This is an informational video on the African American Civil Rights
grant program from the National Park Service. This is intended for
potential applicants and those interested in learning more about this grant program.
The National Park Service's African American Civil Rights grant program
or AACR will document interpret and preserve sites and stories that tell the full history
of the African American struggle to gain equal rights from the transatlantic slave trade onward.
Congress appropriated $21,750,000 in fiscal year 2022
for this program. It will fund a broad range of projects including physical preservation and
history projects. The legislative authority and other authority are listed below here.
Funding for this program is provided from the Historic Preservation Fund. Established in 1976
the fund or the HPF is the funding source for preservation assistance grants to the 50
states, the District of Columbia, the five territories, and the three freely associated
states of micronesia in addition to more than 200 tribes, more than 2,000 local governments
and hundreds of non-profits. The source of the funding for the historic preservation fund
is outer continental shelf oil and gas lease revenue. Not tax dollars.
The National Park Service is now accepting applications for the African American
Civil Rights grant program. Applications must be submitted online through Grants.gov.
The funding opportunities are listed below. Note that there are separate applications
or notice of funding opportunity numbers for history it ends with 647
and for preservation the more construction and bricks and mortar projects that is ends with 648.
Note that the deadline to apply this year is November 8th of 2022.
The primary difference between the two different applications and sources of funding under the
program are that history projects are more the storytelling, the documentation, the research,
interpretation and educational materials. This includes oral histories, conservation of
collections, exhibits those types of educational activities. Preservation on the other hand
involves architecture, construction, historic structure reports, plans
and specifications. Think about physical preservation of structures and buildings.
Eligible applicants for the program are state, territory, county and local governments,
and that does include Certified Local Governments, indian tribes that meet the federal
US code definitions here, also native hawaiian organizations that meet that definition and
non-profit organizations. It's important to note that you do need to have non-profit status or tax
exempt status but a 501(c)(3) is not necessarily a requirement. You just need to be tax exempt.
For History projects you can apply the funding range is fifteen thousand to seventy five thousand
is the maximum. For preservation projects we will award $75,000 minimum to a maximum of $750,000.
Please note that we do also have a separate category for pre-preservation work only.
That is also $15,000 to $75,000. If you are new to a project, if you are just
working with a building for the first time and you really don't have a clear understanding yet of
what that building needs, please consider applying simply to have an architect or an engineer
assess the building in its conditions. Maybe you want to have plans and specifications drawn up or
a historic structures report. So please note that you can apply for up to $75,000 to really kind of
equip yourself with the information and understanding of what that building needs.
Note that for all of our grants under the African American Civil Rights grant program matching funds
or non-federal matching funds are not required but we do see it as a competitive factor
if you are able to provide some matching funds, and provide evidence of local support for example.
What are the eligible resources for preservation when we're talking about bricks and mortar work
and the physical preservation of of buildings and structures, the resources must be listed in the
National Register of Historic Places or determined eligible for listing at the time that you apply.
To get a determination of eligibility you would need to contact your State Historic Preservation
Office because we do need a written determination from them that they have determined that the
property is eligible, if it's not already listed on the national register. The property can be
individually listed it can be contributing to a district or it could also be individual or part
of the National Historic Landmark District. Please contact your State Historic Preservation Office
to confirm that your property is either listed or eligible for listing or begin that process.
Not only does the property need to be listed in the National Register that nomination
must address the property's role and significance in the African-American Civil Rights movement.
If a current nomination does not include this association, the nomination must be amended
during the grant period. Make sure that not only the properties listed
but its associations with African American Civil Rights are highlighted in that nomination. Note
that these are eligible costs that you can budget to the grant if you do need to
amend the nomination or draft an entirely new one.
Grant funded activities include preservation work, such as we've talked about and mentioned before,
bricks and mortar work the physical preservation of structures. Up to 20% of that award may be used
for pre-preservation work. That could include material analysis such as mortar analysis, a
historic structure report, archaeological survey, architectural drawings, and specifications, all of
the things that you will need you know in order to do a good quality preservation work project.
Eligible projects under the history category,
there are four choices. We ask you to determine which one is the best fit, it may kind of spill
over into other areas but please choose the one that's most applicable. We have survey and
planning research and documentation interpretation and education and collections conservation.
When developing the budget for your project make sure you keep in mind
items and expenditures that cannot be funded through the Historic Preservation Fund.
We've provided a list of some of those activities that cannot be supported such as new construction,
acquisition. Just be sure that the focus is the existing building and what improvements,
what preservation activities will help keep that property viable.
All work must meet the Secretary of the Interior Standards, and this means compliance with Section
106 and NEPA as well, and those are reviews that the Park Service will do prior to the
start of work. Make sure that you have approvals in place and that you've submitted your plans and
specifications to the Park Service so that we can review and approve them before any work starts on
the project. We also ask that you competitively select your consultants, contractors, architects,
whomever may be working on the project. The Park Service also does want to approve their
qualifications and make sure they have relevant experience that will benefit your project.
A preservation agreement or covenant is required as part of the grant program. The duration or the
time of that agreement is based on the amount of the federal award. You can see the schedule here
based on the amount of the grant the minimum number of years that that agreement must be
drafted for. If you take a look at our website we have more information on agreements and covenants
and also a template that can be customized for your project or if you want to take a look at that
and see what those standard provisions are and what types of requirements come with
the covenant or easement. Funding is provided on a reimbursement basis meaning that you can draw down
funds as needed through the US Treasury's ASAP system. Of course those expenditures need to be
valid and approved and allowable by your Park Service grant manager.
Note that we do have some latitude on the reimbursement structure of the grant.
If you have an invoice for example that is for goods or services that have been rendered you
can draw down the funds to pay that expense without having to incur the expense up front.
When applications are reviewed by our panel they are looking at four criteria.
They are each worth 25 points. Be certain to look and read carefully through the
Notice of Funding Opportunity. Make sure you're addressing all of the questions
and points of information that are being asked under each of the criteria.
Registration in SAM.gov is a requirement for applications. Make sure that you are registered
in SAM as soon as possible if you're interested in applying. In that registration process
you will be issued a Unique Entity Identifier for your organization. That also is a requirement you
need to have that Unique Entity Identifier or UEI which recently replaced the DUNS number.
All application materials must be included everything that's listed in the Notice of Funding
Opportunity must be submitted. If your application is incomplete it will not be considered for
funding because we need all of the components that are provided and listed in Grants.gov.
Here's a list of application materials that can be found in the Grants.gov posting for this
funding opportunity. Be sure to fill out and sign all of the standard forms. For example
you may feel like some of them simply don't apply to your project and that's fine. They may not
just be sure to submit them anyway. Make sure you're reading through the different assurances
and completing all of these attachments and worksheets that are so critical
to a reviewer who will be assessing your application and project.
Applications again must be submitted through Grants.gov. The deadline is November 8th of 2022.
You can send any and all questions to
STLPG@nps.gov and that stands for State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division.
Below that is the website address where you can learn more about the program and get a link to
apply. Thank you for listening. We appreciate your interest in this program. Thank you.