News Release
News Release Date: April 17, 2023
Contact: Andrea Walton
ATLANTA – On April 17, the National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association (JNPA), will begin accepting applications for Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative grants for cultural heritage and educational projects in the Delta region, spanning Southern Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. Applications are due by June 3.
“By providing grantees with up to $25,000 in funding, the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative supports a wide range of cultural resource preservation projects,” said Timothy S. Good, superintendent, Lincoln Home National Historic Site and chair, Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative. “LMDI grants have supported projects to preserve buildings, stabilize archeological sites, install historical markers, host heritage festivals and develop plans for future preservation.”
“The Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative grant program is a great opportunity for us to partner with the National Park Service in helping communities throughout the Lower Mississippi Delta region to preserve and protect the region’s heritage,” said David A. Grove, president and CEO of JNPA. As the co-administrator of the program, JNPA is responsible for managing the online application process and distributing funding to recipients.
Eligible grant recipients include organizations exempt from federal income tax, such as non-profit organizations, Tribal organizations, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and state and local governments. Projects must be physically located within the Delta Region as defined by the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative Program, which includes 219 counties and parishes within the States of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
In 2022, the NPS and JNPA together awarded $335,166 to 23 organizations throughout the Delta Region. Grant recipients represented each of the Region’s seven states and included projects such as the stabilization of the Indianola Freedom House in Mississippi, a three-day Country String Band and Blues Festival in Arkansas and more.
For more information about the grant opportunity, including geographic parameters, other criteria and to access the grant application, please visit the program website: https://www.nps.gov/locations/lowermsdeltaregion/what-we-do.htm
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 424 national park sites and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
About the National Park Service’s Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative: The Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI) is a comprehensive and innovative effort established by Congress through Public Law 103-433 to preserve the Delta Region’s significant cultural and historic resources. Federal funding for this program is provided by the National Park Service and administered in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association, official non-profit partner of the LMDI Program.
Last updated: April 18, 2023