The National Park Service, in partnership with the Maritime Administration, this week announced the availability of approximately $1.7 million in grant funding through its Maritime Heritage Program for projects that teach about and/or preserve sites and objects related to our nation’s maritime history. Details of the grant program, including the application process, are available online at http://go.nps.gov/14n1n8; grant applications will be accepted through Sept. 23, 2014.
“From commerce and transportation, to national defense and recreation, America’s maritime resources have always been an important part of our nation’s story,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “These grants will help preserve these important resources and increase public appreciation for the maritime heritage of the United States.”
“Maritime history plays a central role in our national narrative,” said Acting Maritime Administrator Paul N. Jaenichen. “With the restart of this program, we have the opportunity to raise American awareness and understanding of marine transportation’s pivotal role in our nation’s past, present and future.”
The grants are available to state, tribal, and local governments, as well as private non-profit organizations for both education and preservation projects. Education projects will be funded in amounts between $25,000-$50,000; preservation projects will be funded in amounts between $50,000-$200,000. Education grants can be used for programs such as school curriculum, interpretive programs and web pages, and preservation grant projects will include the restoration of ships and other maritime resources.
The National Maritime Heritage Grant Program is administered by the National Park Service in partnership with the Maritime Administration. The grants are supported by revenue from the scrapping of vessels from the Maritime Administration’s National Defense Reserve Fleet. These ships are purchased for recycling and the revenue provides assistance for a broad range of maritime education and preservation projects without expending tax dollars, while the metal in the purchased vessels is used to build new ships.
