Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives | MAJOR 202305

Opportunity Information: Apply for MAJOR 202305

The Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives grant is a National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives and Records Administration funding opportunity designed to substantially improve how the public discovers, accesses, and uses major historical records collections. It supports a wide range of record formats, including traditional paper-based documents, photographs, born-digital materials, and analog audio and moving image recordings. The program is aimed at projects that can make a noticeable difference at scale, particularly by bringing together significant collections and presenting them in ways that are easier for researchers, educators, and the general public to find and use. Subject-wise, projects can cover broad themes in U.S. history such as politics, law, social reform, business, the military, and the arts, or they can focus on the records of an individual or multiple important historical figures. NHPRC explicitly encourages projects that center the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and it is also interested in efforts that connect to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by improving access to collections that explore the founding ideals of the United States and the long-running debates over those ideals up to the present.

A defining feature of this opportunity is that it is built for multi-institution collaborations rather than single-repository projects. To be eligible, a proposed initiative must involve multiple institutions working together and must pursue at least one of two main activities. The first eligible activity is to digitize and publish historical records online as a unified "virtual" collection organized around a shared theme, a particular organization, or one or more major historical figures. The second eligible activity is to create and test new tools, workflows, or methods that advance the archival field and expand public access, with particular emphasis on improving access to born-digital records. Projects that incorporate meaningful public engagement, such as community participation, crowdsourcing, educational components, or other ways for the public to be involved in the work, are described as more competitive. NHPRC also draws a boundary between this program and smaller-scale efforts: projects mainly designed to process collections or digitize smaller holdings are directed to the separate Archival Projects program, which operates under different requirements and typically supports projects up to $150,000.

Competitive proposals are expected to do several things clearly and convincingly. They should explain why the collections matter and what value they add to the historical record, scholarship, and public understanding. They should present a realistic work plan grounded in archival and digital best practices, including appropriate approaches to description, digitization quality, rights considerations, access, and preservation where relevant. Proposals also need to show that the project team has the right staffing and expertise to complete the work, and that the budget is practical and cost-effective for the scope proposed. In addition, NHPRC looks for outreach and use plans, meaning applicants should describe how the project will help bring researchers and other users not only to the featured materials but also to the broader holdings of the participating repositories.

Funding is offered as a discretionary grant in the humanities/cultural affairs area (CFDA 89.003). Awards run from one to three years, with an award range of $150,000 to $350,000 per project and an award ceiling of $350,000. NHPRC anticipates making up to five awards in this category, with up to $1,000,000 total planned across the program. For the cycle described, the original application closing date was May 3, 2023, and project start dates are no earlier than January 1, 2024. Grant recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publicity, publications, and any other products that result from the funded work.

Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits, colleges and universities (public or private), state and local government agencies, and federally acknowledged or state-recognized Native American tribes or groups. Applications must include required federal and program forms and attachments, specifically the SF-424, a project narrative, the NHPRC budget form, and supplemental materials; applications missing these required elements or that fail to meet the collaboration and activity requirements are not considered.

Cost sharing is mandatory. NHPRC will cover no more than 50 percent of the total project costs under this program, so applicants must provide the remaining share through a combination of allowable sources such as direct costs, in-kind support, eligible third-party contributions, project-generated income, and indirect expenses. A key budgeting rule is that NHPRC funds cannot be used to pay indirect costs; if indirect costs are included, they must be counted under the applicant's cost-share portion rather than charged to the federal award.

Finally, applicants must meet federal registration requirements. The applicant organization needs an active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, must maintain that registration through the application and award period, and must include a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in the application. Because SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations can take weeks to set up or reactivate, NHPRC advises organizations to confirm registrations and passwords well in advance and notes that it will not extend deadlines due to registration delays.

• The National Archives and Records Administration in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 89.003.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 29, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 03, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $350,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for MAJOR 202305

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