Federal grant programs / Department of the Interior

Cultural Resources Management (15.511)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$4.9 million
• Grant awards36
• Typical award$70,927
• Awarded in FY 2025$1.3 million
• Size rank1,627 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreements (discretionary grants)

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $764,833 in fiscal 2021 to $1.3 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 1627th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 104% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 9 states and territories.

What the program funds

To manage and protect cultural resources on Reclamation land; provide for the curation of and public access to collectible heritage assets, including the increase of public awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of these resources; and provide for the protection and preservation of the tribal cultural resources impacted by operations of some Reclamation projects.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

State and local agencies, sponsored organizations, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other public institutions/organizations, Federally-recognized Indian Tribal governments, minority groups, specialized groups, small businesses, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, quasi-public nonprofit institutions/organizations, other private institutions/organizations, and Native American Organizations, educational or scientific organization, or any institution, corporation, association, or individual that possesses the requisite professional requirements.

What the money can and cannot pay for

All activities are related to Reclamation cultural resource management programs and activities. Cooperative agreements are used for providing long-term care of Reclamation-owned heritage assets and meeting curation requirements per 36 CFR Part 79 and the Departmental Manual, Part 411. Grants or cooperative agreements are issued to State or Tribal Historic Preservation Offices to share databases, including geographic information systems. Awards made under the National Historic Preservation Act include grants or contracts for cultural resource work. The amount of funding available for projects is variable from year to year. Projects are approved through the budget cycle and may require up to three years for funding approval.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Deadlines do not apply

Award range and average, in the agency's words

$10,000-$200,000

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: --Grants to support Reclamation’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) repatriation of Native American Ancestors and funerary objects and respectful reburial. Funding provides for the appropriate packing and safe transport of materials as well as coordination of managing Tribal transportation to conduct the reburial. --Grants to aid in preserving the natural resources of the Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon. These natural resources comprise a series of items that have significant impact to tribal members belonging to the tribal reservations which are adjacent to the Colorado River. These items include tribal cultural and religious places, ceremonial locations, plants and animals, and tribal history. Direct recipients of this grant included all associated tribal members, educational institutions utilizing GCDAMP publications, and the general public utilizing the areas for recreation.Fiscal Year2026: Grant to house and manage archaeological collections generated by compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. Funding provides for the management, care and access to the collections for both private and public researchers and fulfills the agencies requirements under the law for care of the generated collections to federal guidelines. Grant for Hualapai cultural preservation and mitigation initiative to preserve Hualapai cultural heritage, promote intergenerational learning, and strengthen ties to ancestral lands.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Tribal governments and organizations received 69% of the money, colleges and universities 14% and state and local governments 7.4%.

By state

2 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are Arizona and New Mexico.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.