Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives | MAJOR 202206

Opportunity Information: Apply for MAJOR 202206

The Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives grant is a National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) funding opportunity, administered through the National Archives and Records Administration, aimed at making major historical records collections easier for the public to discover and use. The program is designed for projects that can create a noticeable, field-wide impact on access to important collections by improving how people find, view, and work with historical materials. It supports essentially all formats of historical records, including paper documents, photographs, born-digital materials, and analog audio and moving image formats, as long as the project meaningfully expands public discovery and access.

A key feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on significance and reach. Proposed projects can be organized around broad themes and movements in U.S. history, such as politics, law, military history, social reform, business, and the arts, or they can focus on the records of notable individuals or groups that shaped the American experience. The program explicitly welcomes projects that center and amplify collections documenting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color histories. In addition, with the United States approaching the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the NHPRC signals special interest in projects that improve access to collections examining the ideals associated with the nation’s founding and the ongoing debates and struggles over those ideals from the eighteenth century to the present.

To be eligible under this specific program, projects must be collaborative and involve multiple institutions, and they must pursue at least one of two main eligible activity tracks. The first track supports digitizing historical records and publishing them online as a shared “virtual” collection unified by a common theme, organization, or significant historical figure or figures. The second track supports the creation and testing of new tools, approaches, or methods that improve public access to archival materials, with particular attention to born-digital records, where access, preservation, and usability challenges are often more complex. Proposals that actively involve the public in the project’s work, such as through participatory components that invite engagement beyond traditional academic audiences, are described as more competitive. For applicants whose plans are primarily about processing collections or digitizing smaller-scale holdings, the notice points them to a different NHPRC program (Archival Projects) with different requirements and a lower funding range.

Competitive applications are expected to do several things clearly and convincingly. They should demonstrate why the targeted collections matter and what value they offer to the public, educators, and researchers. They should lay out a work plan grounded in professional best practices for digitization, description, access, and/or tool development, and they should show that the team is appropriately staffed to complete the work. The budget should be cost-effective and realistically aligned with the work proposed. Finally, proposals are expected to describe outreach and engagement activities that not only draw researchers and users to the materials included in the project, but also help connect people to the broader holdings of the participating repositories.

Funding is offered as a discretionary grant with a project period ranging from one to three years. Individual awards are expected to fall between $150,000 and $350,000, with an anticipated maximum of five awards in the category and up to $1,000,000 in total funding available. The opportunity materials indicate that grants would begin no earlier than January 1, 2023. Recipients must acknowledge NHPRC support in publicity, publications, and other products created with grant assistance.

Eligibility is limited to certain U.S.-based entities, including nonprofit organizations and institutions, U.S. 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 components, including the SF-424, a project narrative, the NHPRC budget form, and supplemental materials; applications missing required elements or failing to meet the program’s collaboration and activity requirements are not considered.

The program requires cost sharing, meaning the project budget must be split between NHPRC funds and the applicant’s contribution. NHPRC will provide no more than 50 percent of total project costs under this program, so applicants must cover at least half through a combination of allowable sources such as direct expenses, in-kind support, third-party non-federal contributions, and applicable indirect expenses. A notable restriction is that NHPRC grant funds cannot be used to pay indirect costs; if indirect costs are part of the overall project budget, they must be counted under the applicant’s cost share rather than charged to the grant.

Finally, applicants must meet standard federal grants administration requirements, including being registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before applying, maintaining that registration throughout the process, and providing a valid DUNS number in the application (as referenced in the opportunity materials). These registrations are treated as essential prerequisites for submitting a compliant application.

• 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 19, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 08, 2022. (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 202206

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