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Save America's Treasures Grant Program Announces $7.6 Million in AwardsInnovative federal/private partnership funds the preservation and conservation of the U.S's irreplaceable and endangered historic properties, sites, documents, artistic works and artifacts December 12, 2007 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) and the National Park Service (NPS), jointly announced the awarding of $7.6 million in federal competitive Save America's Treasures (SAT) grants, which are made in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). With these funds, 31 organizations and agencies will act to conserve significant U.S. cultural and historic treasures, which illustrate, interpret and are associated with the great events, ideas, and individuals that contribute to our nation's history and culture. Laura Bush, Honorary Chair of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, said, "President Bush and I want to ensure that our historic properties, artifacts and communities throughout the nation continue to be preserved and enjoyed by future generations. Through Save America's Treasures and the Preserve America Initiative, we promote cultural and natural preservation, and encourage greater appreciation of our national heritage." Please see the list of the grants supported by the Arts Endowment. More than 100 years ago, Grand Banks schooners were a common sight in New England ports. Today, the Schooner Ernestina, which also played a role in the exploration of the Arctic, is one of the last of these graceful fishing vessels. She is one example of the exceptional artifacts that will be restored with an award from Save America's Treasures and, in this case, the SAT funds will allow her to again provide first-hand experiences to students and adults on America's Age of Sail. The Ernestina like every SAT project is at-risk of being lost, whether to structural decay, rot, water damage or a host of other threats, but with these funds these cultural and historic treasures can continue to contribute to our national narrative.
The list of this year’s awards and the variety of each project’s contributions to our national narrative is compelling. Outstanding National Historic Landmarks, such as the Race Street Meeting House in Philadelphia, which served as an important platform for 19th century women activists; fragile artistic treasures such as the choreographic works of Martha Graham and the musical legacy of Leonard Bernstein; and the Rev. R.O Taylor collection which a opens a rare window on the lives of African-Americans in South from the 1920s to 1950s, are just a few examples of the breadth of the American experience and creative genius represented in this year's awards. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne congratulated the 31 recipients of the Save America's Treasures awards saying, "Save America's Treasures draws its strength from a long tradition of public-private partnerships. No other federal grant program addresses the preservation of the whole diversity of our national experience from restoring sites represented in this year's awards." Each year Save America's Treasures awards draws on the cross-disciplinary expertise of an innovative partnership between the federal cultural agencies (NEA, NEH, and IMLS) and the National Park Service, which administers the program in collaboration with the President's Committee, to evaluate and recommend awards. The SAT grantees benefit from the program's private partner, Save America's Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and its fundraising efforts, which help projects secure the required private match, as well as their assistance to a host of SAT grantees and preservation projects all across the country. "Save America's Treasures represents an exceptional process that blends the best expertise of our federal cultural partners and the National Park Service to select and recommend projects of exceptional value to our nation's cultural and historic legacy. With the support of Congress and the White House, this program exemplifies what the public and private sector can accomplish together in preserving these pre-eminent symbols of our democracy and cultural values," says Adair Margo, Chairman of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. No other federal grant program has the responsibility for preserving, conserving and rescuing our nation's most significant cultural and heritage resources. Each of the federal partners oversees the awards to projects that reflect their own missions. This year sixteen projects focusing on structures and sites will be administered by the National Park Service and the remaining fifteen projects will be allocated across the NEA, NEH and IMLS. For the cultural agencies the projects illustrate diverse themes, ideas, artistry and subjects from the conservation of American Impressionist J. Alden Weir paintings (NEA) to the preservation of rare journals at the Chicago Botanical Garden (NEH) to a restoration of a civil engineering artifact, D&RG Steam Locomotive (IMLS). "The NEA is pleased to join our partner agencies in congratulating these awardees whose work helps preserve our nation's artistic and cultural heritage, said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, "Save America's Treasures grants not only protect the irreplaceable, but also allow us to build our future by preserving our past." NEH Chairman Bruce Cole said, "The preservation and conservation of materials documenting our nation's rich history and culture is essential to ensure they will be available for posterity. This year's Save America's Treasures grants will allow archivists to protect, repair, and restore their most endangered documents, photographs, and films. Many of these priceless collections will also be preserved digitally. The NEH is proud to support this effort to make America's cultural treasures accessible for current and future generations." "Our nation's collections are at risk and we must act now to protect them," said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Save America's Treasures makes a significant contribution to IMLS' and our nation's efforts in preserving fragile our knowledge of who we are, where we come from and where we are going. PCAH Executive Director Henry Moran indicated, "The private sector plays a significant role in the success of Save America's Treasures. Each award encourages private sector investment through its requirement of a 1:1 match with nonfederal funds. As the SAT's private sector partner, t he Save America's Treasures at the National Trust for Historic Preservation assists many of these federal SAT grantees in raising required matching funds, more than $52 million since the program began." National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe said, "As
the private partner in this model public-private partnership, the National
Trust for Historic Preservation has had the satisfaction of joining the
National Park Service and our federal cultural agencies to preserve and
protect our heritage of structures, monuments and collections. We
look forward to continuing this joint venture for years to come." Since FY 1999, 832 grants (378 earmarks and 454 competitive grants)
have been awarded to preserve nationally significant and endangered historic
buildings, structures, places, collections, artifacts and artistic works.
To date, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Midway
Island have received grants. ### Media Contacts:
National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency |
