The Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center are excited to open applications for the second round of funding in the Community Collections grant program. These grants will support individuals or non-profit organizations in producing cultural documentation–photographs, interviews, audio or video recordings about their community from the community’s perspective. Materials gathered through this program will become part of the Library’s permanent collection, while locally-held copies can enhance (or seed) community archives. This exciting program is part of the larger Of the People initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation that creates dynamic opportunities for more people to engage with the Library. All activity under the initiative will expand the Library’s efforts to ensure that our historical record reflects a diversity of experiences, thus weaving a more inclusive American story.
Formal Notices of Funding Opportunity for both Individual and Organizational applications can be found at the Of the People website or on Grants.gov (NOFO for individuals and NOFO for organizations). The due date for applications is August 1, 2022 at noon EST. Grants will be up to $50,000, and will support projects of up to 12-months in length. The Library intends to award up to 10 grants in this round.
Support materials for applicants can be found on the application page, and will be updated as more resources become available. Additionally, the Center will be holding informational webinars about the funding opportunity. The first one will be on June 8, 2022 at 4pm Eastern Time–register for the Zoom event here!
Since shortly after its inception in 1976 through the American Folklife Preservation Act (Public Law 94-201), the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has maintained a significant ethnographic archive. Now numbering about 6.5 million items and comprising just over 3400 distinct collections, the AFC archive contains documentation of diverse cultural communities and traditions spanning the late 1800s on through today. Beyond caring for these collections, the AFC has also actively built the collections by conducting large scale folklife survey projects between 1977 and 1998 around the country, training people in cultural documentation methods, and offering financial support through the Archie Green Fellowship program to build the Occupational Folklife Project. The Community Collections grant program builds on—and expands–such efforts.
Comments (3)
Good afternoon,
Are these grants available to 501-3 (c) organizations who advocate for local military Veterans, their families and widows/widowers within their rural community? If so, would you please send me more information?
Hello, and thanks for the question. Such an organization would be eligible to apply, but note that to be competitive for funding a project would need to meet the requirements described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity document (NOFO). Do read that document carefully, and try to attend one of the informational webinars that we’ve scheduled.
Thank you for the Web introduction setion.