Heritage Program Grants: Getting Started

Talk to Us

Talk to KHC staff about your project. Contact KHC staff early in your planning to make sure your project fits the Heritage Program guidelines. We're here to help you make your project a strong candidate for funding. Staff can provide help in many areas:

• Advice on how to develop your application.
• A copy of a successful grant application to serve as a model for your project.
• Special guidelines for oral history and photograph projects.
• Assistance in finding the right consultant for your needs.

Talk to a Heritage Program Consultant

Every Heritage project involves the services of a Heritage consultant who provides professional expertise and advice. Consultants are professional historians, museum professionals, archivists, linguists, folklorists, or anthropologists. You'll find a complete listing of eligible consultants in our Directory of Heritage Program Consultants, which is updated annually.

Before you submit your grant application, the consultant will help:

• Meet and/or talk with you by phone about the project. There is no cost for this initial consultation.
• Help you to clarify the goals and methodology for the project.
  

You should include a Heritage consultant in your planned project in one or more of these roles:

• Offering ongoing advice and guidance during the life of the project.
• Providing hands-on training for staff and volunteers, if needed, in the project techniques (oral history, cataloging, care of collections, etc.).
• Providing an evaluation of the project at its conclusion.
  

If you want to work with a consultant who is not listed in the directory, talk to KHC staff first.

Sharing Your Project

Discuss ways to share the project results. The Heritage Program requires you to share the results of your project with the general public. Heritage grant recipients have shared their project through venues such as

• a web site
• a traveling photo display
• a historical play, reader's theater, or dramatization
• a booklet or publication
• programs broadcast on cable TV
• newspaper articles in the local paper
• a new permanent or temporary museum exhibit (applicants may seek
• additional KHC funding for exhibits)
• a public meeting or panel discussion
• a workshop for the public on how to preserve old photos, etc.

State Archives

Heritage Program grant recipients are also required to notify a statewide archive of their project, and offer the archive the opportunity to make copies of any materials produced and/or cataloged with KHC funds. Statewide archives include:

• Kansas State Historical Society, 6425 SW 6th, Topeka KS 66515. Archivist: Patricia Michaelis, 785/272-8681 x270.
• Kansas Collection, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas, Lawrence KS 66045. Archivist: Sheryl Williams, 785/864-4334.
• Special Collections, Ablah Library, Box 68, Wichita State University, Wichita KS 67260. Archivist: Mary Nelson, 316/978-3590.
• Hale Library, Kansas State University, Manhattan KS 66506. Archivist: Anthony Crawford, 785/532-7456.

Budget for Your Project

Anticipate costs and plan your budget. Heritage Program grants provide up to $3,500 in grant funds. In addition, applicants are asked to donate goods and services equal to or greater in value than the grant request. This is called cost share and includes several options:

• volunteer hours
• staff time
• the use of office space, telephone, equipment and supplies.

Every group has lots of cost share. KHC staff will help you identify the resources your group has to offer.

Expenses Grant Funds May Cover

Requests for KHC grant funds often include some or all of the following:

• salary for researchers, clerical assistants, or others specifically hired to carry out project activities
• salary for part time staff of the sponsoring organization who will play a significant role beyond administration of the grant
• an honorarium for the humanities consultant
• travel reimbursement for out-of-town consultants
• the cost of making copy prints of photographs and/or negatives
• duplicating archival materials, program announcements, reports, etc.
• supplies that will be consumed during the project, such as audio tapes, archival boxes, and protective sleeves for photographs—the consultant can often assist you in finding prices and suppliers
• rental of equipment such as tape recorders, camcorders, and computers

Expenses Grant Funds Will Not Cover

Most of the items below do count toward your organization's cost share. However, grant funds cannot be requested for:

• the costs of publishing a book or catalog
• salaries of staff members employed by the sponsor on a full-time basis.
• the purchase of a building or the physical restoration of a facility
• the purchase of equipment, such as file cabinets, furniture, camcorders and computers (estimate the rental value and count as cost share)
• the support of an individual's private research or research for academic credit
• out-of-state travel by project staff

Plan for Success

Know what makes a successful project! Projects have the best chance of funding when they fit certain criteria:

• meaningful to your community
• use research and preservation methods consistent with current standards and practices in the field.
• involve the Heritage Consultant in an appropriate role
• are likely to be completed within 16 months or less
• have lasting value and may serve as the basis for future activities