The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership has announced nearly $245,000 in grant awards in its 2010 Grant Cycle. The list of awards can be found here. Congratulations to the awardees and best wishes to all the applicants.

The next grant cycle is being planned for 2012 and will be contingent upon continued federal funding of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership.

Heritage Grants Program

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area offers matching grants to provide and leverage funding for innovative projects across the region which preserve, protect, and promote the rich historical, cultural, and natural heritage of Western North Carolina while stimulating economic opportunity.

Grants are available for the preservation, interpretation, development, and promotion of heritage resources in five thematic areas:

• Agricultural heritage
• Cherokee heritage
• Craft heritage
• Music heritage
• Natural heritage

These distinctive facets of Western North Carolina's heritage were the basis for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area designation in 2003.

Of particular interest to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area are projects that:

• are regional or multi-county in scope
• involve active partnerships between organizations
• leverage substantial matches from project participants and other grantors

Funds for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area's matching grants program are provided by the federal government through the National Park Service.

Who Can Apply

The grants program is targeted to the following types of organizations serving the 25-county Blue Ridge National Heritage Area region:

• units of state and local government
• federally-recognized Indian tribes
• academic institutions
• non-profit organizations with 501(c)3 or 501(c)6 tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service

Applicants may submit no more than one application per grant cycle. Only one project may be proposed in a single application.

Guidelines and Application Forms

Details about what kinds of projects are eligible for grants can be found in the grant guidelines below:

• 2010 Heritage Grant Guidelines
• 2010 Grant Application Form
• 2010 Project Budget Form

New for 2010

• A two-tiered maximum award: Regional or multi-county projects are eligible for a maximum grant award of $40,000. Regional or multi-county projects are defined as projects with activities (programs, events, presentations, fieldwork) and/or locations (sites, exhibit areas) in two or more counties of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. All other projects are considered local projects and are eligible for a maximum grant award of $25,000.

• Demonstration of local support: At the time of application, the project must show a strong measure of local support by either (a) inclusion in at least one of the local heritage development plans authored by Heritage Councils in the 25 counties of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and the Qualla Boundary or (b) inclusion in the grant application of letters of support from at least three of the following entities: arts councils, chambers of commerce, tourism authorities, historical societies, municipal or county government offices, state or tribal agencies, regional Councils of Government, or land trusts. Inclusion in a local heritage development plan is the preferred option for projects in counties with active Heritage Councils.

• Marketing support: In the marketing grant category, funds are no longer available for paid advertising.

Timeline

The deadline for grant applications is October 1, 2010. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by February 1, 2011.

Previous Awards

Grant awards in the 2008 grant cycle were announced on January 19, 2009.

More Information

For more information, contact:

Rob Bell
Director of Programs
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
rob@blueridgeheritage.com
(828) 298-5330, ext. 308