[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 3129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01077]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES
National Endowment for the Humanities
Infrastructure Programs Subject to the Build America, Buy America
Act
AGENCY: National Endowment for the Humanities; National Foundation on
the Arts and the Humanities.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Build America, Buy America Act, Title IX of
Division G of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, this
notice identifies each Federal financial assistance program for
infrastructure that the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
administers.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Brundage, Director of Grant
Management, National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street SW,
Washington, DC 20506; (202) 606-8204; [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 70913 of the Build America, Buy America Act, Title IX of
Division G of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021,
Public Law 117-58, 135 Stat. 429 (the IIJA), directs the head of each
Federal agency to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
and to Congress, including a separate notice to each appropriate
congressional committee, a report that identifies each Federal
financial assistance program for infrastructure administered by the
Federal agency; and to publish the report in the Federal Register.
II. Identification of Agency Domestic Content Procurement Preferences
Except for the Uniform Administrative Requirements at 2 CFR
200.322, no statutes, appropriations acts, or other Federal laws,
including those specifically referenced in section 70913(b)(2) of the
IIJA, provide domestic content procurement preferences applicable to
NEH awards.
2 CFR 200.322 encourages Federal award recipients, to the extent
permitted by law, to maximize their use of goods, products, and
materials produced in the United States when procuring goods and
services under Federal awards. This preference is applicable to all NEH
awards. No exceptions or waivers have been granted by NEH.
III. Description of Agency Programs Supporting Infrastructure Projects
NEH has identified two Federal Assistance Listings under which it
supports infrastructure projects: Promotion of the Humanities Challenge
Grants (Federal Assistance Listing 45.130), and the Promotion of the
Humanities Division of Preservation and Access (Federal Assistance
Listing 45.149).
1. Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants
The Office of Challenge Programs' Infrastructure and Capacity
Building Challenge Grants: Capital Projects program supports the
design, purchase, construction, restoration, or renovation of
facilities for humanities activities. This includes the purchase and
installation of related moveable and permanently affixed equipment for
exhibiting, maintaining, monitoring, and protecting collections
(whether on exhibit or in storage), and for critical building systems,
such as electrical, heating ventilation and air conditioning, security,
life safety, lighting, utilities, telecommunications, and energy
management.
The Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants: Digital
Infrastructure program supports the maintenance, modernization, and
sustainability of existing digital scholarly projects and platforms.
NEH awarded 69 Challenge Grants between fiscal years 2019 and 2021
(38 in FY 2019, 21 in FY 2020, and 10 in FY 2021), and awarded a total
of $24,355,694 in grant funding ($14,708,445 in FY 2019, $5,581,778 in
FY 2020, and $4,065,471 in FY 2021).
2. Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
The Division of Preservation and Access's Sustaining Cultural
Heritage Collections program helps cultural institutions meet the
complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of
humanities materials for future generations by supporting sustainable
conservation measures that mitigate deterioration, prolong the useful
life of collections, and support institutional resilience. This
includes building environmental controls as part of preventive
conservation.
NEH awarded 45 Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections awards
between fiscal years 2019 and 2021 (18 in FY 2019, 14 in FY 2020, and
13 in FY 2021), and awarded a total of $6,953,645 in grant funding
($2,678,805 in FY 2019, $1,876,479 in FY 2020, and $2,398,361 in FY
2021).
III. Identification of Deficient Agency Programs
The NEH infrastructure programs listed in Section II
(Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grants and Sustaining
Cultural Heritage Collections) are inconsistent with section 70914 of
the IIJA. NEH will work with OMB to ensure appropriate policies and
procedures are in place to comply with the requirements of section
70914 of the IIJA by May 14, 2022.
Dated: January 14, 2022.
Samuel Roth,
Attorney-Advisor, National Endowment for the Humanities.
[FR Doc. 2022-01077 Filed 1-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7536-01-P