Keweenaw NHP Advisory Commission Grant Agreement | NPS NOIP18AP00009

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP18AP00009

The Keweenaw NHP Advisory Commission Grant Agreement (Funding Opportunity Number: NPS NOIP18AP00009; CFDA 15.407) is a discretionary National Park Service grant designed to support the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission in carrying out its legally defined role in preserving and interpreting the copper mining legacy of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. The agreement is between the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission, with the overall purpose of strengthening preservation work and public interpretation tied to the region's historic copper industry, including its rise, dominance, and eventual decline.

A central feature of Keweenaw National Historical Park is that it operates through a partnership model set by Congress in the park's enabling legislation (Public Law 102-543, October 27, 1992). Rather than relying only on federally owned parkland, the park and the Advisory Commission work jointly with a network of partner sites owned and operated by state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private entities. The Keweenaw Heritage Sites program, administered by the Advisory Commission, is one of the main ways this partnership approach is put into practice. Heritage Sites are defined as places with significant cultural and/or natural resources that contribute in a distinctive way to telling the copper mining story, highlighting themes such as hardship, ingenuity, struggle, and success, and giving visitors tangible opportunities to understand how mining shaped local communities and wider regional and national history.

The grant agreement also reflects an ongoing commitment to maintain operational capacity for the Advisory Commission. In FY 2016, the park received a budget increase of $110,000, and $100,000 of that increase was specifically allocated to establish an annual operating budget for the Commission. The Midwest Regional Director's expectation, as stated in the opportunity description, is that the park will continue providing at least $100,000 per year to help cover staffing and other operating costs. In practice, this support helps sustain the Commission's core functions, including the leadership of an Executive Director who implements the decisions of the federally appointed volunteer commission and supports advocacy and promotion of park resources.

Another major component supported through the Commission's work is continuation of the Keweenaw Heritage Grant Program, as funding allows. This program provides grants to park partners for projects that preserve historic resources and expand interpretive outreach connected to the copper story. To be eligible, a project must be located within the legislated boundaries of Keweenaw National Historical Park and either be affiliated with an existing Keweenaw Heritage Site or be located at specific priority areas identified in the notice: the Cliff Mine, along Torch Lake, or within the community of Painesdale, Michigan. Eligible applicants for those partner grants include designated Keweenaw Heritage Site organizations, nonprofit organizations, local or regional governments, academic institutions, and federally recognized Indian tribes. The program uses a 1-to-1 matching requirement, and the match can be met entirely with in-kind contributions (up to 100 percent), which lowers barriers for smaller organizations that may have limited cash but can contribute labor, professional services, materials, or other qualifying non-cash support.

In addition to partnership support and grantmaking, the agreement highlights a specific stewardship responsibility: oversight, care, and maintenance of the Quincy Smelting Works. The Advisory Commission acquired the Quincy Mining Company Smelting Works in 2014 with the intention of eventually transferring the property to the National Park Service. Until a transfer occurs, the Commission is responsible for preserving and caring for the site. The Quincy Smelting Works is an important contributing resource to the Quincy Unit of the park and the Quincy Mining Company National Historic Landmark District, making its maintenance a key preservation priority under the agreement.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was created March 27, 2018, with an original closing date of April 9, 2018. The listed award ceiling is $1,500,000, with an expected number of awards shown as one, which aligns with the structure of this agreement as direct financial support to the Advisory Commission rather than an open, competitive round intended for many unrelated recipients. Overall, the grant agreement is structured to keep the park's partnership system functioning by funding the Commission's operations, enabling continued pass-through preservation and interpretation grants to local partners, and ensuring interim protection of an especially significant industrial site while longer-term ownership arrangements are pursued.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the community development, environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Keweenaw NHP Advisory Commission Grant Agreement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.407.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 27, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 09, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NPS NOIP18AP00009

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: