Cultural Heritage Tourism Grant Guidelines
Through the National Endowment for the Humanities We the People initiative, AHC is awarding grants for the development and implementation of heritage tourism products that provide accurate and authentic interpretation of an area’s history and heritage by qualified humanities scholars, and demonstrate the potential to attract out-of-town tourists.1. Eligibility
Eligible applicants include nonprofit Arizona museums, historic houses, archaeological sites, and heritage centers, or nonprofit organizations that are part of local and state governmental or tribal entities. Eligible organizations must own and exhibit artifacts, have at least one professional staff member or the full-time equivalent, are open at least 120 days per year, and have been open on a regular basis for at least two years before the date of an application. Applicants must also demonstrate that their planning committees include representation from the community’s chamber of commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), and other related tourism sectors.2. Cultural Heritage Tourism Grant Criteria
- Project Goals
The project must involve the planning and implementation of lasting heritage tourism product(s) that help preserve and share a community’s story and increase the number of area and out-of-area tourists to a cultural heritage site. - Content
Projects must provide accurate and authentic interpretation of the area’s history and heritage by qualified humanities scholars, and themes should draw from the unique stories of the site’s geographic location and the people who live there, but should resonate with regional, national, and even international audiences. The project must also place local and state history in the broader context of broader national context. One or more humanities scholars and at least one museum professional must be included in the planning and implementation of the project. - Marketing
Applicants must demonstrate that their project incorporates representation from the community’s chamber of commerce, CVB, and other related tourism sectors. The project must also include marketing activities to attract an out-of-town audience, which must be part of a broader plan in conjunction with the applicant’s tourism community partners.
3. Cultural Heritage Tourism Grant Award Limits
Applicants may request up to $10,000, which must be matched by in-kind and/or cash contributions. Marketing contributions from the organization’s tourism partner should be counted as a contribution.
Eligible expenditures include project administration; honoraria for staff, scholars, and consultants, as well as travel and per diem; exhibition development, fabrication, equipment, and related interpretive materials; and exhibit-related events and facilities.
Ineligible expenditures include: museum or library acquisitions; operating costs and construction; permanent equipment; beverages, food, or entertainment; profit-making or fund-raising activities; grants to individuals; partisan objectives, advocacy, or lobbying;; and expenses incurred before a grant is awarded or outside of the grant period.
4. How to Apply
Applicants must submit an Intent to Apply before submitting a Cultural Heritage Tourism Grant application. AHC will acknowledge receipt of your Intent with information regarding your project’s eligibility and competitiveness, and details about submitting a full Cultural Heritage Tourism Grant proposal. Projects must begin no sooner than at least two months after the published Cultural Heritage Tourism Grant Intent to Apply Form Deadline, and completed in one calendar year of the award date.5. Certifications/Federal Requirements
If awarded, applicant certifies that it will comply with the following nondiscrimination statutes and their implementing regulations:Certification Regarding Nondiscrimination Statutes:
- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), which provides that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the applicant received federal financial assistance;
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance;
- Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance; and
- Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, except that actions which reasonably take age into account as a factor necessary for the normal operation or achievement of any statutory objective of the project or activity shall not violate this statute.
Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension,
Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion (45 CFR 1169):
- The applicant, by submission of this proposal, certifies that it is not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from covered transactions by any federal department or agency;
- Where the applicant is unable to certify to any of the statements in the certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this proposal.
NEH Code of Ethics for Projects Related to Native Americans: Grantees have the responsibility of ensuring that researchers and scholars working on projects related to American Indians, Aleut, Eskimo or Native Hawaiian peoples adhere to the NEH Code of Ethics, which conforms to the principles of Public Law 95-561 (the Indian Religious Freedom Act), Public Law 96-515 (the National Historic Preservation Act amendments of 1980), and other relevant public laws governing relations with native peoples of North America. For a copy of the code, please contact AHC.
ADA Compliance: NEH and the state humanities councils are working to ensure that their spaces, programs, and other activities are accessible to all members of the public. In compliance with the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, recipients of AHC grants need to ensure that disabled persons are not subjected to discrimination in the form of architectural, transportation and communication barriers. AHC also suggests that grant recipients include language in their publicity and on registration forms asking if any accommodation is needed because of disability, and that large-print versions of handouts and/or tapes of programs be made available when feasible.
