The Association for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) has received $3.6 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to help Native cultural organizations recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. ATALM is one of seven organizations in the USA to receive funding through the “Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan” (SHARP) program.  

ATALM anticipates making up to 175 subawards to Native cultural institutions and their partners. Awards range from $5,000 to $50,000. Eligible entities include federally recognized tribal governments with cultural institutions, tribal cultural facilities with non-profit status, non-tribal cultural institutions working in partnership with tribes, and higher education institutions working in partnership with tribes. Funds may be used for operational support including rehiring furloughed employees, preparing facilities for reopening, documenting cultural practices, and new exhibits and programs.  

Program details and the grant application are available at https://atalm.org/node/534. Applications will open on October 20, with a deadline of December 13, 2021. A pre-application webinar is scheduled for November 4 at 3 pm Eastern.   

“The American Rescue Plan recognizes that the cultural and educational sectors are essential components of the United States economy and civic life, vital to the health and resilience of American communities,” said NEH Acting Chairman Adam Wolfson. “These new grants will provide a lifeline to the country’s colleges and universities, museums, libraries, archives, historical sites and societies, save thousands of jobs in the humanities placed at risk by the pandemic, and help bring economic recovery to cultural and educational institutions and those they serve.”    

“ATALM has developed a strategy to address the most critical needs facing tribal cultural institutions, while also building bridges with non-Native institutions,” said ATALM Board Chair Walter Echo-Hawk. “We are grateful to the NEH for recognizing the unique ways Native communities are experiencing this pandemic and we are pleased to have this opportunity to provide much needed support.”