FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2024

Maine Historical Records Advisory Board Announces New Grant Program For Archival Collections

AUGUSTA — The Maine Historical Records Advisory Board (MHRAB) announced the Archival Collection and Preservation Assessment Grant Program today. This program will support records collecting institutions in Maine and provide needed resources for either archival collection or preservation assessments to support future work. Funding for the grant program comes from the State of Maine and the National Historical Publications & Records Commission.

“Maine has wonderful local records collecting institutions, and we’re proud to support their work from the state level,” said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows. “Together we can preserve Maine’s history for decades to come.”

MHRAB is an advisory group within the Maine State Archives, which is one of the bureaus under the Department of the Secretary of State.

“Collecting records – and knowing how to preserve and protect them for years to come – is a vital tool to ensure generations of Mainers have access to their history,” said Maine State Archivist Kate McBrien. “Local institutions don’t always have the resources to bring in professionals on how to preserve the records that they have, and we’re excited to offer this grant opportunity.”

MHRAB will award grant funding to records-collecting institutions in Maine for the purpose of conducting professional collection and preservation assessments. The assessments will provide Maine’s records-collecting institutions with the necessary information to plan for impactful projects for their unique collections and facilities in order to preserve and improve access to their important historical documents. Grant awards will be issued only for use in contracting with an external archives professional or professional organization to conduct a collection, item, or preservation assessment.

A detailed description of the grant program and the application form can be found on the Maine State Archives website, here: https://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/organizations/grants.html. Applications are due on March 15, 2024.

For more information or questions, please contact Kate McBrien, Maine State Archivist, at katherine.mcbrien@maine.gov.

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