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Resources like ours help individuals and institutions preserve and protect their collections. Advance your skills with program materials, professional development, and funding opportunities.

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Outside Funding Sources

The following conservation-related grant and fellowship programs may be helpful to you.

Students from The George Washington University Museum Studies program update these listings annually. Contact organizations directly to confirm current offerings and new deadlines.

We provide information on our foundation's funding for individual study or research programs in conservation on our Funding page.

Institutional Projects

  • American Alliance of Museums - Museum Assessment Program
    The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) helps small and mid-sized museums maintain and improve operations by providing guidance in meeting priorities and goals and understanding how your museum compares to standards and best practices. This program is supported through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Museums can apply for a Collections Stewardship Assessment. The most recent application cycle closed on February 1, 2023. If you would like to be notified when the next deadline becomes available, contact MAP staff at map@aam-us.org. www.aam-us.org/map
  • Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
    The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has established a clearing house of information to assist the preservation community and the general public in exploring the range of preservation funding options. The emphasis is on federal funding, with more limited discussion of state, tribal, local, and non-profit funding opportunities. Federal grants fund the preservation, interpretation, and reuse of historic properties. The website also offers a Section 106 Digital Library with resources for the Section 106 Process and submission guidance. www.achp.gov
  • Archaeological Institute of America - Site Preservation Grant 
    This grant is intended to fund projects that uphold the AIA's mission to preserve and promote the world's archaeological heritage for future generations. The goal of the grant (which carries a maximum value of $15,000 to be awarded over the course of one to three years) is to aid in the preservation of threatened archaeological sites by implementing conservation, protection and/or monitoring. Programs that include education and public outreach components are encouraged. Applications are evaluated annually with an application deadline of November 1. www.archaeological.org
  • Bank of America Art Conservation Project

    The Bank of America Art Conservation Project provides grants to nonprofit museums throughout the world to conserve historically or culturally significant works of art that are in danger of deterioration - including objects that have been designated as national treasures. All nonprofit cultural institutions with artwork requiring much-needed conservation are encouraged. For inquiries about the project and deadlines, reach out to art.conservation@bankofamerica.com. www.bankofamerica.com/artconservation

  • Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN)
  • Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
    The Institute of Museum and Library Services is a primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. Application forms and Notices of Funding Opportunities for the current fiscal year are made available approximately 90 days before the grant deadline, but until that time, applications and guidelines from the previous year are available for reference. www.imls.gov/grants/apply-grant/available-grants. Any changes to deadlines will be posted in an IMLS news release and in Grants.gov.

    All grant programs identified by the IMLS’ Notices of Funding Opportunities are included here; many of them specifically target preservation and access, as well as innovation in museum and library services. Current IMLS grant opportunities include:

  • The Mellon Foundation (formerly known as The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation)
    The Mellon Foundation program for art museums is designed to help cultural institutions build and sustain their capacity to undertake serious scholarship on their permanent collections; to preserve these collections; and to share the results of their work in appropriate ways with scholarly and other audiences. While the foundation does not specifically cite grant opportunities, funding opportunities are divided into four core program areas:
    • Arts and Culture
    • Higher Learning
    • Humanities in Place
    • Public Knowledge
    • The Mellon Foundation funds project support grants and general operating grants. Under Arts and Culture, the foundation funds projects in Art History, Conservation, and Museums. www.mellon.org
  • National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), National Park Service (NPS)

    Preservation Technology and Training Grants (PTT Grants) are intended to create better tools, better materials, and better approaches to conserving buildings, landscapes, sites, and collections. The PTT Grants are administered by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), the National Park Service’s innovation center for the preservation community. The competitive grants program will provide funding to federal agencies, states, tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations.

    https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ncptt/preservation-technology-and-training-grants.htm Further information about these grants is available at grants.gov. Grants support the following activities:

    • Innovative research that develops new technologies or adapts existing technologies to preserve cultural resources (typically $20,000)
    • Specialized workshops or symposia that identify and address national preservation needs (typically $15,000 to $20,000)
    • How-to videos, mobile applications, podcasts, best practices publications, or webinars that disseminate practical preservation methods or provide better tools for preservation practice (typically $5,000 to $15,000)
    • Grant deadlines for 2023 are now closed; the application portal is typically open during the first two months of the year.
  • National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers

    Each state has a historic preservation officer who may be able to provide additional suggestions specific to your state or region. The offices of Historic Preservation Officers also provide federal preservation project review – section 106. To find the preservation officer in your state, visit www.ncshpo.org

  • National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) - Arts Indemnity Program

    The National Endowment for the Arts offers grants to organizations, individuals, and partnership agreements. While many of these funding opportunities may not specifically apply to preservation projects, they all share in the goal of laying “..the groundwork for systemic changes that sustain the integration of arts, culture, and design into local strategies for strengthening communities.” See: https://www.arts.gov/grants/apply-grant/grants-organizations.

    Current grants for organization include:

    • Grants for Art Projects – February 9 and July 6, 2023
    • Challenge America – April 27, 2023
    • Our Town – grant deadline not announced for 2023
    • Research Awards – March 27, 2023
    • The NEA administers the U.S. Government's Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Program on behalf of the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities (FCAH). The Indemnity Program was created by Congress in 1975 for the purpose of minimizing the costs of insuring international exhibitions.
  • National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) – Preservation and Access, Federal/State Partnership, Research, Challenge Programs, Digital Humanities, as part of seven Divisions and Offices. 

    The National Endowment for the Humanities funds projects that range from scholarly (including books, archives, and scholarly editions and translations) to the popular (eg, museum exhibitions, tours of historic places, documentary films, and television, radio, and digital programs. The NEH also makes awards to institutions such as libraries, historical societies, museums, and universities to help build their humanities capacity and infrastructure. Grants programs are administered through seven divisions and offices. Specifically, the division of Preservation and Access’ grant programs recognize that good stewardship of cultural resources requires equal attention to both preservation and access. All of the division’s programs focus on ensuring the long-term and wide availability of primary resources in the humanities.  www.neh.gov

    NEH is accepting, reviewing, and processing grant applications on its normal schedule. Current Grant Program Opportunities include:

  • National Film Preservation Foundation Grants 

    The NFPF helps archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and universities preserve and increase accessibility of American films, in addition to offering grants that support the preservation and increased accessibility of American orphan films of historic and cultural interest. The registration deadline for grants and matching grants is in April. www.filmpreservation.org

    • Basic preservation grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for laboratory work, federally funded, matching grants for large-scale preservation, reconstruction, or restoration projects, and Avant-Garde grants to support the preservation of America’s Avant-Garde film heritage - April 28, 2023.
    • Matching Grants of $ 20,000 - $ 75,000 enable experiences preservation professionals to undertake more extensive projects, requiring a one-fifth match of total costs - April 28, 2023.
    • Avant-Garde Masters Grants of $ 5000 - $ 50,000 funded through support from The Film Foundation, target the preservation of motion pictures significant to the development of the avant-garde in America - April 28, 2023.
  • National Park Service, Grants for Cultural Resources, Consultation, and Repatriation (NPS)
    The NPS funds a broad range of planning, development, and research projects for historic sites. Projects include the survey, inventory, documentation, architectural services, historic structure reports, preservation plans, and brick and mortar repair for historic structures and landscapes. Grants may also fund research in technology, training, interpretation and education programs and projects, and the respectful repatriation of human remains. The NPS supports grants through the NCPTT and the IMLS such as SOS. The NPS supports a wide range of grant programs, current grant programs include:
    • State Historic Preservation Office Grants (SHPO). This grant program includes Technical Preservation Services, National Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Landmarks Program, Historic Preservation, Certified Local Government Program, and State, Tribal, Local Plans & Grants.
    • Maritime Heritage Grants. The National Maritime Heritage Grants Program provides funding for education and preservation projects designed to preserve historic maritime resources and to increase public awareness and appreciation for the maritime heritage of the United States. Current grant cycle is closed.
    • Battlefield Restoration Projects. The Battlefield Restoration Grants (BARE) project supports preservation partners across the country in their effort to restore eligible American Revolution, War of 1821, and Civil War sites. Grant application deadline: July 6, 2023
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) NSF grants fund a wide range of science initiatives, with broad impact in STEM research, biological and health sciences, data and computation, and others. Other natural science institutions have received funding for specific collection projects, such as the acquisition of new storage furniture.
    • Capacity: Biological Collections. This infrastructure grant supports major improvements to or digitization of biological collections and collection based information, enabling the advancement of biological understanding in important research areas, and increasing broader applicability of collections. Full proposals are accepted at any time.
  • National Trust Preservation Funds Grants

    The National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is an umbrella group of grant funds intended to encourage preservation at the local level by supporting ongoing preservation work and by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants aim to help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for particular projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector. There are three deadlines per year in February, June, an October. Grants from this fund are generally between $ 2500 and $ 5000, but some programs grant up to $ 25,000. See their website for more information about available funding, grant guidelines, and deadlines, www.savingplaces.org/grants

  • Society for Industrial Archeology

    The Society for Industrial Archeology offers Industrial Heritage Preservation Grants (IHPG) ranging from $1000 to $3000 for the study, documentation, recordation, and/or preservation of significant historic industrial sites, structures, and objects. Funds are awarded to projects that include but are not limited to: increasing public awareness of preservation efforts, photography, videography, preparing inventories and developing measured drawings of extant significant industrial sites, structures, maritime facilities and industrial artifacts. Awards are made to both nonprofit organizations and qualified individuals. The application deadline is March 1 to be considered for that year. www.sia-web.org

  • Samuel H. Kress Foundation - Conservation Grants Program

    The Kress Foundation supports grants in defined program areas and professional development fellowships for historians of art and architecture, art conservators, art museum curators and educators, and art librarians. The foundation supports grants in three areas: History of Art, Conservation, and Digital Art History. The Conservation Grants program supports a wide range of art conservation practices, especially as related to European works of art from antiquity to the early 19th century. Grants are primarily awarded through institutional applications. Grants are reviewed and awarded in three cycles: Spring (March 1, 2023), Fall (September 1, 2023), and winter (December 15, 2023). www.kressfoundation.org. Kress Foundation also funds grants awarded through FAIC.

  • Save America's Treasures (SOS), National Park Service (NPS)
    Established in 1998, the Save America's Treasures grant program celebrates America's premier cultural resources by providing funding for preservation projects through a partnership with the NEA, the NEH, and the IMLS. The program is administered through the NPS Historic Preservation Fund program. The program is divided into two parts:
    • Preservation Projects (for properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places for national significance or designated as a National Historic Landmark.
    • Collections of significance (including artifacts, museum collections, documents, sculptures, and other works of art).
    • These awards are managed by the IMLS. www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservationfund/save-americas-treasures-grants.htm 

Individual Study or Research

Funding for individual study or research in conservation is limited. The following sources may be of help.

  • American Academy in Rome
    For over a century, the American Academy in Rome has awarded the “Rome Prize” to support innovative and cross-disciplinary work in the arts and humanities. Each year, about thirty artists and scholars from various disciplines, including Historic Preservation and Conservation, are awarded the “Rome Prize.”  The deadline for applications is November 1 ($40 for one application, $50 for two or more applications) or 15th for a higher application fee. www.aarome.org
  • Fitch Foundation 
    The James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation’s mission is to support professionals in the field of historic preservation and to provide mid-career grants to those working in preservation, landscape architecture, urban design, environmental planning, decorative arts, architectural design and architectural history. Grants are awarded only to individuals, not organizations and the Foundation does not fund university-sponsored research projects or dissertation research. The deadline for the 2023 application cycle has passed; email cpena@fitchfoundation.org with questions. www.fitchfoundation.org
  • Fulbright Program
    The Fulbright Program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide and awards approximately 8,000 competitive, merit-based grants annually in most academic disciplines and fields of study. eca.state.gov/fulbright
  • John Anson Kittredge Foundation
    The John Anson Kittredge Foundation has made small, one-time grants to conservators attending workshops and conferences. For more information, write to the John Anson Kittredge Foundation, c/o Ernest R. May, P.O. Box 2883, Cambridge, MA 02138. All materials should be received by the Fund no later than February 15 of the grant year. http://kittredgefund.org/ (note the website does not have a secure connection, but does not request information to be shared and does not contain trackers)
  • The Getty Foundation
    The Getty Foundation has many funding programs for scholars around the world and also administers grants for scholars who come to work at the Getty Center on behalf of the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Getty Trust. Grants specifically focused on conservation include the Getty Rothschild Fellowship, which supports innovative scholarship in the history of art, collecting, and conservation, and the Conservation Guest Scholar Program which supports new ideas and perspectives in the field of conservation (with an emphasis on the visual arts including sites, buildings, objects) and the theoretical underpinnings of the field. Deadlines for these and all other Getty Foundation fellowships have passed but check their website in the Summer of 2023 for information about 2023-2024 applications. www.getty.edu/foundation/initiatives/
  • National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) Grants
    Preservation Technology and Training Grants are intended to create better tools, better materials, and better approaches to conserving buildings, landscapes, sites, and collections. The PTT Grants are administered by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), the National Park Service’s innovation center for the preservation community. See above listing and https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/2022-preservation-technology-and-training-grants.htm

  • National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) – Preservation and Access, Federal/State Partnership, Research, Challenge Programs, Digital Humanities; seven divisions and offices. Specifically, the division of Preservation and Access’ grant programs recognize that good stewardship of cultural resources requires equal attention to both preservation and access. All of the division’s programs focus on ensuring the long-term and wide availability of primary resources in the humanities, and several grant programs are tailored to individuals. See: www.neh.gov

    NEH is accepting, reviewing, and processing grant applications on its normal schedule. Deadlines for current NEH grant program applications range from April 13, 2022. Current Grant Program Opportunities include:

  • National Gallery of Art - Conservation Fellowships
    Since 1983, the conservation division at the NGA has offered fellowships that have enabled graduates of conservation programs to participate in the NGA's mission to care for the collections. The program allows novice conservators to practice and refine their skills through the examination and treatment of works of art. The fellowships are supported by both The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation. Fellows serve for a three-year period in the painting, paper, object, or scientific research department. Conservation departments that are accepting fellowship applicants are listed on the website with detailed instructions on how to apply.  www.nga.gov
  • Richard Morris Hunt Prize
    Since 1990, the Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship, co-sponsored by the American Architectural Foundation and the French Heritage Society, offers mid-career American and French design professionals an opportunity to work on a historic conservation and restoration design project overseas. Applications for the 2023 are closed; sign up on the website for news about the next cycle. https://rmhprize.org/en/prize
  • Samuel H. Kress Foundation – Publication Fellowship

    The FAIC/Samuel H. Kress Conservation Publication Fellowships are focused on improving the quality and quantity of publications in the field of conservation by encouraging conservation professionals to prepare publishable manuscripts. The cash awards of $30,000 is payable in three installments as the manuscript is developed. The deadline for submission is November 1. This grant opportunity is funded by the Kress Foundation and administered by the FAIC; see AIC/FAIC

    • Smithsonian Postgraduate Fellowships in Conservation of Museum Collections
      This fellowships program is offered by the Smithsonian Institution to provide opportunities for recent graduates of MA or MS degree programs in art and archaeological conservation or the equivalent, or conservation scientists (including those at the postdoctoral level) who wish to conduct research and gain further training in Smithsonian conservation laboratories for conservation of objects in museum collections. The amount awarded for the Postgraduate Conservation/Predoctoral Fellowship is $36,000 annually, with a research allowance up to $4,000. Application deadlines for 2020 have closed, check back for updates on 2022 deadlines. www.smithsonianofi.com
    • Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) Fellowship Opportunities 
      The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications for research fellowships in art and visual culture of the United States. Fellowships are residential and support full-time independent and dissertation research. Applicants should propose a SAAM primary advisor and are encouraged to share proposals with prospective advisors before applying. Check back for updates on 2023 deadlines. www.americanart.si.edu
      • SAAM offers a variety of fellowships:
        • Will Barnet Foundation Fellowship: Grant supports a scholar during a full year of research on topics related to American modern art in 2023
        • Joe and Wanda corn Fellowship: Grant supports scholars who interests fall under the scope of American art and American history and will work jointly between SAAM and the National Museum of American History
        • Douglass Foundation Fellowship in American Art: grant supports a full year of pre-doctoral research in American art
        • Patricia and Phillip Frost Fellowship: Supports research in American art and visual culture
        • George Gurney Fellowship: Grant supports a six-month research appointment in American sculpture
        • Joshua C. Taylor Fellowship: Intermittently awarded grant
        • Terra Foundation Fellowships in American Art: Fellowships awarded for three to twelve months for predoctoral, postdoctoral and senior level scolars who are interested in researching American art, eligible for $60,000 stipend for twelve-month appointment working at SAAM
        • William H. Truettner Fellowship: Grant supports six months of research, residency will span between June-December 2022 or January-August 2023
        • Windgate Foundation: Grant supports a full-year fellowship in the study of American craft traditions
        • Wyeth Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship: Grant is awarded for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation focused on the study and recognition of American art traditions
    • University of Michigan Library Cathleen A. Baker Fellowship in Paper Conservation
      The Cathleen A. Baker Fellowship provides financial support for conservators at various levels in their careers, allowing them to spend time in the University of Michigan Library's Conservation Lab as they increase their knowledge about the conservation of paper-based collections. Projects that center on the conservation of related non-paper materials, such as papyrus or parchment/vellum, will also be considered. While most fellows will work with U-M Library conservators to increase their own knowledge and skills, a fellow may also join the lab primarily to pass on her/his expertise to the U-M conservators. Building and sharing knowledge are the primary goals of this fellowship. Applications are due at the end of January each year for proposals to take place at some time in the 16-month period from May through the following August. www.lib.umich.edu/preservation-and-conservation/cathleen-baker-fellowship-conservation
    • Winterthur Research Fellowship Program
      Academic, independent, and museum scholars, as well as advanced graduate students are invited to apply for short and long-term residential research fellowships. Research fellows conduct research in many areas of social and cultural history, including material culture, architecture, decorative arts, design, consumer culture, garden and landscape studies, Shaker studies, travel and tourism, the Atlantic World, and objects in literature. Check for application deadlines. 
      • Winterthur offers a variety of fellowships:
        • Postdoctoral Fellowship: up to $4,200 per month
        • Dissertation Fellowship: up to $1,750 per month
        • Short-Term Fellowship: up to $1,750 per month
        • Maker-Creator Fellowships: up to $1,750 per month
        • NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship: four-month fellowship offering a monthly stipend of $5,000, application deadline – January 15

    For Formal Education Programs

    • The College Board has resources and links for various college scholarship programs. For more information, visit www.collegeboard.com.
    • For information on graduate training in conservation, visit the AIC/FAIC website.
    • The AIC/FAIC website also offers information about professional development opportunities at: https://learning.culturalheritage.org/, as well as an Allied Organizations Events page which lists current courses, conferences, and seminars.
    • In addition, if you are associated with a college or university, be sure to visit their websites. Most will have a wealth of resources and links.

    Students from The George Washington University Museum Studies program update these listings annually.


    —Page updated May 2023 by Rachel Berglund , George Washington University Museum Studies master’s program

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