2021 Battlefield Interpretation Grant Year in Review

2021 Battlefield Interpretation statistics

NPS Photo/Hannah Thomas

As the year draws to a close, NPS’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) invites you to look back with us on the ground we’ve covered in the past twelve months and join us in reaching toward expansive, diverse, and strengthened partnerships in the new year.

In 2021, ABPP introduced the new Battlefield Interpretation Grants, which empower recipients to modernize and enhance battlefield interpretation – to inspire wonder, understanding and empathy at the places that witnessed some of our nation’s most challenging events. This last year, we funded 11 projects in just as many states to expand and diversify visitor experiences. 57% of the recipients received a grant from ABPP for the first time, expanding the benefit of these federal funds to more audiences. 27% of the recipients built on thoughtful strategies developed through previous Preservation Planning Grant funding. Their projects harnessed the power of technology to connect with visitors through videos, mobile apps, interpretive signs, and augmented reality.

Three of our four grants, including BIGs, are funded by the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). In 2020, a bipartisan Congress permanently funded LWCF to invest in conservation and recreation opportunities across the country. These efforts help strengthen communities, preserve history, and protect lands and waters at the state and local levels.

Armed conflict is interwoven throughout American history, has shaped the territory and landscapes of the United States, and continues to shape our shared experiences and collective memories. It’s no small irony that sites of conflict can bring us together. In the next year, as with all our efforts, our goal remains to sustain the stories and living landscapes that weave together our collective well-being and resilience.

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Text-Only Version of Infographic

NPS ABPP Battlefield Interpretation Grant (BIG) stats from 2021. ABPP awarded 11 grants, totalling $874,048 to 11. 57% were first time applicants. 100% of the applicants were nonprofits, ranging from 18% operating statewide, 36% operating on the local level and 46% operating on a national level. 27% of recipients were building off of previously award Preservation Planning Grants from ABPP.

Donut graph shows “36% of the nonprofits were locally based, 18% were statewide nonprofits and 46% were nationwide.”

Timeline shows the 2021 grant cycle spanned from opening in February, to closing in May. Applications were reviewed in June with a merit review panel and awards were announced in October.

Bar graph shows that BIG funded “2 video projects, 5 mobile apps and 5 signage projects, and 4 augmented reality projects.”

11 states received grants. Outlines of states are color-coded by conflict. In dark maroon, Revolutionary War and Civil War projects were from South Carolina, Virginia. Just Revolutionary War projects, prepresented in teal, were from New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey. Civil War related projects are presentend in pink and were from Mississippi. War of 1812 related projects are represented in gold and are from Louisiana.