In general, grants fund projects that extend financial support to cultural resources and assist recipients in complying with federal laws that relate to cultural heritage and patrimony. Grants fund a broad range of planning, development, and research projects for historic sites. Projects include the survey, inventory, documentation, architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and bricks and mortar repair for historic structures and landscapes. Grants may also fund research in technology, training, interpretation and education programs and products, and the respectful repatriation of human remains.
Through grants and other types of financial assistance, the National Park Service works to extend the knowledge, expertise, and funding of our staff and programs beyond park boundaries. The impact of this funding is considerable. At any one time, the Cultural Resources, Partnerships, & Science Directorate supports approximately 2,000 active grants, 3,000 active subgrants, and more than $250,000,000 in federal funding.
Who can apply?
Applicant eligibility requirements are set by each grant program and vary widely. Most grant applicant organizations are state, tribal, or local governments, nonprofits, or educational institutions (many of which are nonprofits). If you have questions about whether or not your organization is eligible to apply for or receive a grant, make sure to review sections titled "eligibility" in postings on grants.gov. Additionally, you may contact the grant program office offering the grant opportunity you are interested in. Finally, all prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to review detailed information on applying for and managing grants.
How are applications submitted?
All opportunities to apply for a grant will be announced on the government-wide portal for financial assistance, grants.gov. There are exceptions to this, like unusual circumstances or emergencies.
Funding announcements, also called Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs), contain detailed instructions on the form and content of application materials. There is no one document that is the application; instead, applicants are required to submit a variety of forms and narrative responses that together compose the application.
Grant programs fund projects as described or limited by their authorizing legislation, program policy, or other government-wide procedures. Interested applicants should review the list of funding programs at right for potential sources of grant assistance as well as specific grant opportunities below.
Applying for and managing a grant requires a well thought out project as well as organizational preparation. Check to make sure you are ready by reviewing important information.
Grant funds must be used for REPATRIATION under NAGPRA, which means the transfer of control of Native American human remains and/or cultural items to lineal descendants, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. Repatriation includes disposition of culturally unidentifiable Native American human remains (CUI) according to 43 CFR § 10.11. Repatriation projects defray costs associated with the packaging, transportation, contamination removal, reburial, and/or storage of NAGPRA-related human remains and/or cultural items.
Offices:Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, Office of Communicationsmore »
Date Released:2025-01-15
The National Park Service today announced $1,250,000 for 20 projects in 17 states and the District of Columbia for the survey and nomination of places and properties associated with groups that are underrepresented on the National Register of Historic Places.
Offices:American Battlefield Protection Program, Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, Office of Communications
Date Released:2024-12-12
The National Park Service today awarded $1,501,260 in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants through the American Battlefield Protection Program to protect 100.63 acres at two Civil War battlefields in Tennessee and Virginia.
Offices:State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, Office of Communications
Date Released:2024-08-22
The National Park Service (NPS) today awarded $10 million in funding from the Semiquincentennial Grant Program, an initiative commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Offices:State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, Office of Communications
Date Released:2024-08-20
The National Park Service (NPS) today announced $25.7 million in Save America’s Treasures grants to fund 59 projects that will preserve nationally significant sites and historic collections in 26 states and the District of Columbia.
The National Park Service (NPS) today awarded $456,934.78 in Battlefield Restoration Grants through the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP). The two grant recipients will help enhance the restoration of Civil War battlefields in North Carolina and South Carolina, with each applying the funds to analyze, stabilize, and restore key features of the landscapes to reestablish the battlefield’s historic features for generations to come.
Offices:American Battlefield Protection Program, Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, Office of Communications
Date Released:2024-05-23
The National Park Service (NPS) today awarded $1,540,403.50 in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants through the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) to protect 144.36 acres, including three battlefields in Mississippi and Virginia.
Offices:Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, Historic Preservation Fund, State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, Tribal Historic Preservation Program, Office of Communicationsmore »
Date Released:2024-05-06
The National Park Service (NPS) today announced the distribution of $62.15 million in Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grants to historic preservation offices in states, territories, the District of Columbia, and partnering nations, and $23 million to Tribal historic preservation offices.
Offices:Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, Office of Communicationsmore »
Date Released:2024-04-30
The National Park Service today awarded $23.4 million to 39 projects in 16 states and the District of Columbia as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s African American Civil Rights grant program, which focuses on the preservation of sites and stories directly associated with the struggle of African Americans to gain equal rights.
Offices:American Battlefield Protection Program, Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, Office of Communications
Date Released:2024-02-29
The National Park Service today awarded $1,008,166.60 in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants through the American Battlefield Protection Program to protect 58.58 acres, including four battlefields in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Offices:Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, Office of Communicationsmore »
Date Released:2024-02-08
The National Park Service today announced $1,250,000 to 21 projects in 19 states and the District of Columbia for the survey and nomination of sites and districts associated with communities that are underrepresented in the National Register of Historic Places.
