[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 188 (Thursday, September 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50511-50513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24681]


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NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES


Grant Application Availability Notice for Fiscal Year 1997

AGENCY: Institute of Museum Service, NFAH.

SUMMARY: This grant application announcement applies to the General 
Operating Support (GOS), Conservation Project Support (CP), 
Conservation Assessment Program (CAP), Museum Assessment Program (MAP 
I), Museum Assessment Program (MAP II), Museum Assessment Program III 
(MAP III) and Professional Services Program (PSP) awards under 45 CFR 
Part 1180 for Fiscal Year 1997.

ADDRESSES: Institute of Museum Services, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20506.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tania Said, IMS Public Affairs Assistant, (202) 606-8536. Deaf and 
hearing impaired individuals may call the TTY line at (202) 606-8636.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of these awards is to ease the 
financial burden borne by museums as a result of their increased use by 
the public and to help them carry out their educational role, as well 
as other functions.

Eligibility

    Museums meeting the definitions in 45 CFR 1180.3 may apply for 
these programs. The definition of ``museum'' includes (but is not 
limited to) the following institutions if they satisfy the other 
provisions of this section: aquariums and zoological parks; botanical 
gardens and arboretums; nature centers; museums relating to art; 
history (including historic buildings); natural history; science and 
technology; and planetariums.
    To be eligible for support from IMS a museum must:
    Be organized as a public or private nonprofit institution and exist 
on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes; 
and
    Exhibit tangible objects through facilities it owns or operates; 
and
    Have at least one professional staff member or the full-time 
equivalent whose primary responsibility is the care, or exhibition to 
the public of objects owned or used by the museum; and
    Be open and have provided museum services to the general public on 
a regular basis for at least two full years* prior to the date of 
application to IMS; and
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    *Applicants to the Museum Assessment Program and the 
Conservation Assessment Program need not be open for two years.
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    Be located in one of the fifty States of the Union, the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the 
Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, or the Trust Territory of 
the Pacific Islands.

Program Categories

    General Operating Support (GOS). IMS makes awards under the GOS 
program to museums to maintain, increase, or improve museum services 
through support for basic general operating expenses.
    Conservation Project Support Program (CP). Awards are made through 
the CP program to assist with the conservation of museum collections, 
both living and non-living.
    Conservation Assessment Program (CAP). Awards are made through CAP 
to provide an overall assessment of the condition of a museum's 
environment and collections to identify conservation needs and 
priorities. CAP is a non-competitive, one-time funding opportunity, 
offered on a first-come, first-served basis. It is administered in

[[Page 50512]]

cooperation with the National Institute for Conservation. See 45 CFR 
Part 1180, Subpart D.
    Museum Assessment Program (MAP). The MAP I funds an overall 
assessment of a museum's operations. The MAP II funds an assessment of 
the museum's collection-related policies. The MAP III provides an 
assessment of the public dimension of museum operations. All of the 
Museum Assessment Programs are non-competitive, one-time funding 
opportunities, offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The Museum 
Assessment Programs are administered in cooperation with the American 
Association of Museums through a memorandum of understanding. See 45 
CFR Part 1180, Subpart D.
    Professional Services Program (PSP). This program provides matching 
funds to professional museum associations for projects that serve the 
museum community.
    Section 206 of the Museum Services Act, Title II of Pub. L. 94-462, 
as amended, contains authority for the programs. (20 U.S.C. 965)
    Museum Leadership Initiatives. No regulations to cite for this 
program.

Deadline Date for Transmittal of Applications

    Applications must be mailed or hand-delivered by the deadline date:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Program                             Deadline              
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOS...............................  February 14, 1997.                  
CP................................  February 28, 1997.                  
PSP...............................  April 11, 1996.                     
CAP...............................  December 6, 1997.                   
MAP I.............................  October 25, 1996 and April 25, 1997.
MAP II............................  March 14, 1997.                     
MAP III...........................  February 28, 1997.                  
MLI...............................  March 21, 1997.                     
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    For GOS, CP, MLI and PSP. Applications that are sent by mail must 
be addressed to the Institute of Museum Services, 1100 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW, Room 609, Washington, DC 20506.
    An applicant must be prepared to show one of the following as proof 
of timely mailing:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other dated proof of mailing acceptable to the Director of 
IMS.
    If any application is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, the 
Director does not accept either of the following as proof of mailing: 
(1) A private metered postmark; or (2) a mail receipt that is not date-
canceled by the U.S. Postal Service.
    Applicaitons that are hand-delivered must be taken to the Institute 
of Museum Services, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 609, 
Washington, DC 20506. Hand-delivered applications will be accepted 
between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (E.S.T.) daily, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays. An application that is hand-delivered 
will not be accepted after 4:30 p.m. on the deadline date.
    For MAP I, MAP II, and MAP III. Applicants must apply to IMS 
through the American Association of Museums (AAM). IMS supplies the AAM 
with application forms and instructions. These are forwarded by AAM to 
applicant museums. The Director of IMS approves applications meeting 
the MAP I, MAP II, and MAP III requirements on a first-come, first-
served basis (i.e., in the order in which an application is received 
and has been determined to have met applicable requirements). 
Applications will be approved for awards, subject to the availability 
of funds. If a museum's MAP I, MAP II or MAP III application is 
received on or before the indicated dates, it will be processed 
together with other MAP I, MAP II, or MAP III applications be received 
during that period. Applications received after the indicated dates 
will be processed during the subsequent MAP I, MAP II or MAP III 
periods. In no event will MAP I applications be received after October 
25, 1996 or April 25, 1997, MAP II applications received after March 
14, 1997, or MAP III application received after February 28, 1997, be 
processed for Fiscal Year 1997 awards. Applicants should contact the 
American Association of Museums, 1225 Eye Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20005, for application packets. After November 18, 1996, they should 
contact 1575 Eye Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005.
    For CAP. Applicants must apply to IMS through the National 
Institute for Conservation (NIC). IMS supplies the NIC with application 
forms and instructions. These are forwarded by NIC to applicant 
museums. The Director of IMS approves applications meeting the CAP 
requirements on a first-come, first-served basis (i.e., in the order in 
which an application is received and has been determined to have met 
applicable requirements). Applications will be approved for awards, 
subject to the availability of funds. Applicants must be received by 
December 6, 1996. Applications for FY 1997 awards which cannot be 
funded will not be carried over to the next fiscal year. All unfunded 
applicants who wish to receive an award in the subsequent year, must 
reapply. Interested parties should contact the National Institute for 
Conservation, 3299 K Street, NW., Suite 403, Washington, DC 20007 for 
applications.

Program Informaiton

    GOS program regulations are contained in 45 CFR XI 1180.7 (1988) 
and related provisions.
    CP program regulations are contained in 45 CFR Section 1180.20 
91988) and related provisions.
    CAP and MAP program regulations are contained in 45 CFR 1180, 
Subpart D (1988).
    PSP program regulations are contained in 45 CFR 1180, Subpart E 
(1988).
    Further program information may be found in the Application forms 
and accompanying instructions in the Application. See paragraph on 
Application Forms.

Available Funds

    As of publication time, funds for fiscal year 1997 have not been 
appropriated. Figures given in this section pertain to available funds 
for the 1996 fiscal year.
    GOS. For FY 1996, $15,374,000 was available for this program. The 
GOS program award is equal to 15% of the museum's operating budget to a 
maximum of $112,500 to be spent over a two year period. The grant 
amount is determined annually by the National Museum Services Board. A 
museum that receives an award in one fiscal year may not apply for the 
following year's competition. (See 45 CFR 1190.16(b)).
    CR. For FY 1996, $1,770,000 was available for this program. IMS 
makes matching conservation grants of no more than $50,000 in Federal 
funds. Unless otherwise provided by law, if the Director determines 
that exceptional circumstances warrant, the Director, with the advice 
of the Board, may award a Conservation Project Support grant which 
obligates in excess of $25,000 in Federal funds to a maximum of 
$75,000. The Director may make such a determination with respect to a 
category of Conservation grants by notice published in the Federal 
Register. IMS awards Conservation Project Support grants only on a 
matching bases. At least 50% of the costs of a project must be met with 
non-federal funds. (See 45 CFR 1180.20(f)).
    CAP. For FY 1996, $722,000 was available for this program.
    MAP, MAP II, MAP III. For FY 1996 $445,000 was available for this 
program.
    PSP. For FY 1996, $650,000 was available for this program. This 
program

[[Page 50513]]

provides matching funds for cooperative agreements that generally do 
not exceed $50,000.
    MLI. For FY 1996, $709,000 was available for this program. This 
program will provide funds for cooperative agreements that generally do 
not exceed $30,000. Cost sharing is encouraged.

Application Forms

    IMS mails application forms and program information in General 
Operating Support. Conservation Project Support and Professional 
Services Program application packets to museums and other institutions 
on its mailing list. Applicants may obtain application packets by 
writing or telephoning the Institute of Museum Services, 1100 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 609, Washington, DC 20506, (202) 606-
8539. Deaf and hearing impaired individuals may call the TTY Line, 
(202) 606-8636.
    To received an application for the Conservation Assessment Program 
contact the National Institute for Conservation, 3299 K Street, NW., 
Suite 403, Washington, DC 20007 (202) 625-1495.
    To receive an application for the Museum Assessment Programs 
contact the American Association of Museums, 1225 Eye Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20005 (202) 289-1818. After November 18, 1996, contact 
1575 Eye Street, NW., Washington, DC 2005 (202) 289-1818.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 45.301 Institute of 
Museum Services)

    Dated: September 13, 1996.
Diane B. Frankel,
Director, Institute of Museum Services.
[FR Doc. 96-24681 Filed 9-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7036-01-M