To support community efforts to interpret, preserve and promote coal heritage resources, the National Coal Heritage Area Authority is seeking proposals for funding for eligible projects within the National Coal Heritage Area. Projects must be implemented within the following counties: Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Wyoming and the Paint Creek and Cabin Creek watersheds in Kanawha.
Projects must have matching funds available and be sufficiently advanced so they can be completed within a year. Funding for projects under this request must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with other funds from non-federal sources or well documented in-kind resources including volunteer labor and services and donated materials and supplies.
The National Coal Heritage Area management plan identifies interpretive themes for the area which include: Business of Coal Mining, Working in Coal, The Company Town, Mining Technology and Crisis and Renewal. Each project must address at least one of the interpretive themes in some manner and could go across several thematic areas. Eligible activities for this round of grant funding include Interpretation and Heritage Programming, Historic Preservation and Resource Stewardship, Archives and Historical Records Collection, and Greenways, Public Parks and Non-motorized Trails and Educational Activities and Events.
Previous projects have included preservation of archival materials, planning for preservation of historic structures, creation of museum exhibits and creation and production of brochures and marketing materials.
Organizations eligible for grant awards are legally established non-profit organizations and institutions and public and governmental organizations including county and municipal governments, state agencies, economic development authorities and educational institutions.
Deadline for first quarter mini and major grant applications is March 4, 2022 with future deadlines of June 3, 2022, September 2, 2022, and December 2, 2022 for mini-grants only.