FY2020 Historic Preservation Fund- Save America's Treasures Preservation Grants | P21AS00202

Opportunity Information: Apply for P21AS00202

The FY2020 Historic Preservation Fund Save America's Treasures (SAT) Preservation Grants program is a competitive federal grant opportunity run by the National Park Service (NPS) to support preservation and conservation work on nationally significant historic resources. The program focuses on helping protect important historic properties and collections by funding hands-on preservation, stabilization, conservation treatment, and related project activities that directly address the long-term survival of these nationally significant resources. SAT is funded through the Historic Preservation Fund and is administered by NPS in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), reflecting the program's cross-sector emphasis on both historic places and cultural collections.

This particular listing covers the preservation track (Funding Opportunity Number P21AS00202), which is distinct from the collections track (P21AS00203). In practice, the preservation track is geared toward historic buildings, structures, sites, or similar place-based resources, while the separate collections opportunity is meant for archival, museum, library, or other collection materials. Applicants need to make sure they choose the correct track because they are structured as separate competitions.

A central feature of the program is its required cost share. Awards require a dollar-for-dollar, non-federal match, meaning the applicant must provide at least the same amount as the federal request using non-federal sources. The match can be provided as cash or as documented in-kind contributions, as long as it is properly supported and allowable under federal grant rules. This requirement effectively doubles the project investment and is meant to ensure applicants have strong local, state, tribal, private, or philanthropic backing.

Funding for the SAT grant program in this cycle is tied to FY2020 Public Law 116-94, which provided a total of 16 million dollars for Save America's Treasures. Individual awards under this preservation opportunity have an award ceiling of 500,000 dollars. The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant under CFDA 15.929, with NPS listed as the issuing agency. The original application closing date for this posting was January 26, 2021, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of November 20, 2020.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of public and nonprofit entities that may steward nationally significant historic properties. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, other Native American tribal organizations, and nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education in the nonprofit categories). The program also explicitly recognizes federally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiian Organizations as defined in 54 USC 300300 as eligible participants.

There are important restrictions related to federal ownership, particularly for National Park Service properties. While the appropriation language supports certain federal-agency-related work, grants are not available for projects involving sites or collections owned by the NPS. In other words, NPS-owned resources are not eligible for SAT grant funding under this program. Other federal agencies (generally those funded through the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, with the explicit exception of NPS) may still participate, but typically must do so by partnering with a nonprofit that serves as the applicant. In those cases, the nonprofit partner submits the application to preserve historic properties or collections owned by the collaborating federal agency, consistent with the program's rules.

Overall, the opportunity is designed for organizations that can demonstrate national significance of the resource, define a clear preservation or conservation need, assemble a full project budget that includes a required non-federal match, and compete successfully in a national review process. It is best suited for well-developed preservation projects that are ready to move forward with qualified expertise, clear outcomes, and strong financial and organizational support, while carefully observing the restriction that NPS-owned properties and collections are not eligible for funding under this grant program.

• The National Park Service in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2020 Historic Preservation Fund- Save America's Treasures Preservation Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.929.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-11-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-26. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for P21AS00202

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