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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.

Interested in working with NEDCC on a grant project?

Contact: Bryce Roe, NEDCC Director of Audio Preservation Services, 978-470-1010 ext. 237

America250

With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaching, opportunities will be highly competitive. We encourage organizations to start planning as soon as possible to ensure projects are completed before July 2026.

California Revealed

Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)

  • Recordings at Risk 
    > Recordings at Risk is a regranting program administered by CLIR to support the preservation of rare and unique audio, audiovisual, and other time-based media of high scholarly value through digital reformatting.
    Application cycle will open in November 2025

 

  • Digitizing Hidden Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices
    > Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices is a grant competition administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) for digitizing rare and unique content stewarded by collecting organizations in the US and Canada.
    Application deadline: 10/20/2025 

Grammy Museum 

  • GRAMMY Museum Grant Programs
    >     The GRAMMY Museum Grant Program awards grants to organizations and individuals to support efforts that advance the archiving and preservation of the music and recorded sound heritage of North America. The  Preservation area has two funding categories:

    1. Preservation Implementation Grant ($20,000 max award assistance) - organizations and/or departments located within an institution such as a library, museum, or other organization in which archiving, preservation, cataloguing and other related experts are accessible to the project. The goal is to fund projects where the project materials have been identified and are in possession of the applicant.

    2. Preservation Assistance Grant ($5,000 maximum award) - this grant is available to help individuals and small to mid-sized organizations enhance their ability to preserve their collections which embody the recorded sound heritage of North America. The goal is to fund the planning, assessment, and preparation of recorded sound collections to be archived or preserved.

    Previous deadline: September 2025

Mellon Foundation

  • Funded by the Mellon Foundation, the HBCU Radio Preservation Project is a collaboration between WYSO Archives and NEDCC to promote preservation efforts at HBCU radio stations. Through this effort, NEDCC works closely with the university’s radio and archives staff on a FREE audio collection assessment, laying the foundation for preservation goals and follow-up training based on their needs. 

    Email a Field Archivist to schedule an audio collection assessment. Field archivists will collaborate with stations and campus archivists on collections assessments and follow-up field services such as inventories, reformatting, rehousing, and other preservation activities.

    Learn more:     Preserving Community Voice: HBCU Radio Preservation Project at Elizabeth City State University

National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)

  • Access to Historical Records Grants: Archival Projects
    > The NHPRC seeks archival projects that will significantly improve online public discovery and use of historical records collections. All types of historical records are eligible, including analog audio.
    Application deadline: 11/05/2025

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

The National Recording Preservation Foundation (NRPF)

  • The National Recording Preservation Foundation
    > NRPF 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. Grants awarded under this call are intended to support basic activities to preserve audio collections — including inventory, condition assessment, storage, description, and digitization — or to build capacity to care for and preserve audio materials amongst collection stewards.
    Previous deadline: June 2025

New York State Library

  • Discretionary Grant Program
    The New York State Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials 
    >     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 sound recordings.
    Previous deadline: March 2025

Utah Division of Archives and Records Services

Wyoming State ARchives

Fundraising and Grant Writing Tips