What is the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Grant?
The Utah State Historic Preservation Office (UT-SHPO) will be offering grants to organizations that can help qualified organizations to conduct Cultural Site Stewardship (UCSS) training and recruiting. The UT-SHPO would administer this sub-grant, to be awarded in amounts no greater than $5,000 per organization. The Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program’s (UCSS) goal is to support organizations across the state that can help attract and retain top quality site stewards and to provide volunteers with valuable resources and experiences stewarding in their area. The UCSS knows that there are a lot of innovative ways to accomplish these goals, and are looking for organizations who can complement UT-SHPO’s resources.
What can the grant money be used for?
The purpose of this grant is to aid the UCSS in finding and developing new volunteer stewards. These funds will help to set stewards up through the UCSS program, support training both in the classroom and on the ground, and sponsor programs to encourage continued participation in the UCSS program. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to: rental spaces, food and beverage purchases, honorariums for subject-matter speakers, compensation for organization members to become UCSS trainers, fees associated with obtaining special use permits or other kinds of permits, and transportation costs.
What other information will you need to know?
- Projects must take place in and serve residents and visitors of Utah.
- Projects may take place in various sites and venues throughout Utah.
- Permission must be obtained from the land owner or land managing agency before making project arrangements. (Location need not be known to submit an application.)
- The Utah SHPO has a limited number of grants available.
- The grant application will open January 1 and close on February 1 2021 at 5pm. Awardees will be notified via email on or by Feb 1 if their application is approved.
- Grant funds will be awarded 50% upon receipt of a signed contract, 50% after successful completion of the project.
- Projects must be completed by Nov 30, 2021
Who can apply?
- 501c3 nonprofit organizations
- Historical societies
- Arts & Cultural Organizations
- Government agencies
- Libraries
- Local arts agencies
- City/County Councils
- Museums
- Community organizations
Who cannot apply?
- Individuals/Individual Archaeologists
- For-profit organizations and LC3’s
What is not eligible for funding?
- Staff salaries and benefits
- Endowments
- Individuals, LC3, or for-profit organizations
- Activities that have already taken place
- Programming completed prior to 02/01/2021
- Purchase of equipment
- Direct funding to acquire, construct, extend or maintain a facility
- General operating support
- Activities or materials which violate State or Federal laws
- Applicant or applicant partner to travel outside the state of Utah
- Fundraising expenses/galas, including prizes, awards or benefits
- Alcoholic beverages
- Deficit reduction
- Scholarships for academic programs
- Activities restricted to an organization’s membership
- Employee or applicant’s personal gain
- Individual artist commissions
- Paid political advertising or lobbying expenses
- Giveaways/gifts/awards
- Items not directly related to the grant project
Will Certain Projects or Organizations be given preference?
No, projects that can creatively attract, train, and retain volunteers for UCSS will be evaluated on their merits and ability to meet stated program goals.
What should my grant application include/look like?
Project Description (Worth 60 points)
Question 1: Project description should be between 400-600 words
- Assume that the panel knows nothing about this project. Write a brief narrative providing specific details t in a way that someone unfamiliar with it can understand all aspects of the project. Consider some of the questions below to help guide you in describing your project. Please note, you do not need to specifically answer each of these questions in your application.
- Who is involved in this project?
- Who on your staff will work on this project?
- Who will lead the project?
- Will you be using volunteers? If so, how will they help?
- Who else in your community will you involve in this project (this would include partner organizations, your local government, local schools, etc.)?
- Who will this project benefit?
- What is our project?
- Is our project an event, exhibition, festival, performance, program, etc.?
- What are the different aspects of this project? For example, if you are hosting a UCSS training, you would want to include that you will have a classroom space, an outdoor field training, and a person who can train people to be successful stewards. You don’t need to include small details, but the reviewer should have a clear picture of what the actual project looks like.
- When will our project take place?
- Include the date and time that your project will take place?
- Is this a program that will be recurring? If so, on what schedule?
- Why are we creating this project?
- What goal or goals are we trying to accomplish by creating this project?
- Why does UCSS matter to our community?
- How are we going to accomplish this project?
- What are some of the logistical aspects of this project we need to consider (space, capacity, relevancy to mission and grant goals, community buy in and partners)?
Question 2: Statement of Purpose should be 300-500 words.
- Please describe specifically how your project activities will attract, train, and retain volunteers for the UCSS Program. There should be a clear link between your activities and the goal of growing and supporting the UCSS Program.
Question 3: Goal and value of the project should be 300-400 words.
- The goal you want to accomplish should be specific and attainable.
- This project should focus on your local archaeological sites and your community. Consider the value this project will add to your community, as well as the value you would like to see as a result of this project.
Question 4: Timeline should be a month by month breakdown of key events that support the project..
- Examples of key events could include meeting with stakeholders, preparing curriculum, creating committees, purchasing of materials, the event itself, etc.
Question 5: The promotion plan should be 100-250 words.
- How will you promote your project in your community and how will you get your community excited about it?
- Are there any members of your community who are especially hard to reach and will be targeted with your promotion?
- How will SHPO be acknowledged as a partner in your site stewardship promotions and project efforts?
Question 6: Outside Partners must be identified
- If you will be working with anyone outside of your immediate organization, include them here along with a brief description of how they will be involved in the project. Include documentation indicating that they understand their role as a partner and agree to be involved in the project (this can be an email or signed letter).
Budget (Worth 40 points)
Please provide a budget breakdown of project activities and materials. This will provide the review committee a transparent view of how the grant funds will be spent. Be specific, but without providing excessive detail. For example, if you are providing a lunch to volunteers you may estimate the amount you will spend per person and your estimated number of attendees, we do not need to know the caterer or type of food.
If you have any questions please contact Elizabeth Hora at ehora@utah.gov or Ian Wright at iwright@utah.gov.