Support and Funding

American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC) was awarded a three-year grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to implement the Kress Conservation Publication Fellowships. The purpose of these fellowships is to allow conservation professionals release time from work obligations to prepare publishable manuscripts in order to increase the written body of knowledge available for the conservation field.

Association of Moving Image Archivists
AMIA provides the Mary Pickford Scholarship and SONY Pictures Scholarships which offer an award of $3,000 as financial assistance to a student of merit who intends to pursue a career in moving image archiving.

Association for Recorded Sound Collections
The Grants Program encourages and supports scholarship and publication by individuals in the field of sound recordings or audio preservation.

Bay Area Video Coalition
Individual members of BAVC working on non-commercial programs are eligible for in-kind access to BAVC's media facility, including equipment in the Video Preservation Center, which offers access to 1/2" open reel decks. BAVC takes special interest in video artists who are working on projects in association with community groups or about community issues. Grants are provided for $1,500 worth of access to BAVC's media facility.

Institute of Museum and Library Services
IMLS is a federal agency that provides grants to U.S. museums and libraries, and encourages partnership between museums and libraries. The definition of museums includes such diverse groups as art museums, historic sites and zoos. Among the areas of support from the Office of Museum Services are:

? Conservation Project Support that helps museums care for their collections
? Conservation Assessment Program that assists museums to establish preservation priorities

 


National Leadership Grants are also available for activities that include preservation or digitization of library materials and resources. For Conservation Project Support, grants are up to $50,000, or in the case of exceptional projects, up to $75,000. Eligible activities include surveys, training, research, treatment and environmental improvements.

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
NARAS provides grants to organizations and individuals for efforts that advance the archiving and preservation of America's music and recorded sound heritage. For example, in the 1997-98 grant cycle, the Research Libraries Group, Inc. was funded to create and make available a single, comprehensive, Internet-accessible information source that includes the best practices and relevant technical standards for the preservation of information stored on magnetic media. Priority is given to projects of national significance, and grant amounts generally range from $5,000 - $15,000 although for projects of particularly broad scope or importance applicants may request support in excess of the stated guidelines.

National Endowment for the Arts
NEA Heritage & Preservation goals are to assist, preserve, document, and present those artists and forms of artistic expression that reflect our nation's diverse cultural traditions, and to conserve important works of art.
Projects may include, but are not limited to:

? Documentation and/or presentation to the public of artists and art forms that reflect our diverse cultural traditions and heritage
? Apprenticeships or other forms of instruction that pass on to future generations repertoire, technique, aesthetic principles or oral traditions
? Documentation and/or preservation of significant artistic works, styles, techniques, and aesthetic cultural perspectives
? Technical assistance to traditional folk artists
? Publications that document and/or disseminate artistic works models of preservation, or other materials aimed at strengthening our artistic heritage
? Conservation treatment of highly significant works of art, artifacts, and collections wholly owned by the applicant;
? Innovative uses of modern technology to preserve and strengthen our artistic heritage.

 


Grants generally range from $5,000 to $200,000 and require a match of least one to one.

National Endowment for the Humanities
The NEH Division of Preservation and Access provides leadership and support for a sustained national effort to create, preserve, and increase the availability of resources that support research, education, and public programming in the humanities and that are of critical importance to our cultural heritage. Priority is placed on the support of major education and training programs and research and demonstration projects that will help establish a permanent infrastructure of knowledge for preservation and access activities in the United States. A high priority is also placed on applications for model projects that explore or resolve critical issues relating to the effective use of digital technology for preservation and access. Among the grant categories under the Division are the following:

? Special Collections and Archives - Proposals for projects to preserve and create access to special collections and archives may encompass the arrangement, description, and preservation of archival and manuscript collections; and the cataloging and preservation of graphic, still and moving image, and recorded sound collections (including their transfer to more stable media such as film stock or reel-to-reel audio tape). The division also supports projects to conduct archival surveys that will increase the availability of significant humanities resources. Grants for institutional and consortia projects involving special collections and archives have ranged from $30,000 to $650,000 for a two-year project. Grantees are expected to contribute at least 50 percent of the project's total cost.
? Education and Training Programs - The Division provides grants for education and training programs at the national or regional (multi-state) level that focus on the care of library, archival, and material culture collections. Awards are also made to create or enhance regional preservation field services, which offer surveys, consultancies, training courses and informational materials to the staff of institutions responsible for the care of humanities collections. Grants have ranged from $60,000 to $517,000 for projects of up to three years in duration. The Endowment's support will not exceed 80 percent of the total cost of these projects.
? Research and Demonstration Projects - Proposals are accepted to develop new preservation procedures and techniques or engage issues that have a national impact on libraries, archives, and museums. The division especially encourages applications for model projects that will establish standards or a consensus of best practice for the use of electronic technology for preserving or creating trans-institutional access to humanities resources. Research and demonstration grants have ranged from $141,000 to $350,000. NEH's contribution to the total cost of the project will not exceed 80 percent.

 


National Historic Publications and Records Commission
NHPRC is the grant-making affiliate of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NHPRC makes grants to state and local archives, colleges and universities, libraries, historical societies, and other nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S. Among its mandates are:

? collecting, describing, preserving, compiling, and publishing (including microfilming and other forms of reproduction) of documentary sources significant to the history of the United States
? conducting institutes, training and educational programs, and fellowships related to the activities of the Commission
? disseminating information about documentary sources through guides, directories, and other technical publications
? documentary editing and publishing; archival preservation and processing of records for access; developing or updating descriptive systems; creation and development of archival and records management programs; development of standards, tools, and techniques to advance the work of archivists, records managers, and documentary editors; and promotion of the use of records by teachers, students, and the public.

 


National Initiative to Preserve America's Dance
NIPAD's mission is to foster America's dance legacy by supporting dance documentation and preservation as an integral and ongoing part of the creation, transmission and performance of dance. NIPAD is a component of SAVE AS: DANCE, a national partnership funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts to advance the ability of dance artists and dance communities to document and preserve their work and traditions. The NIPAD grant program is open to the fullest range of preservation practices, inclusive of all documentation formats. NIPAD funds may be used to support a range of activity, with the primary focus on the most effective approaches to documenting and preserving dance. During the life of its grant, NIPAD expects to provide $1.5 million over three rounds of funding to approximately 10 to 15 exemplary projects.

New York State Council on the Arts
The Electronic Media and Film Program (EMF) is dedicated to furthering the artistic, conceptual and administrative growth of the fields of audio, film, radio, television, video and multimedia moving image art. The Program supports production, distribution, exhibition, preservation and services necessary to allow its diverse constituencies to develop in directions appropriate to each medium, activity or community.
NYSCA funds projects in New York State in the area of audio, video & film preservation, support is available for cataloguing efforts, lab work, access to low-cost storage facilities, special projects and collaborative efforts that significantly advance work in film and magnetic media preservation. These projects can include public/private partnerships, consortium proposals, planning funds for the transfer specialized collections to appropriate archival institutions and requests for technical assistance.

New York State Library
NYS Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials. The purpose of the Discretionary Grant Program is to encourage the proper care of research materials in the State, to promote the use and development of guidelines and standards for conservation/preservation work, and to support the growth of local and cooperative preservation programs. Grants are awarded for projects that contribute to the preservation of significant and endangered research materials in libraries, archives, historical societies and similar agencies in New York State. Grants of up to $25,000 support projects for the protection, care and treatment of library materials valuable to New York State, preventing loss of their informational or intellectual content and/or the objects themselves. Projects may include such areas as preservation surveys, educational programs, maintenance of collection materials, reformatting, environmental control, and improvement of collection storage environments. At this time video re-formatting projects are not eligible for funding; however, re-formatting of sound recordings may be eligible depending upon the plan of work. Applications are typically due in early December of each year; contact the office above for most current information.

New York Women in Film & Television
NYWIFT offers a Women's Film Preservation Fund for the preservation or restoration of American films in which women had significant creative positions. Individuals and not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply for grants of up to $10,000.

VidiPax, Inc.
VidiPax provides consulting services, and treatment including cleaning, disaster recovery, inspection/evaluation, repair/restoration, and re-mastering. VidiPax has offered assistance for  restoration work for organizations and individuals if funding is received for the project from a government, foundation, or corporate funder.