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Grants & Awards: DHP: Next Level:

Documentary Heritage Program FAQs

Applying

Project Content

DEVELOPING/ASSEMBLING THE APPLICATION

Project Management

Applying

Who is eligible to apply for a Documentary Heritage Program Grant?
Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit archives, libraries, historical societies, and similar institutions within New York State, and from consortia or cooperating groups of such agencies. Projects to be carried out by service providers such as historical service agencies, colleges and universities, professional associations, or other not-for-profit institutions or systems that provide services to historical records programs are also eligible for consideration. Copy of proof of 501(c)(3) not-for-profit status must be included with application. See Grant Application and Reference Materials, "Eligibility Requirements", for further information.

Whom should I contact if I have any questions about the grant program or submitting an application?

The State Archives provides technical advice to historical records repositories through its Regional Archivists (RAs).  Help is also available from the DHP Central Office at 518/474-6926.

When is the application due date?
The due date for DHP grant applications is the first workday of the month of February.

How do I get a copy of the grant application materials?
These materials are available on the State Archives website, http://www.archives.nysed.gov, or a paper copy may be requested by e-mail: archgrants@mail.nysed.gov

Can an institution apply for more than one grant?
Yes.

Project Content

Does the project have to address one of DHP's priorities?

No, but projects addressing those topics (mental health, Latino communities, environmental affairs, education policy, Wold Trade Center, new population groups, deindustrialization and economic revitalization) will be considered more highly for grant money. The project, however, must fall under one of the grant categories (documentation survey, needs assessment, arrangement and description).

Can an arrangement and description grant be for work on more than one collection, as opposed to a project that creates a general subject guide or just collection level cataloging for several collections?
Yes, arrangement and description projects can focus on one collection or on multiple ones.

Can arrangement and description projects include re-housing of records?
Yes. In fact, this is an excellent time to re-house series you are processing.

How does strategic planning/needs assessment differ from documentation planning? Strategic planning/needs assessment projects are targeted for institutions just getting started in dealing with their historical records and are intended to review the institutions records as a whole. Documentation planning is not targeted at any specific institution but intended to help one or more institutions interested in documenting an underdocumented group or topic.

Can we do a documentation survey of organizations in our commuity and also arrange and describe records in our collection relevant to the documentation topic in one grant?

Yes, a single DHP grant application can cover both project categories, but you must discuss this with DHP staff to review how to address the differing matching requirements.

Do I need to have people chosen for staffing the project before applying for the grant?

The project director and members of advisory committees should be chosen and named in the application. Other staff may be found after receiving the grant. However, if you do have them chosen at the time of application, name them and attach their resumes.

Can I move one of my regular employees over to the grant project?

The answer to this question depends on whether you intend to pay the employee with grant funds or whether the salary will be part of your institutional match.

Can I count my project advisory committee's time as part of my institutional match?

Yes, as long as it is time directly contributed to the project. Be prepared to document their contribution, e.g., length and frequency of the meetings. For example, if you plan on having four four-hour advisory meetings, then each committee member is contributing two days of time. Using a standard consultant rate of $250/day, each member is contributing $500 in matching costs. You can also use committee members' mileage to attend meetings as part of your institutional contribution.

Can a member of a project advisory committee be from outside New York State?
There is no prohibition to having a committee member from outside New York State, but since DHP grant projects must have a New York State focus, applicants should explain what this particular committee member can contribute to the overall project that someone more locally-based cannot.

Can a donation to our institution that was not designated for any specific function but subsequently will be used for something related to the proposed project be considered part of our cost-sharing requirement?
Yes.

Can my organization's trustees work on the project, with their time allocated as part of the institutional cost-share?
Yes. The time that anyone donates to the project can be considered part of your cost-sharing requirement.

 

Developing/Assembling the Application

In what order should I arrange the pages of my grant application?

The items should be submitted in the order listed in the Grant Information and Reference Materials booklet. The pages of the narrative description should be numbered, as well as the sections within the narrative description. It is a good idea to add a header that identifies your institution to all pages of your grant.

Does the 10-page maximum for the narrative description include attachments?

No, attachments such as staff resumes and sample finding aids are not counted towards the ten-page maximum.

I plan to hire someone to work on the project for $15.00 an hour plus medical insurance. Should the wages be listed under Salaries or Purchased Services on the proposed budget form?

The wages should be listed under salaries. Anyone who receives benefits should be listed under salaries and benefits in the budget. It does not matter whether your institution classifies them as salaried or hourly employees.

Is food an eligible expense?

Sometimes. Lunch for advisory committees and focus groups is an eligible expense. Food at receptions at the end of projects or lunch for consultants is not. Eligible food expenses for meetings should be listed under supplies and materials on the proposed budget form. Food and lodging expenses for staff or consultants should appear under travel.

Is a consultant's travel an additional expense, or is it included in the consultant daily rate?

The consultant's travel to and from the site is an additional expense and should be listed in the Travel section of the Proposed Budget form.

How recently should we have received a grant to include it in the Description of Other Grants Received section of the application?

There is not an exact cut-of date. If you have received a lot of grants recently, you may want to go back five years. If you have not received many, you may want to go back as far as ten years.

I have applied to a local foundation to pay for the boxes and folders for one of the collections I plan on arranging and describing. Since I don't know yet whether I have received the grant, should I include it in the Description of Other Grants Received?

Yes, tell us how much you have requested and your anticipated date of notification. Before you seek money for multiple sources be sure that each grant can stand on its own and is not dependent on the other project for completion.

On the grant application cover sheet, when it asks, "Number of Grants Previously Received," does it mean all kinds of grants or just DHP grants?
It means just previously received DHP grants.

 

Project Management

When are grant awards announced?

Notification letters are usually mailed to the project director in the third week in June.

When will we get the money?

Applications are reviewed in May. The State Archives will let you know the status of your grant by the end of June.  Funds usually are available after the State budget is passed. Delays may result if that does not happen by July 1st.

Submission of your acceptance letter and fulfillment of conditions required by the grants reviewers (e.g., revised plan of work, proof of non-profit status, etc.) must take place before any funds are released.  Once these items have been sent to the DHP office you can expect to receive the first 50% of the grant in the next 60 days.

When can the project begin?
Monies can be expended after July 1, and cannot be encumbered after June 30 of the following year.

Am I able to transfer monies from one budget category to another during the grant year? If so, what is the process and timeline?

Grant recipients can transfer monies within budget categories if the change doesn't violate the intent of the grant award, and if the request is justified in writing. The DHP Central Office must approve any budget amendment. The correct form for any funds transfer is the FS-10-A. An FS-10-A is mailed to every award recipient in the fall. The cut-off date for amendments is usually around May 15. The State Archives also notifies grant recipients of this date.

How do I get the money?
Once the project budget is approved, the Grants Finance Unit of the State Education Department will release to the recipient 50% of the budget. In order to receive the next 40% increment, the recipient must submit to the DHP Central Office form FS-25 (an original and two photocopies). The last 10% of the budget is released upon receipt of a final budget form FS-10-F Short Form and a final narrative report. The DHP must receive an original and two copies. The fiscal forms are available online and are also mailed to all grant recipients in the fall.

What are the reporting requirements and when are reports due?
A mid-term project narrative is due by the end of January along with the FS-25 requesting the next 40% of the budget. Both a final narrative and final fiscal report (FS-10-F Short Form) must be submitted for each grant project by July 31, one month after the end of the project. The final narrative and the final fiscal report are mailed directly to the DHP. The last 10% of the project award is released once all final reports are submitted and approved. Recipients receive final reporting guidelines several months into the project.