Ohio Archives Grant Program

The Ohio Archives Grants are funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), an arm of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) through their State Board Programming Grants. Grants of $500 to $5,000 are available to archival institutions to fund projects to preserve and/or provide access to Ohio’s historical records.  Eligible grant projects include: repository assessment, policy development/strategic planning, digitization and collection access and/or preservation projects.

2024 Grant Recipients

  • Baldwin Wallace University.  Archival Disaster Readiness and Environmental Monitoring Initiative ($2,644.67).  Through this project the university archives will purchase and deploy environmental monitoring equipment and disaster response supplies. This includes equipment to monitor temperature, humidity, leaks and pests.
  • City of Gahanna.  Digitizing, Indexing, and Making Accessible Village of Gahanna Records  ($2,940).  The City of Gahanna City Council Office will digitize and index council records from 1881-1970, including meeting minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
  • International Women’s Air & Space Museum.  Arrangement of International Women’s Air & Space Museum Institutional Records ($1,374.00).  This project will arrange, describe and improve access to the museum’s institutional records documenting the first 20 years of the museum (1976-1996).  These records include correspondence, board meeting minutes and records of exhibitions.
  • Kettering Medical Center.  Kettering Health Archive Center Project.  ($1,507.32).  This project will organize, process and catalog 25 boxes of records documenting the history of the medical center.
  •  Lakeside Heritage Society.  Lakeside Chautauqua national Historic District Housing Stock Record Conversion  ($4,800).  This project will increase public access to architectural and remodeling records relating to 990 Lakeside cottages located within the Lakeside Historic District.  These records will be added to PastPerfect and made available publicly through the Lakeside Heritage Society’s website.
  • Sauder Village.  Organizing the Sauder Village Institutional Archive.  ($4,500).  This project will organize and rehouse the Sauder Village institutional archives.  A finding aid for the collection will be created and made available on the institution’s website.
  • Shaker Historical Society.  Improving the Preservation and Accessibility of Shaker Historical Society Photograph Collection.  ($1,532).  This grant will create a photograph archive and accompanying finding aid to improve the preservation and accessibility of Shaker Historical Society’s photographic media spanning 150 years of history related to Shaker Heights and the surrounding communities.
  • Solon Historical Society.  Update of Archives Collections.  ($1,848.35).  This project will rehouse and catalog the collections of the historical society, including cemetery records, village and city records, and documents of civic organizations, businesses and churches.

 

  • Strongsville Historical Society.  Archive Preservation and Digitization.  ($2,784).  This project will digitize and make accessible online archival records documenting the history of the community, including government and genealogical records.
  • Trumbull County Historical Society.  Digitization of Old Mahoning Cemetery Records at Trumbull County Historical Society.  ($4,570).  This grant will preserve and share the history of Warren, Ohio’s oldest designated cemetery by digitizing cemetery records and headstone surveys.
  • Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown.  Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown Collection.  ($1,541.58).  This project will process and catalog records documenting the history of the religious community, including letters, diaries and photographs.

2024 Grant Program

OHRAB is now accepting applications for its 2024 grant program.  Grant applications are due March 31, 2024.   

Projects eligible for funding in 2024 include:

  • Assessment and Strategic Planning: hiring consultants to identify needs and priorities for improving the organization, description, preservation and access to collections.
  • Access, Arrangement and Description: identifying, organizing, and improving access to historical records.
  • Preservation: purchasing archival file folders, archival boxes, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, hygrothermographs, or HEPA vacuum cleaners.
  • Website Development: Adding collections to online catalog, developing virtual archives, or creating an on-line database. Websites designed to support access to researchers (e.g., online catalogs, finding aids, and digitized collections, rather than curated web exhibits) will receive preference in funding.
  • Projects focused on under-documented communities and topics, as well as underserved communities, are encouraged.

Please Note: all projects should produce some type of online content, such as a finding aid, report or digital images.

Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to submit draft grant applications for feedback.  Draft applications must be received by February 23 and must include all of the components of the application. Comments and recommendations on the drafts should not be construed as guaranteeing a grant award.

2024 OHRAB Regrant Application Packet

2024 OHRAB Regrant Summary Page

2024 OHRAB Regrant Budget Form

 

 

2023 Regrant Recipients

  • Canal Fulton Public Library.  Canal Fulton Archives Preservation Needs Assessment.  ($2,500).  Through this project the public library will hire a consultant to advise on implementing archival best practices through an assessment of the library’s local history/genealogy room and develop a phased strategic growth plan to preserve, organize, access and promote the collections for use by the public.  The plan will also include a development strategy for partnering with the Canal Fulton Heritage Society, whose collections are similar in scope, mission and vision, to share resources and amplify their impact on a local and regional level.
  • Dublin Historical Society.  Organization & Preservation of Dublin Historical Society Collection.  ($5,000).  The Dublin Historical Society will prepare a detailed inventory of its library and archives collection and post this inventory on the Society’s website.  It will also continue to rehouse its collections in archival containers.  The project will stabilize its library and archives holdings while making the collections more accessible to the public.
  • Fallen Timbers Union Cemetery District.  Preservation and Digitization of Historical Records at Fallen Timbers Union Cemetery District.  ($4548.57).  This project will organize, environmentally secure and digitally preserve the records of the cemetery district.
  • Kinsman Free Public Library.  Inventory, Storage and Digitization of the Kinsman Historical Archival Collection.  ($2,429).  This project will inventory, rehouse and digitize the Kinsman Historical Collection, including the records pertaining to local families, churches, schools and railroads.
  •  Lakeside Heritage Society.  Continuing the Digitization of Lakeside Chautauqua’s Annual Programs and Bulletins.  ($520).  This project will increase public access to the Lakeside Annual Programs and Bulletins collections by digitizing the programs and bulletins and adding them to the Society’s online database.
  • Ohio Humanities Council.  Digitizing Ohio Humanities’ Archives.  ($4,782).  This project will organize, catalog and digitize the Council’s collection of public outputs created as part of projects that were funded by the organization, including pamphlets, brochures and photographs.
  • Ohio University.  Columbus Hocking Coal and Iron Company Records Processing and Remediation.  ($2,783.17).  This grant will clean, rehouse and inventory the records of the Columbus Hocking Coal and Iron Company.  This company operated in the Hocking Valley from 1883 to the 1920s and among the topics documented in the records are coal mining, labor history and miners’ health and nutrition.
  • Poland Historical Society.  Rehousing of Archives at the Little Red Schoolhouse.  ($2,939).  This project will rehouse and create a digital finding aid for the Historical Society’s local history collection, including letters from Poland residents during the Civil War and World War II and land deeds.
  • Shaker Historical Society.  Organizing a Shaker Historical Society Institutional Archive.  ($2,850).  This project will identify, organize and improve access to institutional records preserving, collecting and telling the story of the Shaker Historical Society.  These records document the history of the Historical Society, including its governance, collections, exhibitions and programs.
  • Spring Hill Historic Home.  Improving the Preservation and Accessibility of the Rotch-Wales Papers.  $1,659.05.  This project will process, rehouse and inventory the Rotch-Wales Papers.  These papers include personal and business correspondence, diaries, ledgers and other records documenting the Rotch and Wales families and their contributions to the social, cultural and economic development of the county and beyond.  Among the topics covered by the papers are the Underground Railroad, Ohio agriculture, colonial-European trade and Quaker settlements.

2023 Grant Program

OHRAB is now accepting applications for its 2023 grant program.  Grant applications are due March 31, 2023.   

Projects eligible for funding in 2023 include:

  • Assessment and Strategic Planning: hiring consultants to identify needs and priorities for improving the organization, description, preservation and access to collections.
  • Access, Arrangement and Description: identifying, organizing, and improving access to historical records.
  • Preservation: purchasing archival file folders, archival boxes, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, hygrothermographs, or HEPA vacuum cleaners.
  • Website Development: Adding collections to online catalog, developing virtual archives, or creating an on-line database. Websites designed to support access to researchers (e.g., online catalogs, finding aids, and digitized collections, rather than curated web exhibits) will receive preference in funding.
  • Projects focused on under-documented communities and topics, as well as underserved communities, are encouraged.

Please Note: all projects should produce some type of online content, such as a finding aid, report or digital images.

Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to submit draft grant applications for feedback.  Draft applications must be received by February 24 and must include all of the components of the application. Comments and recommendations on the drafts should not be construed as guaranteeing a grant award.

2023 OHRAB Grant Application Packet

OHRAB-Regrant-Summary-Page-2023

OHRAB-Regrant-Budget-Form

       

2022 Grant Recipients

2022 Grant Program

OHRAB is now accepting applications for its 2022 grant program.  Grant applications are due March 31, 2022.   

Projects eligible for funding in 2022 include:

  • Assessment and Strategic Planning: hiring consultants to identify needs and priorities for improving the organization, description, preservation and access to collections.
  • Access, Arrangement and Description: identifying, organizing, and improving access to historical records.
  • Preservation: purchasing archival file folders, archival boxes, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, hygrothermographs, or HEPA vacuum cleaners.
  • Website Development: Adding collections to online catalog, developing virtual archives, or creating an on-line database. Websites designed to support access to researchers (e.g., online catalogs, finding aids, and digitized collections, rather than curated web exhibits) will receive preference in funding.
  • Projects focused on under-documented communities and topics, as well as underserved communities, are encouraged.

Please Note: all projects should produce some type of online content, such as a finding aid, report or digital images.

Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to submit draft grant applications for feedback.  Draft applications must be received by February 25 and comments and recommendations on the drafts should not be construed as guaranteeing a grant award.       

**PLEASE NOTE: OHRAB is awaiting formal notification from the NHPRC on the funding for the regrants.  While it is necessary for OHRAB to announce this grant opportunity and begin to receive your proposals, all awards are contingent on OHRAB receiving the funds from the NHPRC.

OHRAB 2022 Grant Application Packet

OHRAB-Regrant-Summary-Page-2022

OHRAB-Regrant-Budget-Form

 Questions?  Please contact: Stephen Badenhop, Records and Archives Coordinator, Union County Records Center (937-645-4177; [email protected]).

***A Short Video with Helpful Hints for Regrant Applications***

2021 Grant Recipients

2021 Grant Program

OHRAB is now accepting applications for its 2021 grant program.  Grant applications are due March 31, 2021.  

Projects eligible for funding in 2021 include:

  • Assessment and Strategic Planning: hiring consultants to identify needs and priorities for improving the organization, description, preservation and access to collections.
  • Access, Arrangement and Description: identifying, organizing, and improving access to historical records.
  • Preservation: purchasing archival file folders, archival boxes, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, hygrothermographs, or HEPA vacuum cleaners.
  • Website Development: Adding collections to online catalog, developing virtual archives, or creating an on-line database. Websites designed to support access to researchers (e.g., online catalogs, finding aids, and digitized collections, rather than curated web exhibits) will receive preference in funding.

Please Note: all projects should produce some type of online content, such as a finding aid, report or digital images.  

2021 Grant Application Materials

2020 Grant Recipients

REVISED 2020 REGRANT PROJECT DATES

Due to COVID-19, the 2020 grant application deadline has been extended until April 30, 2020.  The revised timeline for grant projects is now:

  • Application deadline: April 30
  • Grants Announced: May 22
  • Projects Begin: June 1
  • Interim Reports Due: September 30
  • Grant Funding Must Be Spent By: December 31, 2020
  • Projects Completed: January 31, 2021
  • Final Reports Due: February 7, 2021

Questions?  Please contact [email protected].

Projects eligible for funding in 2020 include:

  • Assessment and Strategic Planning: hiring consultants to identify needs and priorities for improving the organization, description, preservation and access to collections.
  • Access, Arrangement and Description: identifying, organizing, and improving access to historical records.
  • Preservation: purchasing archival file folders, archival boxes, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, hygrothermographs, or HEPA vacuum cleaners.
  • Website Development: Adding collections to online catalog, developing virtual archives, or creating an on-line database. Websites designed to support access to researchers (e.g., online catalogs, finding aids, and digitized collections, rather than curated web exhibits) will receive preference in funding.

Please Note: all projects should produce some type of online content, such as a finding aid, report or digital images.  

2020 Application Materials

Example of a funded grant application: Union County Records Center & Archives Reorganization and Preservation of Clerk of Court’s Records 2011 

June 2019 Grant Recipients

March 2019 Grant Recipients

June 2019 Grant Opportunity

Grant applications are due June 14, 2019.

Application Materials:

Projects eligible for funding include:

  • Assessment and Strategic Planning: hiring consultants to identify needs and priorities for improving the organization, description, preservation and access to collections.
  • Access, Arrangement and Description: identifying, organizing, and improving access to historical records.
  • Preservation: purchasing archival file folders, archival boxes, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, hygrothermographs, or HEPA vacuum cleaners.
  • Website Development: Adding collections to online catalog, developing virtual archives, or creating an on-line database. Websites designed to support access to researchers (e.g., online catalogs, finding aids, and digitized collections, rather than curated web exhibits) will receive preference in funding.

2019 Grant Opportunity

Grant applications are due February 28, 2019.

Projects eligible for funding in 2019 include:

  • Assessment and Strategic Planning: hiring consultants to identify needs and priorities for improving the organization, description, preservation and access to collections.
  • Access, Arrangement and Description: identifying, organizing, and improving access to historical records.
  • Preservation: purchasing archival file folders, archival boxes, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, hygrothermographs, or HEPA vacuum cleaners.
  • Website Development: Adding collections to online catalog, developing virtual archives, or creating an on-line database. Websites designed to support access to researchers (e.g., online catalogs, finding aids, and digitized collections, rather than curated web exhibits) will receive preference in funding.

Please Note: all projects should produce some type of online content, such as a finding aid, report or digital images.  

**PLEASE NOTE: OHRAB is awaiting formal notification from the NHPRC on the funding for the regrants.  While it is necessary for OHRAB to announce this grant opportunity and begin to receive your proposals, all awards are contingent on OHRAB receiving the funds from the NHPRC.

2019 Grant Application Materials

OHRAB Regrants FAQs and Application Tips

Prior Recipients: 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011