apply for grants to improve records management and archival administration. Three types of competitive grants are available: individual grants, cooperative grants, and complex grants. Grants are available for inventory and planning, active records, inactive records, historical records, and educational uses of local government records projects. In addition to the competitive grants program, the LGRMIF also supports disaster recovery grants. Grants are available for recovery from a disaster, which is defined as damage caused by man-made or natural phenomena where an immediate response is necessary to prevent the irretrievale loss of vital, permanent, or archival records. All local governments, except New York City municipal agencies, are eligible to apply for disaster recovery grants. Receipt of a disaster grant does not preclude a local government from applying for and receiving a competitive grant.

The New York State Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials, Discretionary Grant Program

Contact Information:

New York State Library
Division of Library Development
10C47 Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
Phone: 518-474-1565
Email: ldeitz@mail.nysed.gov

Programs and Funding Categories:

Planning activities such as general conservation/preservation surveys, feasibility studies, consultancies.
Correction of serious environmental problems, which directly affect the condition of records.
Provision of special shelving or storage for special format material.
Support for microfilm and microfiche reformatting projects.
Preservation of photographs, black-and-white motion picture film, and sound recordings.
Collections Maintenance.
Bibliographic activities. (Only 10% of the project award may be used for these purposes).
Major conservation treatments.
Disaster planning and recovery.
Quality control, testing and research.
Staff training and present education programs.

Application Deadline:
Received by August 27, 2010.

The purposes of the Conservation/Preservation Discretionary Grant Program are to encourage the proper care and accessibility of research materials to promote the use or development of guidelines and technical standards for conservation/preservation work, and to support the growth of local and cooperative activities within the context of emerging national preservation programs. The Discretionary Grant Program provides modest financial support for projects that contribute to the preservation of significant research materials in libraries, archives, historical societies, and other agencies within the State of New York, whether by conducting surveys, improving collection storage environments, reformatting or treating collections or other preservation activities described in these guidelines. Materials of research value can include monographs, serials, manuscripts, archival materials, maps, architectural drawings, sound recordings, photographs, moving images and newspapers. Projects can include general preservation, environmental, or photographic surveys; re-housing; repair; reformatting to microfilm; reformatting of photographs to more stable photographic mediums; and improvement to environmental controls and training activities.

Lower Hudson Conference: Conservation Treatment Grant Program

Contact Information:

Conservation Treatment Grant Program
c/o Lower Hudson Conference
2199 Saw Mill River Road
Elmsford, NY 10523
Phone: (914) 592-6726
Email: lowerhudson@msn.com

Programs and Funding Categories

Support for conservation treatment of paintings, works on paper, textiles, furniture, sculpture, ethnographic, historical and decorative objects.
Support for treatment costs for frames, supports, stands and mounts.
Grants support the cost of in-state transportation and cost of insurance for works to be treated.

Application Deadline:
Postmarked or hand-delivered by 5 p.m. on June 2

The Conservation Treatment Grant Program, administered by Lower Hudson Conference (LHC) in association with the Museum Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), provides support for treatment procedures to aid in stabilizing and preserving objects in collections of museums and historical organizations in New York State. Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit museums and historical organizations, or other cultural institutions that own, care for and exhibit collections. Grant awards will be made to institutions lacking in-house conservation staff with expertise in the area for which support is requested. Collections owned by state or federal agencies are ineligible for grant support. Organizations may submit only one request, which may involve one object or a group of related objects. All objects must be owned by the applicant institution. While all eligible institutions in New York State are welcome to apply to this program, highest priority will be given to those with annual operating budgets of under $250,000.

Maximum award is $7,500.

New York Council for the Humanities (NYCH)

Contact Information:

New York Council for the Humanities
150 Broadway, Suite 1700
New York, NY 10038
Phone: (212) 233-1131
Email: nych@nyhumanities.org

Programs and Funding Categories

Mini-Grants
Major Grants

Application Deadline: The deadlines for Major Grant applications are March 1 and November 1; decisions are announced in June and March respectively. Mini-Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis; decisions are announced within four weeks.

The New York Council for the Humanities funds projects that stimulate public consideration of the humanities with special consideration to projects that reach underserved populations and programs in October, coinciding with State Humanities Month.

Mini-Grants are designed to encourage humanities programs of modest scale, such as lectures, small exhibits, or walking tours. The maximum award in this category is $2,500. Requests between $250 - $2500.

Major Project Grants are also available. These outright grants are designed to support public humanities projects on a larger scale than mini-grants. Most awards in this category start at $2,500 and rarely exceed $10,000.

New York Folklore Society (NYFL)

Contact Information:

New York Folklore Society
P.O. Box 764
Schenectady, NY 12301
Phone: 518-346-7008
Email: nyfs@folklore.org

Programs and Funding Categories

Mentoring and Professional Development Program:

Short-Term Consultancies
Quick-Response Consultancies
Ongoing Consultancies
Folk Art Mentoring
Professional Development Exchanges

Application Deadlines:
March 1st, June 1st, and September 15th. Decisions are usually announced within 4-6 weeks.

The New York Folklore Society, in partnership with the Folk Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) offers opportunities for technical assistance and professional growth services to the Folk Art’s field through its Mentors and Professional Development Program.

Short-Term Consultancies provide technical assistance within the normal application cycle to individuals and organizations engaged in or planning folk arts programming. ($300/day plus travel; generally will not exceed 3 days or $1,200, including consulting and travel)

Quick-Response Consultancies are special short-term consultancies designed to respond to immediate needs for technical assistance that fall outside the normal application cycle. ($300/day plus travel; generally will not exceed 2 days or $800, including consulting and travel)

Ongoing Consultancies supported under special circumstances requiring multiple consultant visits over time, designed to provide continuing technical assistance for ongoing processes and projects ($300/day plus travel; generally will not exceed 5 days or $1,800, including consulting and travel.

Folk Artist Mentoring Opportunities for master folk artists to teach or advise other folk artists in their traditions through short-term consultancies. ($30/hour plus travel). These are designed to provide for initial or short-term contact only. For longer term apprenticeships, contact the New York State Council on the Arts, Folk Arts Program.

Professional Development Program Travel within the state or region to attend conferences and meetings, observe exemplary programs, and interact with colleagues. (Travel and/or registration expenses only, generally will not exceed $250, one application per year)

New York Landmarks Conservancy

Mainly for New York City repositories except for the Sacred Sites Program

Contact Information:

New York Landmarks Conservancy
141 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Phone: (212) 995-5260
Email: nylandmarks@nylandmarks.org

Programs and Funding Categories

Technical Services Center
Low Interest Loans for Building Restoration
Sacred Sites Program – available across New York State
Preservation Hot Line – (212) 995-5260
City Ventures Program
Historic Properties Fund

Application Deadline:
Two application cycles per year, deadlines are May 1 and November 1.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy through its Sacred Sites Program provides matching grants to help maintain, repair, and restore religious properties (including churches, synagogues, and meeting houses) in New York State. Sacred Sites grants of up to $10,000 can help with: undertaking conditions surveys, replacing rotten beams, stabilizing crumbling foundations, repairing deteriorated roofs, and restoring stained glass windows. The conservancy also offers below-market-rate loans, which are available for landmark religious structures in New York City. Properties must be owned by a religious institution and be a locally designated landmark or listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)

Contact Information:

New York State Council on the Arts
175 Varick Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 627-4455

Programs and Funding Categories

Architecture, Planning and Design, (212) 741-7013
Arts in Education, (212) 741-5256
Capital Projects, (212) 741-7014
Electronic Media and Film, (212) 741-3003
Folk Arts, (212) 741-7755
Individual Artists, (212) 741-6633
Literature, (212) 741-2622
Museum, (212) 741-7848
Special Arts Services, (212) 741-7148
State and Local Partnership: Decentralization (DEC), (212) 741-7140

Application deadline:
March 1 (Electronic applications only)

The New York State Council on the Arts offers two general types of funding support to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations -- organizational support and project support. Applicants must meet the specific eligibility requirements for those particular NYSCA funding programs and categories to which they apply.

Organizational Support includes:

General Operating Support (GOS) offered in most programs to qualifying organization;
Technical Assistance funding in several programs; and
Other organizational funding that addresses particular field or community needs, offered in some programs.

Project Support includes:

General Program support, offered in most programs to qualifying organizations for support of ongoing programs
Capital Projects, which supports cultural facilities improvements and expansions
Categories that vary according to discipline program

Decentralization (DEC) is a legislative initiative to encourage local decision-making in the process of making grants in the arts. DEC grants are made in every county in the state to local organizations and artists. There are sixty-six offices where funds can be requested. To obtain individual county office contact information, visit: http://www.nysca.org/public/artresources_decentral.html

Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP)

Contact Information:

Chief of Grants
Bureau of Grants Management
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Empire State Plaza, Agency Building 1, 16th Floor
Albany, New York 12238
Phone: (518) 474-0427

Programs and Funding Categories

Environmental Protection Fund
Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act
Certified Local Government Program

See also information under National Park Service.

OPRHP's website also provides a general guide to sources of funding for historic preservation planning and development projects.

The historic preservation grant programs under New York’s Environmental Protection Fund and Clean Water/Clean Bond Act is administered through the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The program funds projects undertaken by either a municipality or a not-for-profit organization for the acquisition, development, and improvement of parks, historic properties, and Urban Cultural Park/ Heritage Area System Resources. Grant recipients are required to provide at least a 50 percent match to grant awards. To be eligible for preservation funding, historic resources must be listed on the New York State or National Register of Historic Places at the time of grant award. The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) also administers the Natural Heritage Trust, which serves as a conduit for legislative member initiatives. Applicants must contact their legislators for information on how to apply for the funds.

Preservation League of New York State

Contact Information:

Preservation League of New York State
44 Central Avenue
Albany, NY 12206-3002
Phone: 518-462-5658
Fax: 518-462-5684
Or
202 The Commons, Room 302
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 607-272-6510
Email: info@preservenys.org

Programs and Funding Categories

Preserve New York:

Cultural resource surveys
Historic structure reports
Historic landscape reports
Legal Services Program
Technical Assistance Center

Application Deadline:
Early May

The Preservation League of New York State/New York State Council on the Arts Grant Program provides support for three types of projects: cultural resource surveys, historic structure reports, and historic landscape reports. An applicant must be a not-for-profit group with tax-exempt status or a unit of government. Religious institutions are not eligible to apply. The program generally provides only partial support on a competitive basis. Awards generally range between $3,000 and $15,000.

Upstate History Alliance

Contact Information:

Upstate History Alliance
11 Ford Avenue
Oneonta, NY 13820
Phone: 1-800-895-1648
Fax: 607-431-9524
Email: info@upstatehistory.org

Programs and Funding Categories

Grants For Museum Advancement
GET READY!
GET SET!
GO!

Application Deadline:
February 1, April 1, July 1, October 1 (GET SET! Grants); Rolling Applications (GET READY! & GO! Grants)

The Grants for Museum Advancement Program, sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts, provides support for museums and historical societies, their staffs and volunteers in their efforts to strengthen and develop their institutions and work with their communities. The three grant categories are designed to make it easy for organizations to access professional help and improve their institutions.

GET READY! Grants provide a way to learn about the planning process and help organizations begin creating a strategic or long-range plan. Applications may be submitted at any time.

GET SET! Grants of up to $2500 can be used for consultant’s fees and travel to work in any area of museum operations, such as board/staff relationships, interpretive planning, exhibition development, collections management, conservation, educational programs, etc. There are four deadlines per year for GET SET! Grants.

GO! Grants of up to $500 support travel by museum staff members and volunteers to professional development

Additional Information on New York State Government Funding for Not-for-Profits

The following publications may be helpful. All are available at the New York State Library and libraries that participate in the New York State Document Depository Program. For a list of those libraries, see the January issue of the Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York, which is published by the Collection, Acquisition and Processing Unit, New York State Library, Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230. Telephone: 518-474-7492.

Note: Documents are stored as TIFF images. They may be very large, and may take a long time to download if you are using a modem.

Catalog of State and Federal Programs Aiding New York’s Local Governments. 1998. Legislative Commission on State-Local Relations. Agency Building 4, 14th Floor, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12248. Telephone: 518-455-5035. The Catalog also is available on the internet at:

This free catalog, published biennially, is intended to be a guide to programs of State and Federal financial assistance to local governments. Descriptive and financial information is provided for over 350 programs, which provide funds to counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and other governments in New York State.

Grants Action News. Monthly. Grant Action News c/o New York State Assembly Speaker’s Office, 1 Commerce Plaza, Suite 1125, Albany, NY 12260. Telephone: 1-800-356-8486.

This free publication provides information on State and Federal grants.

New York State Register. Weekly. New York State Department of State. Office of Information Services. 41 State St., Albany, NY 12231. Telephone: 518-474-6785.

Each State agency must publish in the State Register notices of any state or federal funding it makes available to municipalities, school boards, school districts, not-for-profit organizations, or any other individual or organization. This notice must appear no later than forty-five days prior to the application deadline.