Upgrading Curation and Cataloging Collections from Cane River Creole National Historic Park Housed at the Southeast Archeological Center. | NPS NOI 17 CESU 31274

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOI 17 CESU 31274

The grant opportunity titled "Upgrading Curation and Cataloging Collections from Cane River Creole National Historic Park Housed at the Southeast Archeological Center" is a National Park Service (NPS) Notice of Intent (NOI) to make a single, non-competitive award using a Cooperative Agreement. In practical terms, this is not an open competition where multiple applicants submit proposals to be ranked against each other. Instead, NPS is signaling that it plans to issue a specific Task Agreement under an existing framework agreement, the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Master Cooperative Agreement (P12AC51051). The announcement cites Department of the Interior policy (505 Departmental Manual 2.12C) as the authority for making this type of non-competitive award.

The purpose of the project is collections management: continuing the cataloging of backlog archeological and related museum collections that are housed at the Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC). The emphasis is on materials from Cane River Creole National Historic Park (CARI). These are not just artifacts; the scope also includes associated archival documentation, which typically covers field notes, provenience records, photographs, maps, catalogs, and other contextual records that make the objects usable for research, interpretation, and long-term stewardship. The announcement specifically identifies SEAC accession groups tied to CARI, including SEAC-01224 and SEAC-01304, indicating the work is organized around established accession records already in SEAC custody that still require additional cataloging and processing to meet current standards.

In addition to the Cane River Creole materials, the project also includes cataloging backlog collections from Fort Frederica National Monument (FOFR). Those collections are identified by SEAC accession numbers SEAC-01119 and SEAC-01767. This means the task agreement is designed to address more than one park unit's curation needs, likely leveraging the same cataloging workflow and professional expertise to reduce processing backlogs across multiple accession sets held at SEAC.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed as discretionary and categorized under an education activity area, which is common for CESU-supported work that involves applied research, cultural resource stewardship, training, or other mission-support functions carried out in partnership with CESU network members. The CFDA program number attached to the announcement is 15.945, and the agency is the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The posting indicates an expected total of one award. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0, which usually reflects that the amount is not specified in the summary fields of the notice and may be provided in the attached full announcement or determined within the task agreement budget rather than published as a competitive ceiling.

Eligibility is broadly labeled as "Others" with a note to consult additional eligibility text, which is consistent with CESU task agreements where eligibility is often tied to membership in the relevant CESU network or other criteria spelled out in the full announcement. The key point for this specific notice is that it is a non-competitive intent to award under an existing cooperative agreement mechanism, not a standard open grant solicitation.

Timing information in the record shows the opportunity was created on July 31, 2017, with an original closing date of August 9, 2017. Because it is an NOI for a non-competitive task agreement, that closing date typically functions more like an administrative posting window rather than a true proposal deadline in the way it would for a competitive grant program. The announcement also references an attached full announcement for additional requirements and details, suggesting that specifics such as deliverables, cataloging standards, reporting expectations, staffing qualifications, and the exact scope of work would be defined there.

Overall, the opportunity is centered on improving the accountability, accessibility, and long-term preservation of NPS museum holdings by reducing cataloging backlogs for archeological collections and associated records, with primary attention on Cane River Creole National Historic Park materials curated at SEAC and additional processing for Fort Frederica National Monument accessions.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Upgrading Curation and Cataloging Collections from Cane River Creole National Historic Park Housed at the Southeast Archeological Center." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 31, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 09, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NPS NOI 17 CESU 31274

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