News
Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program to Support Projects that Preserve and Interpret Cultural Heritage
Grand Isle, VT – The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) seeks pre-proposals for projects and programs to protect, restore, interpret, and showcase the historical resources and cultural heritage of the Champlain Valley and the Lake Champlain Basin.
The projects supported through this process will advance the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership’s (CVNHP) Making of Nations interpretive theme in 2025, emphasizing the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
“The anniversary of the American Revolution is a time to reflect on the fight for independence from European rule,” said John Krueger, chair of the LCBP Heritage Area Program Advisory Committee. “The Champlain Valley was an integral corridor that connected the St. Lawrence River to the Hudson River. The military campaigns here in 1775, 1776, and 1777 were crucial to gaining and maintaining our independence from Great Britian. We’re fortunate to have so many places like Fort Saint-Jean, the Hubbardton Battlefield, and Fort Ticonderoga that help us tell those stories. The CVNHP grants will allow our partners to highlight and showcase this rich history.”
The CVNHP will offer grants in two categories:
Special Programs: These large grants up to $40,000 will serve the Making of Nations Interpretive Theme to encourage multi-jurisdictional or regional projects that interpret, highlight, and support marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2025. Projects that focus on other concepts, innovations, or movements that have had lasting regional, national and global effects are also encouraged.
Core Programs: Smaller grants up to $9,000 will also support the interpretive theme; or provide internships, museum collection improvements, and focus on local history in 2025.
Applicants are invited to submit multiple pre-proposals for each category.
After reviewing the submitted pre-proposals, a subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal in Fall 2023 for funding consideration for projects to begin on or after October 1, 2024. The grant awards will be announced in May 2024.
“The CVNHP has awarded more than two hundred grants, which have supported educational programs, new interpretive displays, internships, and the inventorying, preserving, and interpreting of museum collections,” said Eric Howe, Director of the CVNHP and LCBP. How continued, “Our partners have done an amazing job in researching, conserving, and celebrating the rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage of the Champlain Valley.”
The deadline for submission of pre-proposals is October 9, 2023.
The pre-proposal guidelines, list of eligible entities, submission requirements, and an electronic submission application link are available on the CVNHP website at https://champlainvalleynhp.org/resources/grants/.
It is anticipated that these projects will be supported with funds awarded to NEIWPCC on behalf of the CVNHP by the U.S. National Park Service and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
The CVNHP was established by the U.S. Congress in 2006 to recognize the importance of the historical, cultural, and recreational resources of the region and to assist efforts to preserve, protect, and interpret those resources. The National Heritage Area also works to enhance the quality of the tourism economy and to encourage working partnerships among state, provincial, and local governments and non-profit organizations in New York, Québec, and Vermont.
For more information about the CVNHP Request for Preproposals, please contact CVNHP Assistant Director Jim Brangan at jbrangan@lcbp.org.
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The Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit www.lcbp.org.