NAGPRA Repatriation Grants FY2019 | P19AS00009

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00009

The NAGPRA Repatriation Grants FY2019 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00009) was a discretionary grant program offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, created on December 21, 2018, with an application deadline of May 17, 2019. The program was designed specifically to support repatriation work required under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). In practical terms, the funding was intended to help move Native American human remains and certain cultural items out of museum or agency control and into the control of the appropriate lineal descendants, Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiian organizations, consistent with NAGPRA procedures and requirements.

The central purpose of the grants was to pay for direct, real-world costs that often make repatriation difficult to complete even after a claim or determination is ready to move forward. Funded activities could include the careful packaging and preparation of human remains and cultural items for transfer, transportation costs to move them to the receiving community or designated location, and contamination removal when remains or items had been treated with substances (such as pesticides or preservatives) that must be addressed before handling, ceremonial use, or reburial. The program also supported the costs of reburial and related arrangements, as well as storage needs tied to the repatriation process. Overall, the grants were meant to remove logistical and financial barriers so that repatriation could be completed respectfully, safely, and in compliance with federal standards.

A notable component of the program is that it also covered repatriation-related work involving culturally unidentifiable Native American human remains (often abbreviated as CUI). In these cases, the opportunity referenced the regulatory process for disposition under 43 CFR 10.11, which outlines how institutions and agencies may proceed when remains cannot be culturally affiliated to a present-day tribe based on available evidence but still must be handled and ultimately transferred or disposed of in an appropriate manner under NAGPRA. This inclusion signaled that the grants were not limited only to straightforward, already-affiliated cases, but could also help advance resolutions in more complex situations where regulatory disposition pathways apply.

Eligibility was broad and included a range of entities that might hold NAGPRA collections or be involved in repatriation logistics: state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education). The activity categories associated with the program reflected its cross-cutting nature, spanning cultural affairs and humanities, education, and legal/justice-related services, since NAGPRA repatriation often involves collections management, consultation, documentation, and compliance responsibilities in addition to physical transfer.

For FY2019, the maximum award amount (award ceiling) was $15,000, with an anticipated 15 awards. This scale suggests the program was aimed at targeted, project-specific assistance rather than large multi-year initiatives, helping recipients cover discrete expenses that directly enable repatriation actions to occur. In short, NAGPRA Repatriation Grants FY2019 provided limited but practical funding to complete the final steps of transferring control and caring for NAGPRA-related human remains and cultural items, including necessary preparation, safe transport, and respectful final disposition.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), education, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NAGPRA Repatriation Grants FY2019" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.922.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 17, 2019. (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 $15,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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