The Library of Congress and the Foundation Center recently announced the release of a new Web-based fundraising guide to help the preservation community save millions of at-risk artifacts. The guide, titled “Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives and Museums,” is available for free download at the Library of Congress website.
“Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives and Museums” features information on 1,725 grants awarded by 474 foundations from 2003 through 2007 for projects related to preservation and conservation. The information is drawn from the Foundation Center’s database of grants awarded by U.S. foundations. The guide also includes links to additional useful information, such as free tutorials on proposal writing.
To create the guide, The Library of Congress and the Foundation Center consulted with the Heritage Preservation Foundation, a nonprofit group serving libraries, archives and other groups dedicated to preserving historical and cultural collections. In 2005, the Heritage Foundation published the “Heritage Health Index” (2005), the first comprehensive survey on the condition of all U.S. collections held in public trust.
Please note that the proper name of the organization that inspired this project completed by the Library and the Foundation Center is “Heritage Preservation,” rather than the “Heritage Preservation Foundation” or the “Heritage Foundation.” Heritage Preservation is one of the nation’s leading organizations providing conservation guidance, to the general public, to repositories (e.g., archives, libraries, and museums), and to other cultural heritage partners. For over thirty years, Heritage Preservation has been a leader in preservation focusing on emergency preparations, conservation assessments, the preservation of murals and outdoor sculpture, and in education and the raising of awareness in preservation.