First, complete an Application Form and submit it, with all necessary supporting materials, to the National Park Service Underground Railroad Regional Coordinator who represents the region that includes your state. Applicants are encouraged to consult with their regional coordinators before and during the application process.

National Capital Region

The National Capitol Region includes Washington, D.C. and the surrounding metropolitan area. Applicants in this region should direct all inquiries and completed applications to:

Jenny Masur
National Capital Regional Coordinator
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
1100 Ohio Drive, SW, Rm 139
National Capital Region
Washington,DC 20242
202-619-7136
jenny_masur@nps.gov


Northeast Region



Sheri Jackson
Northeast Regional Coordinator
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
National Park Service
200 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor
Philadelphia,PA 19106
215-597-7050
sheri_jackson@nps.gov


Midwest Region

The Midwest Region includes Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Applicants in this region should direct all inquiries and completed applications to:

Diane Miller
Midwest Regional Coordinator
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
National Park Service
601 Riverfront Dr.
Omaha,NE 68102
402-661-1588
diane_miller@nps.gov


InterMountain Region

The Intermountain Region includes Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. Applicants in this region should direct all inquiries and completed applications to:

Guy Washington
NPS, Pacific West Region
1111 Jackson Street, Suite 700
Oakland,CA 94607
510-817-1390
guy_washington@nps.gov


Other Region

Inquiries concerning sites, facilities, or programs outside the territorial limits of the U.S. should be directed to the National Coordinator:

Diane Miller
National Coordinator
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
National Park Service
601 Riverfront Drive
Omaha,NE 68102
402-661-1588
diane_miller@nps.gov


Pacific West Region

The Pacific West Region includes California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories in the Pacific Ocean. Applicants in this region should direct all inquiries and completed applications to:

Guy Washington
Pacific West Regional Coordinator
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
NPS-Pacific West Regional Office
1111 Jackson Street, Suite 700
Oakland,CA 94607
510-817-1390
guy_washington@nps.gov


Southeast Region

The Southeast Region includes Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Applicants in this region should direct all inquiries and competed applications to:

Barbara Tagger
Southeast Region Coordinator
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
Atlanta Federal Center-1924 Building
100 Alabama St., SW
Atlanta,GA 30303
404-507-5635
barbara_tagger@nps.gov


Review, deadlines and notices

New applications will be reviewed every six months. The deadlines for receiving applications are January 15 and July 15. Applications must be postmarked no later than the deadline date to be eligible for review in that round. Applications postmarked after the deadline will be included in the next round of review. There are no exceptions.

Within 30 days after the submission deadline, Regional Coordinators will review the applications to determine if they include all the required materials. The Regional Coordinator may contact the applicant before the deadline date or shortly afterwards for clarification or amplification of unclear points in the application. If the application is incomplete or requires major revisions, the application will be returned to the applicant with explanations and recommendations from the Regional Coordinator. Revised applications can be resubmitted for consideration in the next round of review six months later.

Notices of completed applications received by the Network to Freedom Program will appear on the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom Web Page and Newsletter. The notice will include the element’s title, city, state, and abstract, and will be on public review for 30 days. The public is encouraged to provide input during the application and review process.

Approval process

After the 30-day public review period, the Regional Coordinator will review comments and identify applications that a) have generated an unusual amount of debate, b) may not meet all the criteria for inclusion, or c) have created a situation in which the Regional Coordinator is in disagreement with the majority of the public comments. The Regional Coordinator can give preliminary approval to straightforward, non-controversial applications.

Regional Coordinators gather in committee approximately 60 days after the submission deadline to review applications for inclusion in the Network. Review meetings are open to the public and the public is encouraged to attend. Agendas and locations of review meetings will be posted a reasonable time in advance on the Network to Freedom Web Page and available by request in hard copy.

In the review meetings, the Regional Coordinator is allotted no more than five minutes to present an application to the committee, identify the site, program, or facility nominated, and describe its significance and association to the Underground Railroad, its fulfillment of the criteria, and notable public comments. A discussion period of five minutes is allowed and then the committee votes either to recommend inclusion or to extend the period of discussion.

Committee-approved applications will be included in the Network and NPS will then notify the applicant. Following approval for inclusion, the Network to Freedom Program will notify the applicant’s congressional delegation of the action. Letters of approval, press releases, and congressional notification will bear the following statement:

"The National Park Service has evaluated this [site, facility, or program] as making a significant contribution to the understanding of the Underground Railroad in American history and it meets the requirements for inclusion in the Network to Freedom."

Following receipt of the letter of approval, the applicant will receive permission to use the Network to Freedom logo and guidelines for its use.

Applications that are not approved for inclusion will be returned to the applicant. If the National Park Service and the applicant agree, then the element may be identified in the Network to Freedom Web Page as an additional program resource that is not specifically in the Network but that has been reviewed and found to have a relation to the Underground Railroad.

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