Preservation and Access Education and Training | 20190515 PE

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the NEH Preservation and Access Education and Training grant?

The NEH Preservation and Access Education and Training grant is a discretionary grant program from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) designed to strengthen the preservation field by building practical knowledge and hands-on skills among people who care for humanities collections.

What is the goal of this grant program?

The goal is to support education and training that helps professionals responsibly preserve humanities materials and expand access to them. NEH emphasizes that collections are only useful to the public when they are both protected (preserved) and discoverable (accessible).

What kinds of projects does this opportunity support?

This opportunity supports structured education and training programs focused on preservation and access. Projects may address the full range of training needs, from introductory instruction for staff who need foundational skills to advanced training that reflects new research, tools, standards, and emerging best practices.

Who is this funding meant to help?

Funding is intended for organizations that provide education and training to the preservation community, especially to address skill gaps faced by cultural heritage organizations such as libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations. The underlying need highlighted by NEH is that many institutions, particularly smaller ones, lack enough specialized staff to manage varied collections without targeted training.

What types of collections and materials are covered by the program's focus?

The program recognizes that cultural heritage organizations hold large and varied humanities collections, including books and manuscripts, photographs, audio recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic items, artworks and other material culture, electronic records, and born-digital materials.

Why does NEH emphasize training across different formats?

Each collection format comes with its own preservation risks, technical requirements, and access considerations. NEH uses this program to help close the skills gap by supporting training in up-to-date methods and spreading good practice across the field.

At what scale should training programs operate to fit this opportunity?

The opportunity is intended for organizations that provide structured education and training programs at the national, regional, or statewide level.

What does NEH mean by supporting the full "pedagogical landscape"?

NEH describes the program as supporting training across the full "pedagogical landscape" and at all stages of development. Based on the information provided, this means the grant can support a broad range of training approaches and audiences, including both foundational and advanced instruction.

Does the program support training for beginners as well as advanced practitioners?

Yes. The program can support introductory instruction for heritage workers who need foundational skills, as well as advanced training that incorporates new research, tools, standards, and emerging best practices.

Does the grant support preparing future preservation professionals?

Yes. The program supports efforts that prepare the next generation of preservation professionals, along with initiatives that help current practitioners adapt to new developments in preservation and access.

Are electronic records and born-digital materials included in the program focus?

Yes. The program explicitly notes challenges tied to electronic records and digital objects, and includes electronic records and born-digital materials among the collection types that cultural heritage organizations manage.

Who is eligible to apply for this grant?

Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding nonprofits that are institutions of higher education when applying under that nonprofit category).

Can nonprofit organizations apply?

Yes. Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status are eligible, with the noted exception that nonprofits that are institutions of higher education are excluded when applying under the nonprofit category.

Can colleges and universities apply?

Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.

Can tribal governments apply?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are listed as eligible applicants.

What is the maximum award amount for this opportunity?

The listed award ceiling is $350,000.

Which federal agency administers this program?

The administering agency is the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA number?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 20190515-PE, and the CFDA number is 45.149.

When was the closing date for the application cycle described here?

The original closing date shown is May 15, 2019, indicating this specific posting was tied to that application cycle.

How does this grant connect preservation and public access?

NEH frames preservation and access as linked outcomes: training should help professionals preserve materials responsibly while also expanding access, because collections have public value when they are both protected and discoverable.

What is the broader problem this grant is trying to address?

The program responds to an ongoing challenge that cultural heritage organizations hold extremely large and varied collections, and many institutions do not have enough specialized staff to manage preservation risks and access needs across those formats. The grant supports training intended to spread good practice and help institutions keep up with technical and professional developments.