Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Administrative History | NPS NOIP17AC00400

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP17AC00400

The Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Administrative History opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: NPS NOIP17AC00400) is a National Park Service (NPS) discretionary cooperative agreement designed to support the completion of a formal administrative history of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (LCTHF). LCTHF is a nonprofit, volunteer-led organization that commemorates and supports the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. The central purpose of the project is to document how the foundation began, how it has operated over time, and how it has contributed to public commemoration and stewardship related to the trail. By producing an accessible administrative history, the project aims to strengthen public awareness of LCTHF's role and highlight the broader importance of partnerships and volunteer organizations in advocating for and enhancing national historic trails.

The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which signals that the NPS expects to be actively involved rather than simply providing funds with minimal oversight. The opportunity was created on June 19, 2017, with an original closing date of June 30, 2017. It anticipated a single award with a funding ceiling of $50,000. The eligible applicant pool is limited to nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), and the activity categories align with education and humanities, cultural affairs, and regional development under CFDA 15.935.

Under the agreement, the recipient (LCTHF) is responsible for conducting the substantive research and writing needed to produce the administrative history. This includes performing historical research using the foundation's William P. Sherman Library and Archives as a primary source base, along with other relevant repositories and any materials previously gathered for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail administrative history. In addition to document-based research, the recipient must conduct oral history interviews with past and current board members and other individuals closely involved with LCTHF, ensuring that institutional memory and personal perspectives are captured as part of the record. The recipient must also prepare and submit a detailed chapter outline that clearly describes each chapter and demonstrates comprehensive coverage of topics, themes, and time periods so that the final work reflects the full scope of the organization's development and activities.

A key feature of the project is iterative review and consultation with the NPS. The recipient must submit all drafts to NPS for review, including the final draft before publication, so that the agency can provide feedback and help ensure the work meets federal expectations for accuracy, completeness, and presentation. The deliverables are explicitly public-facing: LCTHF must produce and publish the final administrative history on the organization's website and provide the NPS with an electronic copy of the completed work.

The NPS, in turn, commits to providing access to relevant research materials generated during the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail administrative history project, which helps reduce duplication and strengthens the evidentiary base for the LCTHF history. The NPS also agrees to provide ongoing guidance throughout the project and to conduct timely reviews: it will review the draft chapter outline within 30 days of receipt and will review submitted drafts and return comments within 30 days as well. Beyond review, the NPS role includes ensuring the final product meets NPS quality standards and then expanding public access by posting the final LCTHF administrative history on the NPS "PARKS" website for public use. Overall, the opportunity is structured to produce a vetted, publicly accessible historical account that documents how a major nonprofit partner has supported commemoration and stewardship of a national historic trail.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Administrative History" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.935.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 19, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2017. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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