News Release

National Park Service opens call for Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative cultural heritage preservation grant applications

Date: April 9, 2024
Contact: SER Communications

Map depicting boundaries of eligible grant projects, including the states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi and portions of Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee.

ATLANTA – On April 15, the National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association (JNPA), will begin accepting applications for the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI) grants for cultural heritage and educational projects in the Delta region, spanning Southern Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. Applications are due by May 31.

The LMDI program awards up to $25,000 in grant funds for projects – from preservation projects to heritage festivals – that work to share the rich history of the Delta.

“The Lower Mississippi Delta grant opportunity is available to organizations across the Delta working to showcase the region’s culture,” said Kathleen Bond, Chair, NPS Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative and Superintendent of Natchez National Historic Site.

Eligible grant recipients include organizations exempt from federal income tax, such as non-profit organizations, tribal groups, 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.

As co-administrator of the program, JNPA is responsible for managing the online application process and distributing funding to recipients. 

“We are pleased to partner with the National Park Service to share this grant opportunity. We hope to bolster organizations that are working to preserve and promote the Delta,” said David A. Grove, President and CEO of JNPA.

For more information about the grant opportunity, including geographic parameters, other criteria and to access the grant application, please visit the program website.

www.nps.gov  

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 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 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.