African American Stories Research Project | P18AS00206

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00206

The African American Stories Research Project (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00206) is a National Park Service grant opportunity under the U.S. Department of the Interior focused on documenting and sharing African American contributions to the history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Although the park draws roughly 11 million visitors each year, the opportunity is rooted in the idea that many visitors leave without learning about the roles, labor, lives, and community connections of African Americans tied to the park and the surrounding region. The project is designed to uncover that underrepresented history and make it more visible through research that is grounded in community participation and built through partnerships across the region.

This funding opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning the National Park Service expects to be substantially involved in the work as it is carried out, rather than simply providing funds and stepping back. The activity category is listed under Humanities (with a cultural affairs connection), which signals that the core work centers on historical documentation, interpretation, storytelling, and preservation of cultural knowledge rather than construction or purely scientific research. In practical terms, the emphasis is on gathering historical information and narratives and helping translate that work into public understanding of the park's fuller history.

Eligibility is primarily aimed at nonprofits with IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) status that are not institutions of higher education, along with other eligible applicants as noted in the opportunity's additional eligibility language. The funding is administered through CFDA number 15.931 (National Park Service), and the opportunity sets an award ceiling of $50,310. The posting indicates an original closing date of May 18, 2018, with a creation date of May 7, 2018.

At its core, the project is about closing a gap in public history by using community-based engagement and regional partnerships to identify, collect, and present African American stories connected to the Great Smoky Mountains area. The NPS framing suggests that the work is not only archival or academic, but also relational: it relies on working with communities, local organizations, and regional partners to ensure the history is found responsibly, represented accurately, and shared in a way that can reach the millions of visitors who come to the park each year.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "African American Stories Research Project" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 07, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 18, 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 $50,310.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for P18AS00206

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