News Release

National Park Service and Maritime Administration announce $2 million in maritime heritage preservation grants

A crew of shipwrights and historians sail a restored sailboat from a mobile maritime history object used to tell the century-old story of the Bristol Bay commercial fishery in Port Alsworth, Alaska.

Tim Troll, Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust

News Release Date: March 16, 2023

Contact: [e-mail]

WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) announced $2 million in maritime heritage grants today to assist funding 12 preservation projects in nine states. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), the NPS is awarding grants for education programs and projects that will preserve sites and objects related to the nation’s maritime history. 

“These grants are made possible by cross-agency, collaborative efforts dedicated to conserving our nation’s shared maritime treasures,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “Preservation and education programs allow us to celebrate our nation’s vast maritime history and teach maritime skills so future generations can create new experiences and stories for years to come.” 

The partnership between the NPS and MARAD, two federal agencies which both share a commitment to maritime heritage preservation and education, makes the National Maritime Heritage Program grants possible. The program does not use federal tax dollars and instead is funded by recycling vessels from the MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet. The grant program supports a broad range of maritime education and preservation projects. Examples of the diversity of work funded include:  

• The Wisconsin Historical Society, Documentation and Conservation of Recovered Underwater Artifacts from Lake Michigan Archaeological Resources – This project will catalog and preserve the Klopp Collection. The collection contains 10,352 artifacts recovered prior to the 1987 Abandoned Shipwreck Act by Allan Klopp. The family transferred the artifacts to the state in 2021 after they spent decades in damaging storage conditions. The project takes place in partnership with the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. 

• The Alaska Maritime Heritage Preservation Program: Education Program – A collaboration between the State Historic Preservation Office and the state libraries, archives, and museums, the project will fund both in-house and subgrant statewide projects that will advance Alaska's maritime heritage through public education. Education efforts such as developing and implementing waterborne-experience programs that include instruction and hands-on participation and activities, encourage preservation of traditional maritime skills and teach skills, techniques, and methodologies to future generations.  

The National Park Service will administer these projects as direct grants to State Historic Preservation Offices that will distribute funds as in-house projects and subgrants to eligible applicants. The recipients of the National Maritime Heritage grants are below.  

National Maritime Heritage Program Grant Recipients 

State	Grantee	Project	Amount
Alaska	State of Alaska: Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation	Alaska Maritime Heritage Preservation Program	$100,000
Alaska	State of Alaska: Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation	Alaska Maritime Heritage Preservation Program: Education Project	$242,500
California	California Office of Historic Preservation	California Maritime Heritage Preservation Project Grant Program	$100,000
California	California Office of Historic Preservation	California Maritime Heritage Education Project Grant Program	$242,500
Illinois	Illinois State Historic Preservation Office	Submerged Chicago	$100,000
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Historical Commission	Massachusetts Historical Commission Maritime Education Sub Grant Program	$242,500
New York	New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation	New York State Maritime Heritage Preservation Projects: In-house (Barcelona Lighthouse) and Subgrants	$150,000
New York	New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation	New York State Maritime Heritage Education Projects: In-house and Subgrants	$242,500
Texas	Texas Historical Commission	Texas Maritime Heritage Preservation Program (Subgrant Program) and Aury Archaeological Investigations Project (In-House Project)	$150,000
Vermont	Vermont Division for Historic Preservation	Maritime Heritage Educational Grant to Document and Record the Canal Boat History of Lake Champlain	$30,000
Virginia	Virginia Department of Historic Resources	Virginia Maritime Trade Heritage Preservation Subgrant Program	$200,000
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Historical Society	Documentation and Conservation of Recovered Underwater Artifacts from Lake Michigan Archaeological Resources	$200,000
TOTAL			$2,000,000

Visit the NPS Maritime Heritage Program website to learn more about maritime grants and how the program works to foster awareness and appreciation of the many roles that waterways and their adjacent lands have played in America's history. 

www.nps.gov  
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 424 national parks 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.