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Funding for Audio Preservation


As a result of the National Recording Preservation Plan's focus on the nation's audio heritage, both federal and private funders have made grant funds available for caring for and reformatting these significant collections, which are often unique recordings in deteriorating condition.

Several of these grants will also be included in our other Funding Sources pages, but for your convenience, we have gathered the sources for working with audio collections here.


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COUNCIL ON LIBRARY AND INFORMATION RESOURCES (CLIR)

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES (NEH)

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDS COMMISSION (NHPRC)

NATIONAL RECORDING PRESERVATION FOUNDATION

NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY CONSERVATION/PRESERVATION DISCRETIONARY GRANTS

GRAMMY MUSEUM


 

Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)

Washington, DC   
www.clir.org

Grant amounts: $10,000 to $50,000

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES:

Digitization of audio and/or audiovisual materials

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Grant Amounts: US organizations and US-led partnerships may request any amount between $50,000 and $350,000 (USD)

Canadian organizations and Canada-led partnerships may request any amount between $50,000 and $350,000 (CAD)

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES:

Digitization

Learn More


National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)

College Park, MD 
www.archives.gov/nhprc/
 

Grant Amount: Up to $100,000 for one or two-year projects

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

All types of historical records are eligible, including documents, photographs, born-digital records, and analog audio and moving images. Projects may preserve and process historical records to:

  • Create new online Finding Aids to collections
  • Digitize historical records collections and make them freely available online

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Grant Amount: $100,000 to  $350,000 for one to three-year projects

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

All types of historical records are eligible, including documents, photographs, born-digital records, and analog audio and moving images. Projects may:

  • Digitize historical records collections, or related collections, held by a single institution and make them freely available online
  • Provide access to born-digital records
  • Create new freely-available virtual collections drawn from historical records held by multiple institutions
  • Create new tools and methods for users to access records

Learn More


National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

Division of Preservation and Access
www.neh.gov

NEH Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grants (HCCR)

Grant amount: up to $350,000 for Implementation Projects

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES:

  • Planning
  • Assessments
  • Digitization
  • Rehousing
  • Conservation treatment leading to enhanced access

Learn More


Grammy Museum 

Los Angeles, CA

GRAMMY Museum Grant Programs

Grant amounts: 
Preservation Assistance: Up to $5,000
Preservation Implementation: Up to $20,000

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES:

Museum grants are offered for:

  • Preservation Implementation 
  • Preservation Assistance, Assessment, and/or Consultation 
  • Scientific Research 

Learn More


The National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF)

The National Recording Preservation Foundation offers grants to non-profit archives, libraries, museums, universities and other entities engaged in the preservation of audio materials that demonstrate cultural or historical importance and are held within the United States of America.

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES:

  • Preservation and/or archiving
  • digitization
  • collection appraisal and planning
  • material or professional conservation
  • creation of means for public and or research access to collections

FOR MORE INFORMATION, write to NRPF at [email protected].

Put in the subject line: Request for Grant Application Details. They will send by return email full information on how to apply.


New York State Library

Division of Library Development
Albany, NY

The New York State Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials Discretionary Grant Program


The purposes of the Conservation/Preservation program are to encourage the proper care and accessibility of research materials, to promote the use and development of guidelines and technical standards for conservation/preservation work, and to support the growth of local and cooperative activities within the context of emerging national preservation programs. 

ELIGIBLE GRANT ACTIVITIES

The Discretionary Grant Program supports the preservation of library research materials with significant research value. As defined in the Commissioner's Regulations, library research materials mean informational materials in print, non-print, manuscript or any other format or medium. Eligible materials may therefore include books, journals, newspapers, documents, photographic prints and negatives, sound recordings, maps, architectural drawings, and other materials whose primary value is informational.

Complete 2021-2022 information and guidelines