Heritage Partnership Grant Program 2023
Partnership Grants for Marketing and Promotion, Programming and Interpretation, Preservation Planning in the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.
- The 2023 Heritage Partnership Grant for Interpretation is intended to provide residents and visitors with new / expanded opportunities for deeper understanding of the Upper Housatonic River Valley. The grants will support research projects, interpretive exhibits, events and programming that provide informed and thoughtful exploration of the region’s history, culture and natural heritage.
- Grant applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, though no applications under this program will be accepted after March 31, 2023.
Heritage Partnership Grants are intended to fulfill the mission of Housatonic Heritage to provide a more complete understanding and enjoyment of the heritage area’s themes of history, culture, scenic beauty (natural resources) and / or independent spirit.
The Housatonic Heritage Partnership Grant Program is a reimbursable, matching grant program for municipalities and qualified non-profit organizations whose activities support our mission to preserve and enhance the historic, cultural, and natural resources of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.
Heritage Partnership Grant Program:
Housatonic Heritage periodically offers grants to eligible non-profit organizations, educational institutions and municipalities for specific programs and projects. Typically these grants are up to $10,000 (though larger grants are considered) and require a 1:1 match of non-federal cash and / or in-kind service. Additional details are below.
Background Information:
The mission of Housatonic Heritage is to heighten appreciation of the region, preserve its natural and historical resources, and to improve the quality of life and economy of the area.
The operational goal of the Heritage Area is to provide a management framework that furthers the mission of the heritage area, and fosters a close working relationship with all levels of government, the private sector, and local non-governmental organizations within the region.
Another goal is to assist communities and non-profit organizations in the heritage area region of Massachusetts and Connecticut in identifying, interpreting, and developing the historical, cultural, and natural resources of the region for the educational and inspirational benefit of current and future generations.
Grants reflecting the mission of Housatonic Heritage:
To further the Heritage Area’s goals, a grant-making program will award matching funds to projects proposed by area non-profits, accredited educational institutions and governmental entities that support and further the heritage area’s mission to heighten appreciation of the region, preserve its natural and historical resources, and to improve the quality of life and economy of the area.
The Upper Housatonic Valley Region:
The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area includes nine towns in Connecticut and twenty in Massachusetts. The Connecticut towns are Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, and Warren. The Massachusetts towns are Alford, Becket, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlboro, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, and West Stockbridge.
Native American Heritage Grants for Interpretation – Awarded 2021
Total grants: $57,249.95
Total Match: $83,528.15
Berkshire County Historical Society
780 Holmes Rd.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Trails and Tales at Arrowhead – This project is meant to be a supplement to the larger exhibit at the Berkshire Museum – Many Trails, opening August 1, 2021. The offerings at Arrowhead will include an interpreted walking trail that focuses on the Mohican history of the area, which will be a permanent fixture at Arrowhead. In addition, Bonnie Hartley will speak via Zoom in October about NAGPRA issues relating to the repatriation of Native American artifacts.
$1,875
Berkshire Museum
39 South St.
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Muh-he-con-ne-ok The People of the Waters That Never Stand Still – We once called this land home and while forced removal may had physically moved us, our hearts remain. Muh-he-con-ne-ok The People of the Waters That Never Stand Still showcases the history of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community’s past, present and future.
$35,000
The Bidwell House Museum
PO Box 537
100 Art School Rd.
Monterey, MA 01245
A Personal Encounter with Mohican History at The Bidwell House Museum – The Bidwell House Museum will expand their programs to the Museum’s Native American Interpretive Trail, in conjunction with the Berkshire Museum’s exhibit ‘Muh-he-con-ne-ok The People of the Waters That Never Stand Still’. that is scheduled to open August 1, 2021. This project will include video content, guided tours, outdoor programs and lectures.
$7,300
Hancock Shaker Village
PO Box 927
Routes 20 & 41
Pittsfield, MA 01202
The Shakers and Indigenous People: An Interpretive Signage Project – fund new interpretive signage related to the Shakers and their interactions with Indigenous Peoples, especially the Mohicans.
$1,400
C/O Housatonic Heritage
So. Berkshire Regional School District / Mt Everett Regional School
491 Berkshire School Rd.
Sheffield, MA 01257
Summer travel- film documentary of journey to Wisconsin, Lake Oneida, and various locations of significance. Interviews with tribal ancestors, school officials/educators, and tribal council members. Travel from the ancestral homeland of the Stockbridge Indians of Massachusetts to their reservation in Bowler, WI visiting historical sites along their forced migration route, to strengthen and modernize the shared local, indigenous curriculum for grades 4-8 and build partnerships between our communities through the documentation of people, places, and stories.
$650
Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives
PO Box 119
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Deeds of Our Past: The Stockbridge Indians and Colonial Bonds – Acknowledging the Stockbridge-Munsee Community through objects and archival documents from the Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives in Stockbridge, MA.
$11,024.85
About the 2021 Heritage Partnership Grant Program
(Download the Program Summary here):
The 2021 Heritage Partnership Grant Program makes available a maximum $35,000 grant to any qualified organization or entity, though specific collaborative programs / project that involve multiple organizations may qualify for larger grants. In addition to helping fulfill the mission of Housatonic Heritage, heritage projects under the 2021 grant program must also improve the quality of life and economy of the area, and are subject to the following conditions:
Dates and Deadlines:
Timeline for Heritage Partnership grants:
- Friday, May 14, 2021 by Noon EST
All applications must be submitted by email. - April / May 2021
Grant awards announced on a rolling basis. - June 30, 2022
All grant work completed. - Final Reports due no later than 90 days after an event or completion of the project or no later
than September 30, 2022, whichever comes first.
Qualified applicants must be a non-profit organization, as evidenced by IRS non-profit determination letter, a public entity (municipality, state government), or accredited educational institution.
Before preparing and submitting a Partnership Grant application, the responsible Officer of the applicant organization should review the following to determine if the organization is able to comply with the grant requirements.
In addition:
- Project must fall within the geographic boundaries of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area (See maps at www.housatonicheritage.org)
- Project must NOT include any “bricks & mortar” component, or any element of historic preservation (rehabilitation or construction) work that would invoke Section 106 requirements under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
- Project must closely relate to the mission of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, and in particular – to improve the quality of life and economy of the area.
- Project or portion of project to be funded with a Partnership Grant must NOT begin before the grant is awarded and Housatonic Heritage grant contract is signed
Program Management Requirements:
- Adhere to all Housatonic Heritage reporting requirements, which include providing thorough project reports and documentation of all project income and expenses. Please use the 2021 Housatonic Heritage Budget Report Guidelines, available for download from our website
- Meet Housatonic Heritage deadlines set forth in the grant criteria
- Monitor project work
Additional Grant Requirements:
- Acknowledge Housatonic Heritage’s support in all press opportunities and materials publicizing or resulting from grant activities
- Use the Housatonic Heritage logo where appropriate (brochures, websites, newsletters, etc); logo is available for download from our website.
- Provide digital photographs of project or program activities
- Provide Housatonic Heritage with copy of all original work (DVD, brochures, photographs, etc)
To discuss your project prior to submitting an application, call (860) 435-9505 or email info@housatonicheritage.org. (see additional contact information below). Follow the Profile and Criteria sheet for the specific category you are applying in. In addition to the category criteria, your application package must conform to the following standards in order to be considered for funding, your application package.
Grant Review Panel & Conflict of Interest
In order to maintain the highest standards of fairness in the competition for grants, Housatonic Heritage operates to avoid any possible conflict of interest. Any member of the Grants Committee and Board of Trustees will abstain from deliberating or voting on any proposal in which he/she is connected through employment, through service as an unpaid consultant to the project, or as an officer or other representative.
All eligible applicants must submit the following:
- One (1) original signed application (PDF preferred) sent via email to: info@housatonicheritage.org
- Grant narrative, budget forms and other attachments may be included with the application as a single PDF, or may be sent as separate PDFs
Matching Funds Requirement:
- The Partnership Grant Program awards matching grants of federal funds on a reimbursable basis.
- Grant recipients must match all grant awards on a minimum ONE-TO-ONE basis, with cash funds or in-kind contributions. The total cost of the project must be AT LEAST TWICE the amount of your grant request. For example, if your request is $2,000 then you must demonstrate that your project costs AT LEAST $4,000.
- Applicant must have sufficient funds to cover the applicant’s entire share of the project
- Applicant must have evidence of applicant’s ability to provide one-to-one matching
- Grant Application must include a letter signed by the responsible Officer of the applicant organization that documents the amount of match funding being contributed to the project, and the source of that funding.
- Match Funds must be verifiable from your records, and must be considered “necessary and reasonable” for proper and efficient completion of your project.
- Match Funds CANNOT be included as direct contributions from any other federally assisted program or be paid by the federal government under another award. This includes operating costs of the organization and routine repair and facility costs.
Cash and In-Kind Match:
- Match funds can be cash or in-kind contributions of time, materials, or services
- Cash match requires that real money change hands, and must be documented by copies of invoices or receipts and evidence of payment (cancelled checks, bank statements)
- In-kind match must be documented and applied only to this grant project
- In-kind matches must be documented and may include personnel time for employees, board members, and volunteers as well as contributions of services, materials and supplies
- A Donor Form is available from Housatonic Heritage, and is recommended for documenting the resources that you receive from others. Sample attached.
The following is a recommended format for valuing and documenting in-kind matches:
Contributed Time
Name of Individual: ____________________________________
Hours ____________ x $_________/hour = $ _______________
Contributed Materials and/or Services
Types of Materials and/or Services: _______________________
Value: $_________________________
Funding and Award Disbursement:
- The applicant must have sufficient funding to cover the entire cost of the project
- Expenses must be incurred within the grant period dates stated in the grant contract
- Expenses incurred outside the grant period WILL NOT be reimbursed upon grant culmination.
